On July 30, Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa jointly announced a new Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) bachelor’s degree program in response to what they state is a nationwide demand for medical laboratory scientists.
Kizer Friedley, MLS program director at Kirkwood, stated she is very excited about the new program and is currently seeking to raise awareness about it.
The reason the two institutions started this partnership is due to what the University of Iowa describes on the program’s website as “a severe shortage of medical laboratory scientists in the United States.”
In support of their argument, the university cites information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which states that employment in the profession is shown to grow five percent within the next 10 years.
Friedley said she agrees with the university and hospitals looking to recruit students from the program.
Friedley believes the shortage is caused by a lack of schools in Iowa with MLS degrees, a lack of awareness about the career and because a “fair amount of [the MLS] workforce are in retirement age.”
According to a news release from both institutions, students can choose to begin the program at either the University of Iowa or Kirkwood.
Friedley said if students choose to begin their studies at Kirkwood, they start by completing the Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) associate degree requirements, then can choose to transfer to the University of Iowa to complete their bachelor’s degree.
However, if they decide to start at the University of Iowa, they complete general education requirements at the university and do their last two years of studying at Kirkwood.
The MLT program is located at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville, which enables students to take courses from the University of Iowa and Kirkwood at the same time and removes location-related barriers that students may face.
MLS students will complete their rotations at University of Iowa Health Care facilities and other hospitals in the area. According to Friedley, these include sites in Cedar Rapids and Washington County.
Friedley added that the program is always looking to partner with new clinical sites.
According to the program’s website, the number of students accepted will depend on the availability of these clinical sites. There is also a bachelor’s degree partnership with the Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines.
Categories: Campus News, News
