MLS Information Sessions are an excellent opportunity to have your questions answered, meet faculty, learn about the application process, and learn about the profession.

Upcoming Information Sessions:

  • Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 7pm via Zoom
  • Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 7pm via Zoom

This meeting is held virtually via Zoom. Please RSVP to Deb Disko for connection information.

Medical Lab Science Class

The exciting and rewarding field of Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) trains professionals to collect and detect changes in biological specimens that enable other healthcare providers to make diagnostic and treatment decisions for patients.

What is MLS?

MLS is the science behind diagnostic testing. It is estimated that up to 75% of clinicians' decisions regarding a patient's diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory test results. By analyzing blood, body fluids and tissues, medical laboratory scientists generate the data needed to assist physicians in a variety of tasks, including diagnosing and managing diseases and maintaining patient health.

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The Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science (BS MLS) is offered through a joint partnership between Oregon Tech and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). As the only program of its kind in Oregon and the largest in the Pacific Northwest region, we offer a rigorous and unique education that prepares graduates for career success. Designed around intensive coursework in biology and chemistry, specialized study of the immune system, body chemistry, and the hematological system, and extensive clinical lab work using state-of-the-art equipment to analyze real human samples, our students are prepared from the get-go to be the best MLS professionals around.

To make sure our graduates are adept and self-assured professionals, BS MLS students participate in an extensive externship program. This clinical experience, includes an on campus simulated lab completed before students participate in 12 weeks of applied study and training in clinical laboratories. This allows students to perform a wide variety of testing in a contemporary, accredited medical laboratory and to further develop and refine skills and competencies under the guidance of clinical instructors. We offer externship sites in accredited laboratories in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho.

The Oregon Tech-OHSU Medical Lab Science program offers...

  • Excellent and experienced faculty and staff who are dedicated to student success.
  • Hands-on student laboratories.
  • A competitive admissions process.
  • A cohort model with dedicated students.
  • Supportive industry partners with over 50 clinical externship affiliates.
  • an OHSU partnership.

Oregon Tech MLS graduates are eligible to take the national American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification exam. Most medical laboratories require medical laboratory scientists to be certified. There are currently twelve states and one US territory that require state licensure. These include California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and West Virginia. Oregon Tech graduates meet licensure requirements for all states, except California and New York. Students should contact individual states’ licensure boards for state requirements as these may change.

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Oregon Tech-OHSU Medical Laboratory Science Program is to educate, train, and graduate professionally competent and ethical individuals, committed to life-long learning, and who are prepared to meet current and future workplace challenges in medical laboratory science.

Accreditation: The MLS program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018, 773-714-8880. Web contact at http://www.naacls.org/

ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) Scores

97%
Oregon Tech/OHSU MLS Program Three year average certification passage rate percentage (National average reported in 2020: 77%)
532
Oregon Tech/OHSU MLS Program Three Year mean scaled score (National average reported in 2020: 485)

 

 

The departmental faculty advise students. View the list of academic advisors.

If a student is unsure who their assigned academic advisor is, please contact the department chairperson or the Academic Advising office below.

– For questions regarding general admissions to Oregon Tech
Admissions

1st Floor, College Union

An In-Demand and Versatile Career

Today there is a greater demand than supply of trained medical laboratory scientists. Employment opportunities are expected to grow 10 percent between 2019 and 2029 in the state of Oregon. The prevalence of chronic disease, a larger aging population, demands for personalized medicine, and the increased use of lab work in data collection will continue to drive the need for MLS professionals.

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 healthcare professional programs, such as medicine and physician assistant.
 

As a result of our high standards and field-ready education, Oregon Tech-OHSU MLS graduates are prepared at the highest level. Many of our graduates are offered jobs before graduation.

Our Graduates Work For...

Legacy Health
Kaiser Permanente
OHSU
St. Charles Health Systems
PeaceHealth
Sky Lakes Medical Center
Providence Health Systems
Samaritan Health Systems
100%
Employed
$61,000
Graduate Starting Salary