Chair Mary El-Semarani
Program Director Yanxia Liu, Ph.D. (ASCP)
Program Advisor Deborah Robinson
The Bachelor of Applied Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences (formerly known as Clinical Laboratory Science) program prepares you to work as a medical technologist in a clinical setting such as a hospital, medical center, or reference laboratory. Successful completion of all degree requirements may make you eligible to take a medical technologist certification exam offered by the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB) or the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP). If you are a student who resides outside of Florida or plans to relocate outside of Florida, Santa Fe College has made the determination that this degree program or curriculum only meets educational requirements for professional licensure in the state of Florida. Please contact the Licensure Board in your state to determine whether this program or curriculum will meet any licensure requirements.
Starting as a freshman, the suggested course sequence for this program schedules a full load of classes each semester including summers over four years for a total of 125 semester Credit Hours. If you start as a junior with the required prerequisites, the suggested sequence of courses takes two years including summers to complete. Students from other colleges and universities requesting to enter the upper division portion of the program must document comparable prerequisite course work before admission to the program.
Students must have a grade of “C” or better in all 3000 or 4000 level courses.
Baccalaureate students will enroll in courses full-time and will complete a clinical internship in the five specialty license areas in their final year at affiliated laboratories. Part-time students will be allowed to take courses if space is available. The clinical affiliate internships will only be offered on a full-time basis after completion of all didactic coursework and serve as an evaluation point at which the students must demonstrate mastery of the program’s learning outcomes. To ensure equity across sites, the SF Clinical Director works closely with all affiliate institutions to ensure that students gain proficiency in the skills needed to enter the Medical Laboratory workforce.
Upon completion of all program requirements, students will graduate with a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences. Graduates are then eligible for certification as a medical technologist by the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB) and American Medical Technologist (AMT) at which point they may apply for licensure in the state of Florida.
Professional Association links:
Accreditation
This B.A.S. program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). NAACLS can be contacted by phone at 773-714-8880, by internet at naacls.org, by email at info@naacls.org, or by mail at 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, Illinois 60018.
Application Process
Students must complete a Santa Fe College application for admission and a Medical Laboratory Science Program application for admission. Students must arrange for transcripts to be sent to the institution from all colleges and universities attended prior to the start of the term in which MLS program admission is sought.
Santa Fe College is part of the Florida College System and is an open access institution.
Acceptance Criteria
In order to qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Medical Laboratory Science, students must:
- Be able to perform the following essential functions:
- Ability to use oral and written communication effectively in the English language and to read, understand and follow directions both written and oral.
- Display manual dexterity required to perform laboratory tasks, e.g., operation of various instruments, performance of phlebotomy and pipetting procedures, and manual entry of data into computers.
- Demonstrate microscopic and macroscopic visual acuity required to perform all technical activities requiring visual skills.
- Have a 2.5 overall GPA in previous coursework.
- Have earned a minimum of an Associate in Science or Associate in Arts degree from a regionally accredited educational institution or 60 credit hours*.
- Have successfully completed the following common program prerequisite courses (or appropriate substitutions) with a grade of C or higher:
*Applicants that have not completed an associate degree may need to complete general education requirements before graduation.
All transcripts and coursework must be evaluated and accepted by Santa Fe College prior to the application date in order to qualify for application.
To help protect patients and students, upon acceptance to an Emerging Technologies Program, all students must undergo state and federal background checks and show proof of certain immunizations and negative drug screenings as required by clinical affiliates. Students will be provided with instructions to complete these tasks at the appropriate time. For more information regarding the application process, please visit the “Before You Apply” webpage.
For more information on program specific expectations and to view the Phlebotomy Student Handbook, please visit the “Prospective and Current Students“ webpage.
See Application Dates and Deadlines and closely review other requirements Before You Apply. All can be found at www.sfcollege.edu/academics/cte/tech.
Health-Related Sciences and Terminology
The BAS in Medical Laboratory Science is a degree program which focuses on disciplines pertinent to the laboratory departments of health care systems and organizations. While not required for admission, the following health-related sciences and terminology courses may be beneficial:
- HSC 1000 - Introduction to Health Care Credit Hours: 3.0
- HSC 2531 - Medical Terminology Credit Hours: 3.0
Foreign Language Competency and General Education
Individuals who have not completed their foreign language prior to enrolling at SF (can be high school or college level) must complete two semesters of college-level sequential foreign language study before finishing the BAS program. Students may select their General Education classes from any eligible courses within SF’s approved General Education package, but students should choose classes which also will satisfy the Common Program Course Prerequisites.
Program Goals
Upon completion of the SF’s Medical Laboratory Science, MLS graduates will be prepared to:
- Supervise, train, or direct lab assistants, medical and clinical laboratory technicians or technologists, or other medical laboratory workers engaged in laboratory testing.
- Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers.
- Communicate effectively with health care providers and the public.
- Continue to learn throughout their professional careers.
Educational Objectives
At the completion of the MLS program, students will be able to:
- Conduct chemical analysis of body fluids, including blood, urine, or spinal fluid, to determine presence of normal or abnormal components.
- Analyze laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results.
- Operate, calibrate, or maintain equipment used in quantitative or qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, or computer-controlled analyzers.
- Collect and study blood samples to determine the number of cells, their morphology, or their blood group, blood type, or compatibility for transfusion purposes, using microscopic techniques.
- Enter data from analysis of medical tests or clinical results into computer for storage.
- Establish or monitor quality assurance programs or activities to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results.
- Analyze samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction.
- Set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment.
- Cultivate, isolate, or assist in identifying microbial organisms or perform various tests on these microorganisms.
- Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments.
- Harvest cell cultures at optimum time, based on knowledge of cell cycle differences and culture conditions. Select and prepare specimens and media for cell cultures, using aseptic technique and knowledge of medium components and cell requirements.
- Conduct medical research under direction of microbiologist or biochemist.
Performance Standards
Students must be able to:
- Possess sufficient eyesight to observe, manipulate, and evaluate instrumentation and procedures.
- Possess sufficient hearing to communicate, manipulate, and evaluate computerized instrumentation and perform laboratory testing Procedures.
- Possess sufficient critical thinking, problem solving and ethical practice within the course and all laboratory practice settings.
- Possess sufficient English verbal and written skills to communicate effectively.
- Possess sufficient fine motor coordination to safely perform laboratory techniques to determine differences between diagnostic elements in clinical specimens.
- Possess sufficient intellectual and emotional abilities to exercise independent judgment and discretion
- Perform mathematical and scientific data to medical testing interpretation and other laboratory practices.
- Maintain respectful and effective communication in professional interactions.
- Perform procedures efficiently and under stressful situations and environments.
Program Internships and Exit Requirements
- An FDLE background check, drug screen, health assessment with documented vaccination or titer report signed by a physician, and Board of Clinical Lab Personnel trainee license are required to participate in clinical internships.
- Students will complete 5 internship courses as part of the requirements for the BAS program. These courses will include on campus attendance as well as placement at an internship site approved by the program administration.
- The BAS degree in Medical Laboratory Science will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the College’s curriculum totaling 120 credit hours.
- A minimum 2.5 overall GPA is required for clinical assignments, and students must earn a grade of “C’ (2.0) or higher in required courses with a minimum 2.0 program of study GPA for graduation.
Overview of Credits Required for B.A.S. in Medical Laboratory Science
| General Education Program |
36 Credit hours (A.S. grads may need up to 18 hours |
| Biotechnology Core (lower division) |
6 credit hours (A.A. may need these courses) |
| Medical Lab Science Core (upper division) |
58 credit hours |
| Additional Prerequisite Courses |
20 credit hours |
| Total required credit hours for program: |
120 credit hours |
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