Medical Laboratory Science, BSMLS

• Program Description
• Accreditation
• Admission Requirements
• Health Requirements
• General Education Competencies
• Scholarships
• Clinical Affiliations
• 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 Description

The Bachelor’s of Science in Medical Laboratory Science (BS MLS) program is designed to produce graduates with advanced problem solving and supervisory skills in the medical 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 BS MLS program is a professional program that prepares graduates to work in diverse laboratory settings. 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; www.naacls.org.

Admissions Requirements

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

• Complete all prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better

Prerequisite coursework       

General Education (credit hours)  

English Composition	6
English Literature	3a
Humanities or Fine Arts	3
Social or Behavioral Sciences	3
Mathematics	3
College Algebra or Statistics	3
American History	6b
Subtotal	24

       

Gen Education Electives (Credit Hours)

Gen Education Electives	6
Subtotal	6

                          

Prerequisite Course Work (Credit Hours)

General Chemistry	8
Organic Chemistry	4
General Biol or Zoology	8c
Human Physiology or Anatomy/Physiology	4
General Microbiology	4
Subtotal	28
Grand 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 all College and University coursework;
3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5;
4. Complete a personal interview;
5. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must submit results of the TOEFL with a minimum score of 213 on the computer test or 80 on the TOEFL iBT®;
6. Completed application;
7. Pre-professional advisory committee recommendation from college or university attended, two letters of recommendation from previous college instructors, or a current employer if working in a laboratory setting;
8. Ability to meet the Technical Standards for professional practice of Medical Laboratory Science published on the BS MLS program website.

Coursework from another professional MLS degree program will not be accepted to meet graduation requirements for the UT Health Science Center MLS program curriculum.  No advanced standing or placement in the program is currently available. 

Application deadlines 

•  Early deadline:  December 1

•  Regular deadline: April 1

•  Late deadline: June 15

Applications for the BS MLS program are accepted online at https://www.uthsc.edu/health-professions/diagnostic-health-sciences/mls/index.php.

 

Health Requirements

In addition to meeting general UT Health Science Center requirements, medical laboratory science students are required to have an annual skin test for tuberculosis and to submit records in Verified Credentials and EXXAT demonstrating compliance with UT Health Science Center and clinical rotation site immunization and drug screening requirements. Students that do not meet University requirements will not be allowed to register for courses until they meet the necessary requirements. Students who do not meet clinical site immunization or drug screening requirements may not be allowed to rotate at that site. Students are required to have valid health insurance while enrolled at UT Health Science Center.

Technical Standards

For admission to the BS MLS degree program 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). 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. Any questions about these technical standards should be directed to the MLS program director.

Accommodations

Students with documented disabilities who wish to request accommodations must self-identify by registering with Accessibility and Accommodations and submitting documentation. Any student desiring accommodations should contact the Associate Director for Accessibility and Accommodations, Ms. Keri Snyder, in the office of Disability Services at ksnyde21@uthsc.edu for further information. Information regarding accommodations can also be found on the Disability Services web page: https://uthsc.edu/tlc/disability-services.php or by calling 901-448-1218.

Students must self-disclose their disability to Accessibility and Accommodations to make a request for accommodations. Accommodations can be requested at any point during the semester but are not retroactive. Students must be officially approved for accommodations to receive them. Students with a disability who do not wish to seek accommodations are still encouraged to register with the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations.

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

General Standards

• 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, Motor, and Sensory Skills
• 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
• Visual acuity (corrected to 20/40); visual perception with respect to depth and color

Cognitive, Integrative, Quantitative Skills

• 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/Social Skills

• 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 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 

Students entering the BS MLS program are eligible to apply for the following scholarships:

• 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. In order to accommodate all students in rotationstudents 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.

American Esoteric Laboratory, Memphis
1701 Century Center Cove
Memphis, TN 38134

American Esoteric Laboratory, Knoxville
7501 Strawberry Plains Pike
Knoxville, TN 37924

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Collierville
1500 West Poplar Avenue
Collierville, TN 38017

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Desoto
7601 Southcrest Parkway
Southaven, MS 38671

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis
6019 Walnut Grove
Memphis, TN 38120

Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton Co
1995 Highway 51 South
Covington, TN 38019

Baptist Memorial Hospital - Union City
1201 Bishop Street
Union City, TN  38261

Baptist Women’s Hospital
6225 Humphreys Boulevard
Memphis, TN 38120

Erlanger Health System
975 E. Third Street
Chattanooga, TN 37403

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital
620 Skyline Drive
Jackson, TN 38301

Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center
848 Adams Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103

Maury Regional Medical Center
1224 Trotwood Avenue
Columbia, TN 38401

Memphis VA Medical Center
1030 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104

Methodist Hospital-Germantown
7691 Poplar Avenue
Germantown, TN 38138

Methodist Hospital-North
3960 New Covington Pike
Memphis, TN 38125

Methodist Hospital, Olive Branch
4250 Bethel Road
Olive Branch, MS 38564

Methodist Hospital, South
1300 Wesley Drive
Memphis, TN 38116

Methodist University Hospital
1265 Union Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104

Regional One Health
877 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38105

St. Francis Hospital
5959 Park Avenue
Memphis, TN 38119

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place MS 250
Memphis, TN 38105  

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 of the absence as soon as possible. For clinical rotation absences, students must notify the course director and the clinical site no later than 8:30AM of the day missed. For other absences, prior arrangements must be made and makeup exams or laboratory sessions coordinated with the respective course directors. While emergencies do occur, every effort should be made to avoid scheduling appointments for services or other meetings during scheduled class or rotation times.

Grading Policy

Written, practical, and performance evaluations occur throughout the curriculum and are a crucial part of the educational program. Students are required to successfully pass all courses in each term before the student is allowed to progress. No credit will be awarded for any course until final grades are submitted by the course director at the end of the term.

The point-grade conversion scale used by the BS MLS program for all courses is listed below:

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 as Pass (P) or Fail (F) if indicated in the course syllabus.  Pass or Fail grades are not included in calculating a student’s term or cumulative 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 regarding grade assignments in these situations