ABOUT: Medical Laboratory Science at Wayne State University

A medical laboratory scientist analyzes body fluids, blood, tissue, and other specimens from patients. We're able to find out what is the disease, the illness, the infection that is causing the patient's symptoms, and we're able to give that information to the doctor so they're able to treat, diagnose, and kind of monitor diseases for the patient to get better. Having hands-on within our lab, being directly after our lecture is imperative to our learning. Being able to see it hands-on with your professor, being able to show you, okay, this is what I was talking about in lecture, it's really helpful. It's also fun to see your peers experience a moment where they, oh my gosh, I get it. It's those aha moments that we experience in the lab that maybe in lecture we were like, oh I don't understand that, but now we understand it when we're able to see it directly in the microscope. What brings me the most joy about the MLS program is watching lab in practice and utilizing those lab values in addition to clinical skills to build someone's knowledge about a disease process. Having students realize how the body works so they can identify disease easily is something that I enjoy seeing the growth in students throughout the program. The culture within the program really does feel like a close-knit family, especially because we're a smaller group. We're 10 to 11 individuals. The culture is extremely welcoming. It feels like a family. It feels like when I come to school I'm excited because I get to see my classmates who have become like friends. Honestly, cohort style for MLS I think is a gem. Every student's going through every course. They have the same expectations. They know the stress, but as a faculty member this gives me an opportunity to build relationships and rapport with my students. It's been nice. It kind of drives you to come here every single day and gives you a push to keep going and no matter how hard the classes get, at least you have buddies to talk to and relate to. In the last semester of our MLS program, our students are placed within a hospital laboratory where they go through the multiple scientific disciplines that prepare them to work in the real world and it prepares them to be eligible to sit for the national board exam. Within the last few months, our students, there's a high likelihood that they are going to be offered one of the jobs that are available within the labs which can prepare them for their future careers. The MLS students are in a very good position as an undergraduate student to seek employment and all of our students have been hired even prior to completing their clinical internships, so they are in high demand. We hear from employers that feel our students are prepared. Our students have an edge getting the jobs before someone who has a biology degree or someone has a chemistry degree. We're not fully qualified like our students are. I genuinely love Wayne State. I've never experienced the amount of support that I've had here, whether it be from scholarships or being able to quickly get in contact with an advisor or administrator when I'm in need of help. Going here, I can focus on my academics. I don't have to worry about finances. I don't have to worry about anything outside of this classroom and this lab. I'm able to focus on what I came here to do. I love this program a lot and I couldn't be anywhere else but this program. This program has allowed me to know myself and I can't see myself anywhere else.