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Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences (Distance Education Program at Abingdon Location)

Quick Facts


School: College of Health Professions

Mode: Video Conference

Total Credit Hours: 125

Orientation and all courses and student laboratory sessions take place at Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon.

The Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences has partnered with the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in Abingdon, Virginia to successfully deliver its entire didactic B.S. in MLS curriculum to qualified residents of Southwest Virginia and the surrounding area using state-of-the-art telecommunications technology. These technologies include two-way synchronous video-conferencing, satellite downlinks, and web-based lessons.

The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) was established by the General Assembly in 1991 to strengthen the economy of southwest Virginia through education and training of the workforce. Through partnership agreements, the SVHEC provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs, as well as professional development courses through distance technologies.

Prerequisites
Students with no previous clinical laboratory training must have completed at least 60 semester hours at an accredited college or university. For more information, visit https://mls.chp.vcu.edu/admissions/abingdon/.

Medical laboratory scientists receive training in the following areas: clinical chemistry, the study of chemical reactions that occur in normal and diseased processes; hematology, the study of the cellular elements of the blood and blood-forming tissues and hemostatic mechanism; urine and body fluids analysis, the study of principles and practices of urinalysis, kidney function, and analyses of cerebrospinal fluid and other body fluids; microbiology, the study of microbiological aspects of infectious disease and the isolation and identification of pathogenic bacteria; immunohematology, the application of theory and principles of blood banking, cell typing, compatibility testing and antibody identification; and immunology, the study of the immune system and the serological and molecular techniques used for diagnosing infectious disease. With the rapid advancement of knowledge in the field of laboratory medicine, there is a growing need for highly skilled and knowledgeable clinical laboratory scientists. Employment is found in hospitals; physicians’ offices; research facilities; molecular diagnostics, biotechnology and public health laboratories; industrial quality control; veterinary clinics; and sales and service of health care equipment. In addition to the technical arena, opportunities as managers or consultants exist for graduates of this program.

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