According to the best selling book, "Jobs Rated Almanac: The Best and Worst Jobs," medical laboratory science is in the top 20 best jobs.

What does a career in medical laboratory science look like?

Have you ever thought about working in a medical laboratory? As a medical laboratory scientist, you will have the best of both worlds: medicine and science. You will perform laboratory tests used to uncover and diagnose diseases. Physicians will rely upon your knowledge and skill and count on you to perform essential patient laboratory tests. In today's clinical laboratories, areas of scientific exploration include immunology, microbiology, hematology, and chemistry.

All physician-ordered lab tests from therapeutic drug monitoring to bacterial identification, are performed by medical laboratory scientists. You'll operate complex electronic equipment, computers and precision instruments and be trained to identify various pathogens and human cells using microscopes and a battery of scientific methods.

Who employs medical laboratory scientists? You'll have many choices of practice settings: Hospitals, independent laboratories, clinics, public health facilities, industrial and forensic laboratories all currently have positions open for qualified medical laboratory scientists.

What is the UVM medical laboratory science advantage?

Graduates of the UVM medical laboratory science program leave UVM with a bachelor's of science (B.S.) in medical laboratory science. In addition to coursework, students benefit from hands-on clinical internships. UVM's affiliation with the Fletcher Allen Health Care community hospital offers a natural and convenient pool of internships for students. In addition, internships can be found at Elliot Hospital in New Hampshire, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts, Glens Falls Hospital in New York and the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory: All are tremendous work environments for medical laboratory science students.

How do internships benefit students? Your participation in the undergraduate research opportunities and the clinical experiences available to you at UVM enhances your resume and employability upon graduation.

Our affiliations

Medical laboratory science at UVM is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS). Visit their website.

Certification

Graduates of the program can acquire certification by sitting for an exam with one of two organizations, the National Credentialing Agency or The American Society of Clinical Pathology.

Learn about the curriculum for the UVM medical laboratory science program.