Admission Requirements Scholarships and Expenses Program-Specific Policies Curriculum Summary Progress, Promotions and Graduation For additional information, please view our Frequently Asked Questions

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Jacen Moore, Ph.D., Program Director
Alex Ryder, M.D., Medical Advisor

Program Objectives

The curriculum is designed to produce graduates with advanced problem solving and supervisory skills in the laboratory that meet current expectations of the profession and of employers. Graduates of the program are prepared to function effectively as medical laboratory scientists (MLS) in any laboratory setting and eventually to assume positions of responsibility in laboratory management, teaching, and consultation.

Curriculum Description

The curriculum of the Bachelor’s of Science Medical Laboratory Science program is a two-year, in-person professional program. Students complete two years of prerequisite courses at other accredited academic institutions, then complete two years (21 months) of professional coursework on the Memphis campus of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Clinical experiences are integrated throughout the curriculum. The curriculum is designed to provide interprofessional interaction opportunities with other health sciences students, and for the integration of professional principles with the scientific aspects of the medical laboratory science curriculum.

Students are required to successfully complete either a comprehensive examination covering all courses in the curriculum upon completion of the program, or comprehensive examinations at intervals as specified by faculty. Examinations may be written or oral, practical, or both. The course curriculum must be completed in the sequence described below. Students must successfully complete each course of the sequence with a passing grade to be promoted to the next term, allowed to enter subsequent courses, or to graduate. 

Accreditation

The UTHSC program in medical laboratory science is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018- 5119, (773) 714-8880; http://www.naacls.org.

Admissions Requirements

To be eligible for consideration for admission into the BSMLS program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Completion of the following 58 credit hours of prerequisite coursework with a grade of “C” or better in each course:

 

Prerequisite coursework	Credit Hours
General Education
English Composition	6
English Literature	3a
Humanities or Fine Arts	3
Social/Behavioral Sciences	3
Natural Science/Mathematics
College Algebra or Statistics	3
American History	6b
Subtotal	24
General Education Electives	6
Subtotal	6
Prerequisite Course Work
General Chemistry	8
Organic Chemistry	4
General Biology or Zoology	8c
Human Physiology or Anatomy/Physiology	4
Microbiology	4
Subtotal	28
Total	58

** All students receiving a baccalaureate degree in the state of Tennessee must have completed one unit of American History on the high school level or six (6) credit hours of college-level American History (three (3) credit hours of Tennessee History may be substituted for three (3) credit hours of American History).

1. Courses in literature may be used to fulfill the Humanities/Fine Arts requirement
2.  Students lacking the required one unit (one year) of American History from high school must complete six (6) credit hours of American History or three (3) credit hours of American History and three (3) credit hours of Tennessee History to fulfill the requirements in General Education.  Students who have successfully completed one unit (one year) of American History in high school will need to complete six (6) credit hours of electives to have thirty (30) credit hours in General Education.
3. Human Physiology II or Anatomy/Physiology II may be used to fill one of the General Biology requirements.

 

2. Submit official transcripts of above coursework.
3. A minimum overall GPA of 2.5.
4. Personal interview with faculty members.
5. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must submit results of the TOEFL, with a minimum score of 550 on the written test, 213 on the computer test or 80 on the TOEFL iBT®
6. Completed application form including an essay describing the applicant’s reasons for choosing the profession and their career goals.
7. Pre-professional advisory committee recommendation from college or university attended OR two letters of recommendation from previous college instructors.
8. Ability to meet published Technical Standards for the professional practice of Medical Laboratory Science.
9. Coursework from another professional degree program will not be accepted to meet the requirements for the UT Health Science Center MLS program curriculum.  There is no advanced standing or placement in the program

Applications are accepted online at http://www.uthsc.edu/admissions/chp.php.

Application deadlines
Early deadline: Regular deadline: Late deadline:	December 1 April 1 June 15

Health Requirements

In addition to meeting general University of Tennessee Health Science Center requirements, Medical Laboratory Science students are required to have an annual skin test for tuberculosis and to submit documentation of compliance with UT Health Science Center, MLS program, and clinical site immunization and drug screen requirements. Students that do not meet clinical site immunization and drug screen requirements may not be allowed to attend clinical rotations at that site.

Technical Standards

For admission to the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science or Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science degree programs at the UT Health Science Center, students are expected to be able to successfully meet the Technical Standards outlined below. Students are required to sign the Technical Standards Commitment form indicating they understand and can meet these standards either with or without accommodations (for persons with documented disabilities). Any questions about these technical standards should be directed to the MLS program director.

 

UTHSC receives applications from a diverse body of potential students including those with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to help students meet these technical standards and curricular requirements when appropriate, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Any student desiring accommodations should contact Keri Snyder, the Associate Director for Accessibility and Accommodations at ksnyde21@uthsc.edu, or the office of Disability Services for further information. Information regarding accommodations can be found on the SASSI website page:

https://uthsc.edu/tlc/disability-services.php or by calling 901-448-1218.

 

In the event that a student cannot meet these Technical Standards with or without reasonable accommodations at any time in their program, the student will lose their admission eligibility and will be required to discontinue enrollment in the program. In addition to meeting the intellectual, emotional and physical criteria for medical laboratory science, students must also possess the ability to provide for the welfare and safety of their patients and others. Students that are unable to meet these criteria as outlined by the Technical Standards are ineligible for admission or program continuation.

 

Once enrolled in the BSMLS or MSCLS Program, students must meet program curricular requirements including all technical, cognitive, and affective standards described herein in order to progress and to graduate.

 

General Standards

The students must have the ability to:

• Assess and make appropriate judgements regarding lab services and patient outcomes.
• Prioritize and perform laboratory testing.
• Adapt to a variety of patient care situations, including crisis.
• Communicate effectively in English, orally and in writing.
• Participate in discussion in the classroom, the clinical arena and with colleagues and patients.
• Acquire information developed through didactic instruction and clinical experiences.
• Comprehend reading assignments and to search and evaluate literature.
• Prepare written assignments and maintain written records.
• Perform duties and assignments in a timely fashion while under stress and in a variety of settings.
• Meet deadlines and manage time.
• Utilize the computer for instructional assignments and patient care activities.

 

Physical and Motor Skills

The student must possess:

• Dexterity with both wrists, hands and arms, and dexterity with all fingers.
• Motor skills to grasp, pinch, push, pull, finger, hold, extend, rotate, cut.
• Ability to obtain and/or verify patient samples.
• Sufficient stamina to tolerate physically taxing workloads.
• Ability to operate/manipulate and effectively evaluate the status of laboratory instruments and equipment.

 

Sensory Skills

The student must possess:

• Visual acuity (corrected to 20/40); visual perception with respect to depth and color.

Cognitive, Integrative, Quantitative Skills

The student must possess the:

• Ability to measure, calculate, analyze, interpret, synthesize and evaluate as applicable to clinical practice.
• Ability to solve one or more problems within specific time frames, which are often short.
• Ability to comprehend spatial relationships.

 

Affective, Behavioral and Social Skills

The student must be able to:

• Function as part of a team (communicate effectively in English, consult, negotiate, share, delegate).
• Delegate to and supervise others.
• Adhere to safety guidelines for self and others.
• Comply with standards and regulations required by external agencies.
• Follow instructions/procedures with accuracy and precision.
• Maintain intellectual and emotional stability and maturity under stress, while also maintaining appropriate performance standards.
• Learn and exhibit professional attributes.

 

General Education Competencies

General education competencies for all UTHSC baccalaureate degrees include:

Critical Thinking
​Students will demonstrate their ability to solve problems, construct, and present cogent arguments in support of their views, and understand and evaluate arguments presented by others.

Communication
Students will demonstrate appropriate skills in planning, preparing, and presenting effective oral and written presentations.

Interprofessionalism
Students will be able to explain interprofessional practice to patients, clients, families, and/or other professionals, describe the areas of practice of other health professions, and express professional opinions competently, confidently, and respectfully while avoiding discipline specific language.

General education competencies will be measured through multiple tools and strategies such as student performance on oral presentations and written assessments including critiques of research papers and papers written in capstone courses.

Scholarships and Expenses

The following scholarships are available to students entering the Medical Laboratory Science program:

• The UT Health Science Center Scholarships 
• Ann Bell Scholarship
• Elam Scholarship
• Elizabeth Club Scholarship
• Loretta Cox Stuckey Scholarship

Information about these scholarships is available in the general college section of the bulletin.  Students receive a scholarship application during the admission process.

Clinical Affiliations

Clinical affiliation sites are located in Memphis, throughout Tennessee, and in neighboring states. Due to the limited number of clinical sites in Memphis, students may be required to accept the financial impact of traveling and living out of town for a portion of their clinical assignments. Students interested in assignment to clinical sites outside of Memphis can request these rotation sites but assignment to the requested site is not guaranteed. The Medical Laboratory Science program will make every effort to place all students on clinical rotation. Occasionally, a scheduled clinical experience at an external site is unavailable due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. The lack of a clinical placement or acceptable substitution may result in the delay of student graduation until a clinical experience can be identified and completed by the student. In order to ensure timely graduation, the Medical Laboratory Science program may exercise replacement clinical experiences including simulated laboratory experiences on campus or assignment to clinical sites outside of Memphis when rotations within Memphis are unavailable.

Program-Specific Policies

Attendance Requirement

Medical laboratory science students are expected to attend all scheduled classes, student labs, and clinical rotation assignments. In the case of absence due to illness or emergency, the student must notify the course director and/or the medical laboratory science program director and the clinical site no later than 8:30AM of the day missed. For any other absences, prior arrangements must be made with the specific instructor(s) involved. Makeup exams, missed lectures, or laboratory sessions should be coordinated with the course director. Every effort should be made to avoid scheduling appointments for services during scheduled class time.

Grading Policy

Written and practical examinations and performance evaluations are a part of the educational program throughout the curriculum. Students are required to successfully pass all courses in each term before the student is allowed to progress to the next term. No credit for any course is awarded until the end of the term.

The point-grade conversion scale used by the BS Medical Laboratory Science program for all courses is as follows:

93-100 = A

90-92 = A-

86-89 = B+

83-85 = B

80-82 = B-

76-79 = C+

73-75 = C

70-72 = C-

60-69 = D

Below 60 = F

Practicum courses may be graded on Pass (P)/Fail (F) criteria as indicated in course syllabi.  These grades are not included in calculating the grade point average (GPA). 

Information about grading for incompletes and withdrawals is covered in the general college section of the bulletin. Students should reference this information about grade assignments in these situations