The medical laboratory science major has transitioned to a new partnership with Indiana University Health for hands-on student training.
Jan Reber advises the program and has only begun advertising it as a possible major to prospective students. The 3+1 program emphasizes real-world experience while also providing the authentic Taylor experience of taking classes on campus.
“We’ve started advertising to those incoming freshmen and trying to make sure that they understand we have this way that they can get an equivalent of what would be a graduate degree in four years,” Reber said. “They would graduate with the Taylor degree and the MLS (medical laboratory science) degree, which leads to certification when they pass the state exams.”
Because the program is very prescriptive, students do not have much flexibility when they take the necessary classes. This is why Reber has been advertising the course to incoming students. If students change to the major after their freshman year, it might mean the student would have to take extra classes to make up for the time they missed in the 3+1 program, she said.
The fourth year of the program is more hands-on, requiring classes at hospital facilities and teaching students how to use laboratory testing equipment. Students also learn about the science behind blood banks and specimen storage during this time.
“When students leave, they will need a little more experience, but in terms of their qualification, they’re qualified to run the lab, and aren’t just a tech,” Reber said.
The program is in its second year of classes with two students, including freshman Brinley Flaherty. Flaherty changed her major to Medical Laboratory Science days before arriving on campus.
“It seemed like I would be reimbursed financially after college without having to go to (medical) school,” she said. “You're in the lab, obviously, but you also get to help run tests on patients that discover illnesses, and get to help people medically.”
After changing her major from film and media arts, Flaherty wanted to find a middle ground between biology and chemistry. This major meets those requirements because it includes classes in advanced chemistry, hematology, genetics and microbiology, she said
”I'm gonna have trials where I'm just in the field, and I get to learn on the job, which seems really fun,” Flaherty said. “I’m really, really going to enjoy that.”
