In addition to the MLS program in coordination with Kirkwood, the University of Iowa's Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine currently offers a bachelor's degree in medical laboratory sciences through affiliation agreements with Mercy College of Health Science in Des Moines, Iowa. Students can enroll in the programs as the final year of a bachelor’s degree or as an additional year following receipt of a bachelor’s degree.
Mercy College of Health Sciences
The University partners with Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines to provide the MLS professional program including didactic and clinical experiences. The program provides theoretical knowledge and clinical experiences in chemistry, hematology and hemostasis, immunology, immunohematology, microbiology, molecular diagnostics, and urinalysis. Students can enroll in the program as the final year of a bachelor’s degree or as an additional year following completion of a bachelor’s degree.
Features of the Mercy College of Health Sciences Program
- 720 hours of clinical experience in hospital setting
- All hands-on learning in the clinical laboratory setting performing testing alongside preceptors on real-time patient samples
- Clinical experiences in the laboratories at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center-Des Moines
- Two rotations of clinical experience in each laboratory discipline (90 hrs + 90 hrs)
- Small class size
- Individualized help and attention
- Full-time MLS faculty
Applying to the Mercy College of Health Sciences Program
Students should apply to the Medical Laboratory Sciences Program at Mercy College of Health Sciences. The priority application deadline at Mercy College of Health Sciences is October 15. The application is a two-step process. Step One is application to Mercy College of Health Sciences and Step Two is application to the MLS Program at Mercy College. All required application items for both steps must be received by the October 15 deadline for priority consideration.
Applications are reviewed once they are complete. All applicants meeting the priority application deadline and minimum admission requirements are invited to attend an optional MLS Program Session on a designated date in late October/early November. Interviews are scheduled with all qualified applicants and conducted by November 15. 12 students are admitted each year.
Admission decisions are communicated to applicants by December 1. Admitted students must accept or decline offered positions by December 15. Late applications are accepted and evaluated for admission as they are received if open positions remain after the priority application process has been completed. More information regarding the application process can be found here and the undergraduate course catalog here.
Successful Program Participants Also Possess the Following Abilities
- Types and difficulty of courses taken
- Evidence of well-rounded education
- Courses taken that are not required but recommended
- Work experience
- Volunteer and extracurricular activities
- References (part of the application process)
- Activities that indicate social consciousness and involvement
- Cumulative and science GPA
The MLS Program Year
Students seeking entry into the Medical Laboratory Science Program should take three or more years of prerequisite coursework at the University of Iowa or another college. Following application, no later than October 15 of the junior year, admitted students start the MLS Program in late August/early September of the senior year. Didactic and clinical courses occur throughout the three-semester program. The students will attend face to face didactic courses taught by Mercy College of Health Sciences faculty on the Mercy College of Health Sciences campus in Des Moines. Students will complete clinicals at MercyOne Medical Center-Des Moines.
The Mercy College MLS Program prepares graduates for service and leadership in the healthcare community. The Program provides students with the academic and clinical experiences needed to become caring, ethical, and competent medical laboratory scientists who will work independently and in teams to perform laboratory testing, correlate, evaluate, develop, and assure validity of laboratory information and collaborate with other health professions in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Students complete the program in mid-August. Students will receive a Medical Laboratory Science certificate from Mercy College of Health Sciences including 40 semester hours. 40 semester hours will be transferred to the University of Iowa (UI) to combine with the existing credits to award the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences from the Carver College of Medicine. Graduates of the Mercy College of Health Sciences MLS Program grants graduates eligibility to sit for the national MLS certification exam from offered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification.
The Mercy College of Health Sciences Medical Laboratory Science Program is accredited by:
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 N. River Road
Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
1-773-714-8880
Fax: (773) 714-8886
E-mail: info@naacls.org