About the Program

The CoxHealth School of Medical Laboratory Science program is a 12-month, hospital-based program.

If you are accepted, the MLS Program will serve as your fourth (senior) year for a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science through your university, or Certificate of Completion for MLS clinical training for post baccalaureate students. During the clinical year, students are at the hospital eight hours a day, four days a week, and under the supervision of the Program Director and Program Specialist. Admission dates are in January and July each year.

The first half of the program comprises didactic lectures administered at Cox North, with related student laboratory activities. There are three to four hours of lectures daily. Lectures are conducted by pathologists, supervisors of the various sections of the laboratory, and the Program Specialist. Student Lab activities will expose MLS students to basic laboratory skills and practices, and provide hands-on experience related to daily lecture material. Students at Cox North in the student lab are under daily supervision of the Program Specialist.

During the second half of the program, students will rotate through all sections of the laboratory, working one-on-one with highly trained Medial Professionals at Cox South. Performing laboratory tests on actual patient specimens provides real-world experiences unique to the hospital laboratory. Students in the clinical rotations at Cox South are under the daily supervision of the Program Director.

Following satisfactory completion of the training program, the student's transcript is sent to the college/university attended and becomes part of the student's permanent record. The grades earned are included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average. The college/university will grant 30-35 hours of upper division credit in medical laboratory science and the student is awarded a baccalaureate degree. At the hospital graduation ceremony held the last week of the clinical year, students receive certificates and pins awarded by CoxHealth. At the culmination of the MLS School, students take the national Board of Certification examination for registry as a Medical Laboratory Scientist.

Clinical Training Program Courses

Clinical Biochemistry (8-10 credit hrs.)

Identification and quantification of specific chemical substances in blood and body fluids by analytical techniques; clinical correlation and disease states; principles of instrumentation; data processing; toxicology; quality control; and quality improvement.

Urinalysis and Body Fluids (1-2 credit hrs.)

Theory of renal function in health and disease; renal function tests including chemical and microscopic examination of urine, analysis of fecal specimens, spinal fluids and other body fluids; quality control; and quality improvement.

Clinical Hematology and Coagulation (6-8 credit hrs.)

Theory of blood cell formation; disease states; hemostasis; microscopic examination of blood/bone marrow films; practical experience with instruments and techniques that determine major hematologic and coagulation parameters; quality control; and quality improvement.

Diagnostic Immunology (2-4 credit hrs.)

Antigen/antibody structure, function and interaction; basic principles and procedures of humoral and cellular immunology; performance and clinical correlation of serologic testing; basic flow cytometry; quality control; and quality improvement.

Clinical Microbiology (7-9 credit hrs.)

Theory and techniques of cultivation, isolation and identification of bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses; determination of sensitivity to antimicrobial agents; molecular diagnostics testing; clinical correlation to disease states; asepsis; environmental monitoring; quality control; and quality improvement.

Immunohematology (3-4 credit hrs.)

Major blood group systems; principles and procedures for antigen/antibody detection, identification, donor blood collection, preservation and processing; component therapy; transfusion reaction evaluation; Rh immune globulin evaluation; quality control; and quality improvement.

Special Topics (1-2 credit hrs.)

Techniques of blood collection; computer applications; application of education and management theories and methodology in the field of laboratory medicine; ethical and legal aspects of the profession, and method evaluation.

Following satisfactory completion of the training program, the student's transcript is sent to the college/university attended and becomes part of the student's permanent record. The grades earned are included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average. The college/university will grant 30-35 hours of upper division credit in medical technology and the student is awarded a baccalaureate degree. At the hospital graduation ceremony held the last week of the clinical year, students receive certificates and pins awarded by CoxHealth.