Mission
The Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences supports the philosophy and mission of the University and the College of Health Professions.
The mission of the undergraduate program is to serve the health care needs of the community by providing highly competent and professional medical laboratory scientists who will be able to function effectively upon entrance into the field and be prepared to explore future scientific and technological advances in laboratory science.
The mission of the graduate program is to provide the student with advanced theoretical and technical education and prepare students to assume roles as laboratory supervisors, educators, and researchers.
History
Medical laboratory scientists have been trained on the MCV Campus since 1927. However, the Department (formerly school) of Medical Technology was not formally established until 1952, at which time the curriculum included six months of didactic experience with lectures and laboratory sessions held in the department, following by a six-month rotation through the clinical laboratories. The school offered a certificate and/or bachelor’s degree program; the certificate program was discontinued during the 1961-62 school year.
In 1974 the curriculum was expanded to the current two-plus-two year program in which students complete 60 semester hours of prerequisites followed by two years of professional course work. The graduate program in clinical laboratory sciences was started in 1967 to provide advanced education for certified medical technologists/clinical laboratory scientists.
In 1985, the program was modified to allow candidates holding a degree in another area of science to obtain a graduate education in clinical laboratory sciences.
In 1994, the department name was changed to the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
A BS to MS accelerated track was initiated in 2003 to integrate the undergraduate and graduate programs, which requires completion of two years of prerequisites and three years of full-time professional coursework, and leads to the simultaneous awarding of both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Beginning 2014, the BS program was available to students living in southwest Virginia through synchronous learning using classroom and student laboratory space at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia.
Effective August 1, 2020, the name of the department changed to the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences.