Academic Catalog 2024-2025

Medical Laboratory Science

The following program of study is offered at the University of Saint Mary for the preparation of medical laboratory scientists (formally known as clinical laboratory scientists and medical technologists).

Students entering the University of Saint Mary follow a three-year course of study (a minimum of 90 credit hours) followed by a 12-month internship in a school of medical laboratory science/clinical laboratory science/medical technology approved by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) Board of the American Medical Association. Upon successful completion of the clinical program, the student receives 30 credits and earns a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science. Certification as a Medical Laboratory Scientist is granted when the registry examination is successfully completed.

Currently, the University of Saint Mary is affiliated with the Clinical Program at North Kansas City Hospital; students apply to the Clinical Program at the end of their sophomore year. Admittance to the North Kansas City Hospital Medical Laboratory Science Program is competitive and completion of the required courses below does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Students should consult their advisor for entrance requirements, including the necessary GPA.

Students seeking acceptance into alternative clinical internship programs are advised to consult their advisor for course selection as additional prerequisite courses may be required.

Program Outcomes

Throughout their program the students demonstrate the accomplishment of the following outcomes:

  1. Recall and apply basic terminology, facts, concepts, theories, and principles included in a board overview of the field of biological sciences.
  2. Demonstrate skill and competence in using laboratory equipment and standard protocols.
  3. Write laboratory reports based on standard formats found in professional journals in the biological sciences.
  4. Develop habits of analytical thinking with a scientific approach to problem solving.
  5. Demonstrate the ability to present, interpret, and discuss laboratory findings in a manner appropriate to a professional scientist.
  6. Demonstrate a knowledge of the form and function of major body systems central to the medical field, such as the circulatory, urinary, and immune systems.
  7. Demonstrate a knowledge of microbes and the response of the human immune system central to understanding disease.