Why you would want to choose SU’s CLS/MT Program....

As you conduct your search for a college offering majors in medical sciences, you should seriously consider the Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology Program at Salisbury University. There are many positive attributes of this program which compare very favorably with other programs in the nation. As you search, compare the following important components of a high quality curriculum before making your decision.

• When you choose a 4 year school, be sure to choose a program that holds program accreditation from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

• Ask about the number of students taught in a laboratory by one faculty member. At Salisbury University, the maximum class size is fifteen which automatically insures an excellent low ratio of students to faculty. In addition, the program has computer facilities for student use on site in a ratio of 2:1 computers to students.

• Ask if the "internship" or " clinical rotation" is included in the program, or if you must find it on your own. Salisbury University guarantees placement in several local medical laboratories for the internship experience.

• Ask for employment rates and national certification examination pass rates on a program’s graduates. Be a little hesitant if a program cannot or will not provide you with this information. Moreover, Salisbury University has the statistics to prove that we have one of the best medical technology programs in the country. Our graduates have a pass-rate on national certification examinations that well exceeds the national average. During a most recently completed cycle (1997), 100% of our graduates passed their exam while the pass-rate nationally for all programs was 80%. Only 50% of the nation’s programs graduated classes in which 100% of students were able to pass their exam the first time, and Salisbury University was among those that did.

• High pass rates on certification exams and job offers go hand-in-hand. SU graduates almost always have at least one employment offer soon after graduation. 100% of graduates who responded to the most recent graduate survey indicated that they were employed in the field within 6 months of graduation. SU faculty often receive requests for graduate lists from laboratories who have hired our graduates in the past when they have positions to fill. In 1998, an employer survey was conducted and a full 100% of employers responding indicated that they would hire SU graduates again.

A new post-graduate interest of many graduates is forensic science, in which investigations involving courts of law are conducted with the assistance of laboratory medicine. You are probably familiar with media coverage of such "evidence" collected from crime scenes and analyzed in the forensic laboratory to help solve a crime or to prove someone’s innocence. Our program is an excellent introduction into many of the laboratory techniques and practices required for forensics.

        Comments and questions about this page can be directed to
Johanna W. Laird, M.S., MT(ASCP) CLS(NCA)
jwlaird@salisbury.edu

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