Medical Laboratory Science Program Reaccredited

The McNeese State University Medical Laboratory Science program has received continuing accreditation by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), according to Dr. Mitchel Adrian, provost and vice president for academic affairs and enrollment management at McNeese.

“This signifies the McNeese program meets or exceeds the nationally accepted standards set by NAACLS,” said Jennifer Bushnell, director of the program.

The program uses a “three plus one” approach, Bushnell explained. Students spend the first three years taking classes at McNeese. Then they complete a 12-month internship at an affiliated hospital’s clinical education site.

Affiliated clinical sites include Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, Christus Ochsner Lake Area Hospital, Lake Charles Memorial Hospital and The Pathology Laboratory in Lake Charles, West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital in Sulphur, Beauregard Health System in DeRidder, Jennings American Legion Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center and Lafayette General Health System in Lafayette, Opelousas General Health System, Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria and Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas in Beaumont.

Upon successful completion of the internship, students are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in medical laboratory science and are eligible to take a nationally recognized exam for professional certification.

Medical laboratory scientists perform a full range of laboratory tests on bodily fluids and tissues such as blood, urine, spinal fluid and bone marrow. During the coronavirus pandemic, Bushnell said that medical laboratory scientists have served “key roles in performing virus tests and testing blood for transfusion purposes, medication levels and abnormal cells. These skilled professionals routinely identify bacteria which are causing infection and test antibiotics for effectiveness.”

McNeese’s medical laboratory science program has supplied Southwest Louisiana with quality graduates since 1954. The program’s statistics also report that 100% of graduates are employed within six months of commencement, with over half of those offers made before the graduation date.

For more information on McNeese’s medical laboratory science program, visit www.mcneese.edu/nursing/radiologic-and-medical-laboratory-sciences.