Medical Laboratory Science Student Information

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s Medical Laboratory Science Program strives to:

• Provide educational experiences relevant and appropriate to medical laboratory science
• Provide a quality-driven curriculum based on current needs and latest testing methodologies and technological advances, including all aspects of clinical laboratory operation and management
• Immerse students in the day-to-day responsibilities of laboratory practitioners committed to the mission, vision and values of Penn State Health
• Share information, provide resources and create a consistent training program to build stronger teams and create a culture that cultivates stable and sustainable relationships within our health care systems and beyond
• Encourage student to constantly seek opportunities for individual personal and professional growth to enable success in career-entry level positions and their professional development into well-trained and highly skilled laboratory scientist, with the potential for higher-level health care positions, including the pursuit of advanced degrees to meet their career goals
• Prepare graduates for certification and/or licensure in medical laboratory science
• Broaden community awareness of the profession of medical laboratory science and its vital role in providing the best quality care for patients, as well as improving the health of our community
• Help meet the demand for competent practitioners in a variety of laboratory settings and venues
• Share expertise around the globe (global health)
• Help the student learn new skills and to seek out and share knowledge to promote teamwork in the health care setting and surrounding community

Colleges and universities provide the necessary science prerequisites for the Medical Laboratory Scientist Program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Applicants who meet all entrance requirements may apply to the program; however, preference is given to students from institutions with established academic affiliation agreements. Presently, the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has a formal academic affiliation agreement with:

• Penn State
• Immaculata University
• Lebanon Valley College
• Moravian University
• Shippensburg University
• Saint Joseph’s University
• York College of Pennsylvania

Ten students are accepted into the Medical Laboratory Scientist Program each year.

The tuition fee for the program is reviewed annually and is currently set at $15,000.

Other student expenses include textbooks and living expenses.

Financial aid: Students who are entering the program with a conferred Bachelor’s degree (“4+1”) are not eligible for Title IV funding, which means they cannot receive federal or private student loans. Students receiving financial aid from their college or university will continue to receive aid during their internship, as it represents the fourth year of college or university study.

For students currently enrolled at Penn State and Lebanon Valley College: University policy is to reimburse the hospital from tuition it receives from the students at a percentage of the tuition each semester. Note that your tuition is determined by your home college or university and not Penn State Health and may differ from the posted tuition.

For students of other affiliates, graduates and students enrolled under temporary agreements: Tuition is payable in two installments: one due in August/September for the first semester, and one due in January for the second semester. Payment is made by the individual student to Penn State Health.

If a student fails to pay tuition, the student will not be awarded a graduation certificate nor will grades be forwarded.

Failure to complete program: If a student does not complete the program, refunds for tuition paid will be negotiated. Any subsequent tuition to the hospital will not be billed.

Acceptance fee: For all students, an acceptance fee of $300 is due at the time of acceptance into the program to reserve a seat in the class. This fee is non-refundable.

During the program, students attend classes and participate in various clinical activities. Time is divided between the classroom, student laboratory and clinical laboratory settings.

• Program start: June
• Time off: July 4 (one week); Labor Day (one day); Thanksgiving (two days); Winter Break (two weeks); Martin Luther King Jr. Day (one day); Spring Break (one week)
• Program end: April
• Total time: 48 weeks (44 weeks of instruction)

Students routinely attend class and/or clinical experiences from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekdays. All educational and experiential training will occur at Penn State Health facilities. There are no classroom or clinical laboratory experiences scheduled on the seven holidays observed by Penn State Health.

Curriculum activities provide for laboratory skills development and mastery, as well as a knowledge base in medical laboratory science. Acquiring this knowledge and perfecting these skills enables program graduates to function in many laboratory settings, including hospital, physician office, reference, research, forensic and industrial laboratories.

The curriculum is structured to provide the principles of Medical Laboratory Science through didactic presentations, laboratory exercises and practical experience within a clinical laboratory setting that meet or exceed standard set by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

The program is divided into two phases:

• Pre-clinical education in classroom and student laboratory settings (10 students, one to two educators).
• Experiential learning through scheduled rotations throughout the clinical pathology laboratories at Penn State Health (one to two students, one trainer).

Lectures, group discussions, student laboratory activities and rotation assignments in service laboratories are used as effective learning opportunities.

Six courses are required as part of the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program.

Note: Affiliated colleges and universities will assign credit according to individual requirements of their bachelor’s degree.

The Medical Laboratory Science Program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), a professional agency that establishes educational standards for baccalaureate-level programs in the medical laboratory sciences.

NAACLS
5600 N. River Road, Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018
737-714-8880

The Medical Laboratory Science program admits 10 students per year.

Admission to the program is determined by an Admissions Committee, which will offer admission to those students whose academic performance, recommendations by references and attributes in the affective domain indicate the highest probability of success.

The committee uses a system based on the cumulative grade-point average, the science GPA, college affiliation, reference letters and an interview rating by the committee to evaluate and rank applications.

Students from academic affiliates of the program will receive preference in case of equal rankings.

Applicants for admission to the program will receive equal consideration regardless of race, color, religious or sexual preference, ethnic or national origin, age or sex.

Applications for the 2025-2026 Medical Laboratory Science program are accepted starting May 1, 2024, through Nov. 15, 2024.

Interviews are scheduled to begin in October 2024.  Admissions is on a rolling basis and offers will be made starting in November.

In order to be admitted to the Medical Laboratory Science program, the ideal candidate should have:

• Minimum GPA in chemistry and biological sciences of 2.75 or higher
• Minimum overall GPA of 2.75 or higher
• Personal interview, where applicant will be evaluated as to accountability, teamwork, time and resource management, self-confidence, communication and interpersonal skills, maturity and motivation for the field of medical laboratory science
• Transcript evaluation (performed by university/college program liaison/adviser and/or by the MLS program director)

In addition, applicants with a degree from a foreign university must have their transcripts evaluated for U.S. equivalency by World Education Services and much have completed at least 10 credits of coursework with English as the language of instruction.

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The following curriculum prerequisites are suggested or required for admission into the Medical Laboratory Science Program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

• A minimum of 90 semester hours of study in an accredited college or university completing college-specified courses to receive a bachelor’s degree.
• Completion of all courses prerequisite to the clinical rotation year as required, including:
  • Chemistry: Minimum 16 semester hours of courses acceptable to the major that encompass areas such as general chemistry, analytical chemistry and organic and/or biochemistry. Courses must include labs. Survey courses do not qualify as fulfillment of the chemistry prerequisites.
  • Biological sciences: Minimum 16 semester hours of courses acceptable to the major that encompass areas such as microbiology, immunology, anatomy/physiology and genetics. Highly recommended courses are applied/pathogenic microbiology and molecular biology. Cellular biology and biology seminar are suggested electives. Courses should include labs. Survey courses do not qualify as fulfillment of the biology prerequisites.
  • Mathematics: One course in college-level mathematics is required. Statistics is recommended.
  • Other: An introductory course in computer literacy is recommended.
• Applicants with a baccalaureate degree who completed minimum course requirements seven or more years before application must update their academic preparation by enrolling and completing courses, at the discretion of the program director, in microbiology, immunology, biochemistry and/or genetics with a grade B or better to ensure academic preparedness.
• Applicants with a degree from a foreign university must have their transcripts evaluated for U.S. equivalency (e.g., by World Education Services Inc., New York, NY). This evaluation will determine the applicant’s eligibility by assessing academic preparedness. The ability to communicate readily in English orally and in writing is an essential requirement for the program.
• All required pre-clinical medical laboratory science courses must be completed and the student must be eligible for a baccalaureate degree from a college/university or must currently hold a baccalaureate degree.

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Students must possess certain physical, mental and behavioral attributes to be able to complete the Medical Laboratory Science curriculum. These represent non-academic demands of the program.

As part of the application process, students must read and sign off on reading and understanding of these functional expectations. A student must meet these expectations without or with reasonable accommodation.

Inability to function in these essential areas at an entry-level capacity, with or without reasonable accommodations, may compromise successful completion of the program. The need for reasonable accommodations will be discussed after acceptance into the program.

In addition to the essential functions, students are required to undergo pre-placement health screening. This screening includes PPD testing, health history, immunization compliance and drug screen. Criminal background checks will be performed prior to admitting any student to the program. A student who fails the drug screen or criminal background check will not be allowed to enter the program. The cost of the above screenings and checks are at the student’s expense. Penn State Health is a smoke-free environment.

The ability of an individual to participate in and complete the instructional activities of the program will be determined through discussion among the applicant, the program officials, the student’s personal physician and the campus physician, as appropriate.

See detailed functional expectations here

MLS students are evaluated not only on academic achievement, but also on practical skills development and mastery, and on professional behaviors exhibited throughout the year. Additional requirements for successful completion of the program and conferring of the program certificate include presentation of a capstone project and passing a comprehensive examination in the last week of the program. Instructional objectives are provided to students to facilitate the learning process. Evaluation mechanisms are designed to measure attainment of these objectives. The program’s course grades and credits will be recorded and maintained by the program.

A written mid-year progress report of the student’s performance is submitted to the appropriate college/university after the first semester, and a final transcript is submitted within one week of completion of the clinical year. The college awards the appropriate credit and the baccalaureate degree; the program assigns grades for the clinical courses and presents a certificate of completion given all financial obligations associated with the program have been met.

The granting of the degree and certificate of completion are not contingent upon passing any certification or licensure examination.

See the current student handbook here