Requirements and Prerequisites

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Admission to the program in medical laboratory science is competitive. Students should have attained a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or greater (4.0 scale) for all applicable college courses taken prior to the date of application. A grade of D or F in any prerequisite course is not accepted and the course must be repeated until an acceptable grade is achieved. Grades in repeated courses are not deleted in the determination of GPA. Other factors considered for admission are science/math GPA, interview, knowledge of the profession, writing skills and recommendations. It is recommended that applicants tour a clinical laboratory prior to interview. In addition, applicants must be able to master certain technical standards (visual, motor, communication and behavioral skills) that are described in the next section. Class size is approximately 25 - 30 per year.

Minimum prerequisites for admission include satisfactory completion (prior to the date of registration) of the courses listed below or their equivalent (as determined by the departmental faculty). In addition, international students must take a minimum of 6 Credits in science courses and 6 Credits in English composition in a U.S. college or university.

MLS BS Prerequisite Courses

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• English (Composition) [6 Credits]
• Chemistry (General Lecture and Laboratory) [8 Credits]
• Mathematics (College algebra or above) [6 Credits] *
• Biology (Lecture and Laboratory for Science Majors) [8 Credits]
• Microbiology (Lecture and Laboratory) [4 Credits]
• Science Elective (2000 Level or above) [6 Credits] **
• General Electives [9 Credits] ***
• Humanities [9 Credits]
• Social Science [6 Credits]
• Art Elective [3 Credits] ****

     Total:  65 Credits

 

Total: 65 Credits

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*	Algebra and statistics recommended
**	Recommend upper level biological sciences or chemistry, anatomy or physiology, pathogenic microbiology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetics or molecular biology
***	Recommend communications, technical writing, medical terminology, or management
****	Theory course from music, art, dance, theater, or fine arts

 

Note:

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Survey courses in math or science are not accepted.  See “General Admission Policies ” of the School of Allied Health Professions for further requirements and procedures relating to admissions.

MLS BS Admissions Procedure

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The Department of Medical Laboratory Science will begin accepting applications in April for spring admission. The deadline for applications is August 31.  

Online Application  

Complete an online application through the Allied Health Centralized Application Service (AHCAS). https://ahcas.liaisoncas.com . The AHCAS application must be completed (all required documents submitted & payment received) by the application deadline.

Only completed and verified applications will be considered. Transcripts should be submitted to AHCAS 4 weeks before the application deadline to allow time for verification. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor the application’s progress and ensure it is completed and verified by the deadline.

Official transcripts from all college-level institutions ever attended (including high school dual enrollment) must be sent to AHCAS.

AHCAS only accepts electronic transcripts from Parchment, and National Student Clearinghouse.  If your School does not offer these services, your transcript must be sent by mail.

        Your registrar should mail your paper transcripts to the following address:

        AHCAS Transcript Processing Center
        P.O. Box 9127
       Watertown, MA 02471

Two letters of recommendation must be submitted by instructors or supervisors via the AHCAS Evaluation portal. (At least 1 recommendation from an instructor is preferred if the applicant is currently enrolled in college courses.)  

Timeline for Application  

The application deadline for the class beginning in January of each year is August 31.  

If a class is not filled, the AHCAS application portal may be reopened to accept a late application. If you require assistance filling out the application, please contact the Office of Disability Services at ods@lsuhsc.edu or at (504) 568-2211.  

Medical Laboratory Science Admission Requirements in Addition to the Application  

Preferred cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 (in a 4.0 system)

Completion of 65 hours of pre-requisite course work with a grade of “C” or better

Other Information  

Link to tuition and fees: https://www.lsuhsc.edu/tuition/alliedhealth.aspx 

Admissions Coordinator Contact Information  

Please feel free to contact the department should you have questions or concerns.

Michele Zitzmann, MHS, MLS(ASCP)  
Associate Professor of Medical Laboratory Science 

Phone: (504) 568-4269 

E-mail: mzitzm@lsuhsc.edu 

MLT to MLS BS Admissions Procedure

1. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements listed above, complete the prerequisite courses as listed for the MLT to MLS curriculum, and submit the same admission materials as other students applying to the MLS program (transcripts, admission form, recommendations, etc.).

2. Documentation of certification must be submitted.

3. Applicant prerequisites must be completed before the applicant starts the program.

4. MLT articulation students must apply and application documents be received at least 2 months prior to the intended start date.

5. Students may be admitted at the beginning of any semester.

6. MLT applicants will be placed in a separate applicant pool and admission will be on a continuous basis (as soon as all required materials are submitted, admission will be considered). An interview will be scheduled after all materials have been received, and it has been determined that the      applicant meets the recommended criteria (2.5 overall GPA, 2.0 science GPA, etc.). Based on available resources and other factors, the Department determines the number of MLT articulation students participating in the program.

7. The student’s employer must agree to assess the competency of the applicant to award credit for clinical practicum courses, to adjust the student’s work schedule to allow them to attend all required classes (exams, presentations, etc.) and to maintain the usual number of traditional students in practicum rotations in addition to the articulating student.

8. The student’s employer must sign a letter of agreement for MLT articulation prior to the student’s admission.

9. Prior to acceptance of the student into the program, the supervisors of all major laboratory departments responsible for each practicum rotation must agree to participate in the training rotation of the student and must sign a letter of agreement.

10. The Department will determine a degree plan for the student. The Department may change the order in the degree plan if it is deemed necessary. The student may not make any changes to the degree plan without the approval of the Department.

11. The program will typically be completed in 2 years unless there is some extenuating circumstance. Progression in the program may be delayed by mutual agreement of the department and the employer under special circumstances. Total time for the completion of the program shall not exceed 3 years.

12. All practicum courses must be taken on vacation time or leave without pay unless the student’s employer grants educational leave.

13. The student must remain an employee of the contracted hospital laboratory throughout enrollment in the MLT articulation program. If employment is terminated for any reason, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program.

14. Practicum courses will be scheduled by the student’s employer in consultation with the Department. The student may not make any changes to the schedule without the approval of the employer and the Department.

15. Since the student is not full time, it will be necessary for the student to check his/her email daily for any changes in the course schedule or for assignments or other notices.

16. The student must pass all coursework to remain in the program. Passing a course includes making a score of 64 or higher on comprehensive final exams in addition to making an overall score of 70 or higher in the course. The remediation policy in the MLS Handbook will be followed.

17. The employer may request that certain courses be included in the degree plan.

Technical Standards

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Technical Standards (Essential Functions) are the non-academic standards that a student must be able to master to participate successfully in the MLS program and enter clinical practice. Examples of this program’s essential functions are provided below.  If you are not sure that you will be able to meet these essential functions, please consult with the Admissions Chair for further information and to discuss your individual situation.

Observation Skills: A student in the MLS program must possess sufficient skills and skills of observation to perform and interpret laboratory assays, including the ability to:

• Observe laboratory demonstrations in which lab procedures are performed on patient samples (i.e. body fluids, culture materials, tissue sections, and cellular specimens).
• Characterize the color, consistency, and clarity of biological samples or reagents.
• Use a clinical grade binocular microscope to discriminate among fine differences in structure and color (i.e. hue, shading, and intensity) in microscopic specimens.
• Read and comprehend text, numbers, and graphs displayed in print and on a video monitor.
• Recognize alarms.

Motor and Mobility Skills: A student must possess adequate motor and mobility skills to:

• Perform laboratory tests adhering to existing laboratory safety standards.
• Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work. This work may require prolonged sitting and/or standing, over several hours and some may take place in cramped positions.
• Reach laboratory bench tops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds or patients seated in specimen collection furniture.
• Perform fine motor tasks such as pipetting, inoculating media, withdrawing a blood sample from a patient, handling small tools and/or parts to repair and correct equipment malfunctions, and transferring drops into tubes of small diameter.
• Use a  computer keyboard to operate laboratory instruments and to calculate, record, evaluate, and transmit laboratory information.

Communication Skills: A student must possess adequate communication skills to:

• Communicate with individuals and groups (i.e. faculty members, fellow students, staff, patients, and other health care professionals) verbally and in recorded format (unaided oral speech, writing, typing, graphics, and telecommunication)

Behavioral Skills: A student must possess adequate behavioral skills to:

• Be able to manage the use of time and be able to systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within realistic constraints.
• Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively apply knowledge and exercise appropriate judgment.
• Be able to provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty (i.e., ambiguous test order, ambivalent test interpretation), emergent demands (i.e. “stat’ test orders), and distracting environment (i.e., high noise levels, crowding, complex visual stimuli).
• Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change.
• Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and proceed safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self, and nearby individuals.
• Adapt to working with unpleasant biological specimens.
• Support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals. Promotion of peers helps furnish a team approach to learning, task completion, problem-solving, and patient care.
• Be honest, compassionate, ethical, and responsible. The student must be forthright about errors or uncertainty. The student must be able to critically evaluate her or his own performance, accept constructive criticism, and look for ways to improve (i.e. participate in enriched educational activities). The student must be able to evaluate the performance of fellow students and tactfully offer constructive comments.
• Show respect for individuals of different age, ethnic background, religion, and /or sexual orientation
• Exhibit professional behavior by conforming to appropriate standards of dress, appearance, language and public behavior.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

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The following requirements pertaining to the status of satisfactory academic progress apply to all students in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science.

In order to achieve the status of satisfactory academic progress, the student must meet the following minimum standards.

UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLASTIC REQUIREMENTS

1. The minimum scholastic requirement for course work is a grade of C. In courses designated Pass/Fail or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory a grade of Pass or Satisfactory is required to be in good academic standing.
2. A minimum semester and cumulative professional GPA (for course work taken at LSUHSC) of 2.0 must be maintained.
3. Departmental scholastic requirements may differ from those of the School of Allied Health Professions and should be noted by students.

Provisions for Academic Progression

1.   If an unacceptable grade is recorded in a required course the student will be placed on scholastic probation and must satisfactorily complete the required course before continuing the program sequence.

2.   Students may not participate in clinical, fieldwork, or preceptorship courses until all prerequisite course work has been completed successfully.

3.   Students who either: 1) receive a grade of D in more than one required course in the same semester, 2) receive a grade of D in more than two required courses during the program, or 3) receive a F in any required course will be dismissed from the School.

4.   Students placed on scholastic probation must repeat those courses in which an unacceptable grade was earned when next regularly offered and earn a satisfactory grade. Students will remain on scholastic probation until this requirement is met and the minimum scholastic requirement for      cumulative professional GPA is achieved. Students who do not meet this requirement will be dismissed from the School.

5.   A course, including those designated clinical, fieldwork, and preceptorship, may be repeated one time only. Students who repeat a course but earn an unacceptable grade will be dismissed from the School.  

6.   Students who fail to attain a minimum 2.0 cumulative and/or semester professional GPA in two consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the School.

7.   Students on scholastic probation are not eligible for graduation.

8.   Students must complete the professional program in a specified period of time. See scholastic requirements.

9.   Grades recorded in repeated course work do not replace the original grade. Both the original grade and repeated grade will appear on the academic transcript and both grades will be used in the computation of the academic grade point average.

10. Students dismissed from the School for academic reasons must reapply to the program to be considered for readmission.

11.  In the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, upon program readmission, students must successfully complete all courses offered regardless of whether the student previously passed some of the courses.

12.  All MLS students will be required to take and pass a final MLS comprehensive exam prior to completion of the program.

The Department will review students’ academic progress after completion of each semester. The names of those students who receive financial aid and have not achieved the status of satisfactory academic progress will be forwarded to the Director of Financial Aid for appropriate action. Students in this category may request that their progress be re-evaluated more than once per academic year. Appeals may be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in the section of this catalog/bulletin entitled “Student Academic Appeals.”

 

Scholastic Requirements

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In the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, students must complete:

• The traditional 16-month curriculum in no more than 28-months after initial enrollment or the student will be dismissed from the program.
• The categorical curriculum in no more than 24-months after initial enrollment or the student will be dismissed from the program.
• The MLT-to-MLS articulation curriculum in no more than 36-months months after initial enrollment or the student will be dismissed from the program.

If making a grade less than a C in a course will prevent a student from meeting the time completion requirement for their specific curriculum track, the student will be dismissed from the program.