CEDAR RAPIDS — Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa (UI) are partnering to offer a four-year Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Bachelor of Science degree, beginning this fall. The MLS program will help address a major workforce shortage of medical laboratory scientists.

Demand for medical laboratory scientists is expected to rise by 5% over the next decade, resulting in an estimated 24,000 job openings, according to U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Medical laboratory scientists perform a full range of laboratory tests used by physicians to diagnose and treat disease. Up to 70% of physicians’ decisions related to disease diagnosis and treatment are directly related to laboratory results, making medical laboratory scientists a vital part of a patient’s medical team.

“We are excited Kirkwood and the University of Iowa are teaming up to help employers fill this vital area of need,” says Kizer Friedley, the MLS program director at the UI Carver College of Medicine and the Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) program director at Kirkwood Community College. “Our program is tailored to provide students with real-life, hands-on experiences so they enter the workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in today’s clinical laboratories. Medical laboratory scientists are the backbone of diagnostic medicine, providing accurate and timely test results that are essential for diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases. As passionate educators, we’re committed to guiding and inspiring future laboratory professionals who will have a major impact in health care.”

The new MLS degree program offers students a flexible pathway to pursuing a career in this critical field, preparing students to work in all major areas of the laboratory, including clinical chemistry, hematology, immunohematology, immunology, molecular pathology, and clinical microbiology.

“Lab testing has become increasingly complex and important for health care decisions, requiring more highly trained lab personnel with deep skillsets,” says Bradley Ford, MD, PhD, medical director of clinical microbiology at UI Carver College of Medicine. “There are many critical areas of health care that rely on quality control and the accuracy of results for patient safety and quality outcomes: blood banking, cancer therapies, genetic testing, and so on. Unfortunately, many MLS training programs have disappeared over the years, leaving a gap in the laboratory workforce. We are fortunate the University of Iowa is providing the core coursework needed for a four-year MLS degree with the excellent lab space, curriculum, and instructors from Kirkwood’s MLT program, leveraging the strengths of two great institutions.”

Olivia Bowden, one of the students enrolled in the inaugural class starting this fall, recently graduated from the UI with a biology degree. She realized she wanted to work in a lab but wasn’t quite sure how to get started.

“After touring many different types of labs, I realized I didn’t have the lab experience I needed to work in the areas I’d like,” says Bowden. “I’m interested in working in a microbiology or developmental biology lab, which requires MLS certification. I was excited to learn there was an MLS program here now, so I don’t have to travel to Des Moines or out of state.”

MLS students will have the opportunity to enroll at either institution to begin their coursework. Students starting at Kirkwood will begin with the college’s Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) program over the first two years. In year three, they transfer to the UI to complete the bachelor’s degree coursework. Those who start at the university will transition to Kirkwood’s MLT program in the third year. Students from both institutions will also complete clinical rotations in various laboratory departments at the UI or other hospital labs in the area. Once all program requirements are met, graduates of the program will receive their MLS degree from the Carver College of Medicine and will be eligible for the MLS certification exam, administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

For more information about the MLS program, go to mls.medicine.uiowa.edu.