Every semester at Wichita State University, 16 students join the current crop of med techs studying in the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS). And every semester, 16 graduate with jobs as medical laboratory scientists in labs across the region.

Associate Professor Jean Brickell, department chair and program director for MLS, boasts a 100 percent placement rate for her students in what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is a career that’s growing much faster than average.

“Our MLS program is competitive and top-notch,” Brickell said, “easily the equal of any other in the state. It’s a very interesting field, and it’s always changing.”

Medical laboratory scientists (also known as medical laboratory technologists, or med techs) collect samples and perform tests to analyze body fluids, tissue and other substances. They play an important role in the health care system, providing diagnostic services to determine appropriate treatment options for patients.

The MLS program at WSU prepares graduates to service all departments of a clinical laboratory, with full access to labs and facilities that gives students practical experience. Graduates may further their education to become specialists in clinical microbiology, clinical hematology, clinical chemistry or blood bank, but the program is designed to be a self-contained degree. MLS graduates enter the workforce as fully skilled medical technologists.

Regional Medical Labs in Tulsa, Okla., is one of many facilities that partners with WSU’s program. David Bellinger, medical technologist and clinical coordinator, says that he’s always impressed with the caliber of med techs Wichita State sends him.

“WSU students are reliably some of the best – if not the best – students in clinical rotations year after year,” he said. “Several WSU graduates have stayed in Tulsa after their rotations to work at our facility, and they have been valuable assets to our team. We love WSU students!”

MLS candidates

According to Brickell, candidates for MLS are similar to nursing students. Both disciplines require students who are pretty good at science, but there are differences.

“I always tell them when they come for recruitment, ‘If you liked to cut up the cat or the frog or whatever in high school, this is for you,’” Brickell said. “If you said ‘eww,’ this is not for you. This career is for people who are not ‘people-people.’ We’re okay with that.”

MLS is a 17-month program, so for the first three years pre-MLS students work on their prerequisites and general education requirements, just like other students. Then they apply to the MLS program. New students spend 12 months working closely with their peers before being placed in a facility for five-month rotations.

Julie Ghere is one of WSU’s med techs doing clinicals at Newton Medical Center. It’s a smaller lab, but it’s the first medical laboratory she’d ever actually seen, and she says working there has been invaluable to her education.

“I spend my day assigned to another medical technologist who helps train and sharpen my skills,” Ghere said. “The teaching techs are very patient and always willing to clarify any topic. With supervision, I am entrusted with hands-on learning experiences on different tests and procedures.”

Brickell herself has more than 30 years of professional experience in medical laboratory science. She taught MLS at the University of Alaska, University of Texas and the University of Kentucky before coming to WSU, and her passion for the work has been an advantage for the department and her students. Some of the changes she’s introduced include partnering with Newman University to create a flexible dual degree program, which allows Newman biology students to spend their last year studying MLS at Wichita State, and adding a new molecular biology course to keep students on the cutting edge of advances in epidemiology and virology.

The changes are exciting for her students.

“The laboratory is definitely changing,” Ghere said. “Molecular testing and diagnostic is the new spotlight of the lab. Many viruses and other microscopic pathogens can be detected within a day. Automation is also growing in the lab. This is a great invention, since it increases the number of samples and lowers the time.”

Community support

Compared to other MLS programs, WSU has a lot to offer because of the number of professional medical laboratories willing to host MLS students. Brickell says that the community support for Wichita State is the best she’s ever seen.

That’s because the program started as small, separate training programs in local hospitals that later merged at WSU. Because local hospitals have ownership in the MLS program, they have provided generous support, including sitting on the MLS advisory board, taking on extra WSU students for clinical rotations and providing expired reagents and equipment.

“All of our facilities have been very supportive,” Brickell said. “But it’s no big mystery why: they want to hire our students. Their rotations are basically a big job interview.”

Kristin Franklin, assistant director of laboratory services at the Hutchinson Clinic, agreed.

“We enjoy working with the students,” Franklin said. “This has allowed us to get to know their work ethic before we hire them. WSU does a good job preparing their students for the workplace, and we have been happy with the students we have hired.”

Brickell has been happy with the arrangement, too, but she’s always on the lookout for more rotation partners.

“Rotations are a critical component of MLS training,” she said. “With more options for sites, we will be in an even better position to produce excellent community health workers. Rotations are the polish that turns our students into professionals. It’s a good deal for everyone.”