Why Medical Laboratory Science Might Be Right for You

by Wayne Aguiar, MS, Director, School of Health Professions, University of Bridgeport

Are you considering choosing a major in the health professions? One option you may have not considered is becoming a medical laboratory scientist. Here at University of Bridgeport (UB), we offer students majors that will lead to a career in a health profession or that provide a solid foundation for graduate studies. A Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) can lead to a rewarding and valuable career in this growing profession.

Medical laboratory scientists are essential members of the healthcare team and an MLS degree offers you the opportunity to learn the knowledge and skills needed for the analysis of blood and body fluids in clinical chemistry, hematology, immunohematology (blood bank) and microbiology.

A flexible program like ours offers students the opportunity to:

• Earn a BS degree in MLS as a generalist; or
• Do categorical study of up to three of the above laboratory sections by using your current Bachelor of Science degree in an appropriate field; and
• Prepare for graduate studies in medical school, physician assistant (PA) or pathology assistant (PA in the clinical lab).

In our program, students spend two semesters in one of our affiliated hospital laboratories doing clinical rotations using state-of-the-art instrumentation and computer systems which gives the student excellent hands-on learning and often leads to immediate employment upon graduation at their clinical site. After graduation, our MLS students have met the requirements and have the knowledge needed to sit for the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) national board exam.

The faculty of the MLS program embrace students with different backgrounds and interests. We are committed to helping you achieve your educational and career goals. School of Health Professions students interested in graduate school will find that the MLS program is an excellent preparatory degree for a variety of graduate programs, several of which are offered by UB.

For more information about what UB’s School of Health Professions offers, please contact Wayne Aguiar, MS, Director of the School of Health Professions, at waguiar@bridgeport.edu or to apply, please contact our Admissions department at https://www.bridgeport.edu/apply/.

Professor Wayne Aguiar has worked at University of Bridgeport since 2012 after 25 years of directing the School of Allied Health Medical Laboratory Science and Phlebotomy programs at Hartford Hospital. His specialty area is microbiology with a concentration in infectious diseases, parasitology, and immunology. He is the director of UB’s School of Health Professions in the College of Health Sciences.