University of Missouri

Clinical laboratory Scientists are skilled, certified professionals trained in the theoretical and practical aspects of clinical laboratory medicine – chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, molecular pathology, and blood banking. Clinical Laboratory Scientists have various levels of responsibility – as staff technologists, research technologists, supervisors, managers, or educators – and can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and research centers. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of all medical decisions regarding a patient's diagnosis and treatment, as well as their hospital admission and discharge, are based upon laboratory test results obtained by Clinical Laboratory Scientists. The Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) program at MU is a unique collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The CLS program includes three years of pre-requisite coursework, and 11 months of clinical coursework. The clinical year begins during the third week of May, with 13 weeks of coursework and clinical lab rotations in a dedicated summer student lab facility at the University of Nebraska's Medical Center in Omaha. After the initial 13 weeks in the program, CLS students return to Columbia and complete their clinical laboratory rotations at one of three local clinical sites. Students graduate with a Bachelor of Health Science (BHS) degree in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with an emphasis in Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Missouri with a Certificate in Medical Technology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to challenge the Medical Technology credentialing examination administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The CLS program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) via its partnership with the NAACLS-accredited Clinical Laboratory science program of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.