Medical Laboratory Science

Mount Mercy offers a four-year major leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in medical laboratory science. The first three years are spent at the institution completing rigorous curriculum requirements, core curriculum requirements, and electives to total 91 semester hours. The fourth year is spent in a 12-month internship at an affiliated hospital school of clinical laboratory science and technology approved by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). During this clinical year, a minimum of 32 hours of credit will be earned. An official transcript showing completion of the internship courses must be sent to the Registrar. Courses and grades will be evaluated and added to the student’s official Mount Mercy transcript. Upon satisfactory completion of this year, the BS degree will be awarded by Mount Mercy, and the graduate should then take the National Board examination required for registration as a medical technologist by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Admission to the medical laboratory science program at Mount Mercy does not ensure admission to the fourth year internship at the affiliated hospital. Each hospital internship program may accept or reject applicants on the basis of scholarship, health, personality, suitability for the profession, and enrollment limitations. Most hospital internship programs require a minimum science GPA of 2.50. A criminal background check is required prior to the fourth year internship.

Mount Mercy is affiliated with the NAACLS-approved programs of clinical laboratory science and technology of St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital, Cedar Rapids and Mercy College of Health Sciences, Des Moines. Applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree which included the required science and mathematics courses may intern at any NAACLS-approved hospital school. Students will need to consent to a criminal background check prior acceptance of internship.

MLS majors should, for example, be able to: recall the fundamentals of chemistry and biology needed to work as a licensed Medical Laboratory Specialist; explain the basic safety principles in handling chemicals; and understand the key techniques of data collection.

Career Opportunities

Hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories are prime employers of medical technologists. See the Graduate section of this Catalog for more information on Graduate programs offered at Mount Mercy.

Major

12-month internship program also required outside the major:

Chemistry

CH 111	General Chemistry I	4.5
CH 112	General Chemistry II	4.5
CH 211	Organic Chemistry I	4.5
CH 212	Organic Chemistry II	4.5
CH 251	Analytical Chemistry	5
CH 302	Biochemistry	5

Biology

BI 125	Foundations of Biology & Scientific Inquiry I	3
BI 125L	Biostatistics and Scientific Investigation I	1.5
BI 126	Foundations of Biology & Scientific Inquiry II	4.5
BI 243	Immunology	3
BI 274	Human Physiology	3
BI 274L	Human Physiology Laboratory	1.5
BI 303	Genetics	4.5
BI 315	General Microbiology	4.5
BI 370	Cell and Molecular Biology	5

Math

MA 135

Basic Statistics

3

Nursing

NU 211

Medical Terminology (Independent study)

1

Philosophy

PL 269

Introduction to Ethics

3

Academic Requirements

A grade of C or above (C- does not count) in all required courses and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 in required science courses.