Thirty new Medical Laboratory Science professionals are entering the region’s workforce after completing a rigorous bachelor’s degree program at Oregon Tech and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in December. The Medical Laboratory Science program has a stunning job placement rate of nearly 100% within three to six months of graduation. Many graduates are offered immediate positions by their externship site employers.
Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) is a health profession that provides laboratory information and services needed for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Medical laboratory scientists detect changes in biological specimens that enable other health care providers to make diagnostic and treatment decisions for patients.
The nationally accredited MLS program established by OHSU in 1933 is today a joint Oregon Tech-OHSU program. It is the only four-year degree program of its kind in the state, and one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest. Located at Oregon Tech’s Portland-Metro campus in Wilsonville, the program trains students in labs designed to replicate the medical environments in which the students will eventually work.
The MLS program prepares students through an intensive curriculum with biology and chemistry emphases. Students also participate in labs that include analysis of human samples using the latest equipment, and conclude their 15-month professional program with a 12-week externship at one of more than 60 medical facilities that partner with Oregon Tech.
Recent MLS graduate David Hoover enlisted in the Army Reserves after high school, serving as a medical lab tech (MLT). Following his military service, Hoover pursued a biology-health degree at the Oregon Tech Klamath Falls campus and then transferred to the Portland-Metro campus to begin the MLS program. He completed his externship in Reno, Nevada, where he received a job offer.
Hoover celebrated the completion of his studies at Oregon Tech/OHSU with summa cum laude honors and spoke at a Dec. 16 MLS ceremony at Oregon Tech’s Portland-Metro campus.
“From time in the Army as an MLT, to the pursuit of a biology degree in Klamath Falls, my love for lab science ignited a journey that led me to the Wilsonville campus for a bachelor's in medical laboratory science,” Hoover said. “Gratitude flows to my family and past/current instructors for their unwavering support. The MLS program at Oregon Tech is top-notch, surrounded by the best cohort — where the only time we set the bar low is for limbo. Remember to embrace the unknown where every uncertainty holds the potential for discovery. Thank you, Oregon Tech, for shaping futures and fostering excellence.”
MLS graduates have a wide choice of practice settings: hospitals, independent laboratories, clinics, public health facilities, sales and marketing of diagnostic instruments and reagents, and federal and state regulatory agencies. In addition, a bachelor's degree in medical laboratory science provides an excellent background for admission to other health care professional programs, such as medicine and physician assistant.
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