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Are you searching for a challenging career direction? Perhaps it’s time to get back in the lab and do some thinking that can change your life and the lives of others.
Medical laboratory scientists play a vital role in patient care while making use of leading-edge technology. They don’t work under a microscope — they work with them, operating mostly in the background as they use their innate curiosity to help clinicians diagnose, treat and monitor diseases.
Interested? Let’s take a closer look.
Diagnostic testing is the backbone of patient care. In fact, 70 percent of all physician decisions are based on laboratory test results provided by medical laboratory scientists, who are also known as medical technologists and clinical laboratory scientists. For example, you may work with a hematologist — a physician who treats blood disorders — to analyze red and white blood cells to determine if they’re normal or indicate a disease.
“This is for the person who really likes to work with their hands, ask questions and problem-solve,” says Maribeth Flaws, PhD, director of the master’s in Medical Laboratory Science program at Rush University.
A master’s degree helps medical laboratory scientists become leaders in a field that is highly valued and continues to grow as the instruments and technologies used to detect disease and monitor treatment become more sophisticated. Due to constantly evolving diagnostic technology, more and more medical laboratory scientists are spending less time in the lab and more time interacting with clinicians to help them figure out which tests to order and what the results mean for their patients.
With a medical laboratory science degree, you’ll have the opportunity to establish a career in this dynamic health care field. You’ll receive education and training beyond a bachelor’s degree that will include coursework to help position you as a future clinical laboratory leader. You will also be well-positioned to move into management roles faster.
In addition, obtaining a medical laboratory science degree can provide an excellent knowledge base that can be a stepping stone to degrees in other health care fields — from nursing and research to physicians and physician assistants.
There is certainly no lack of variety in the field. With a medical laboratory science degree, you’ll have the ability to work in different areas of medicine on any given day.
“You can be a generalist and do everything or you can be a specialist and just do what you like,” Flaws says. “There’s a lot of flexibility working in the clinical laboratory.”
Follow this link to learn about Rush’s Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science program.