Program Information

Accreditation

The Mississippi Baptist Medical Center (MBMC) School of Medical Laboratory Science has active accreditation status with the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018; phone 773-714-8880.

Further information about NAACLS can be found at www.naacls.org.

Clinical Facility and Educational Affiliates

The School of Medical Laboratory Science was established in 1946 and is a division of the Department of Pathology at MBMC. The largest private general hospital in the state, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center is accredited by The Joint Commission and is a member in good standing of the Mississippi Hospital Association. The Pathology Department is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and the American Association of Blood Banks.

All medical laboratory science programs accredited by NAACLS must culminate in a baccalaureate degree. Applicants may already have a baccalaureate degree (4+1 students) or may be planning to obtain one following successful completion of the year of clinical education at MBMC (3+1 students). The School of Medical Laboratory Science maintains affiliations with the schools listed below, which allow the proper transfer of required semester hours of credit to the university for those students whose senior year of college will be the year at MBMC.

Contact the Medical Technology/Medical Laboratory Science advisor at the following schools to learn more about 3+1 degree requirements:

Auburn University: www.auburn.edu

Mississippi State University: www.msstate.edu

The clinical education course at MBMC lasts one year. Students are in the laboratory Monday - Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They develop technical skills under the instruction and supervision of certified medical technologists/medical laboratory scientists by rotating through the major divisions of the clinical laboratory. Students learn to perform laboratory procedures by assisting with actual tests on hospital patients. Because their learning is directly related to patients and their illnesses, students develop an important professional concept–a sense of responsibility toward patients.

Students also attend lectures on a daily basis. Both lectures and lab rotations are accompanied by frequent written, oral and practical examinations. The entire clinical course is concluded with a comprehensive examination.

Upon successful completion of the clinical program, students receive a certificate from the School of Medical Laboratory Science and are eligible to take a national certification examination, such as the ASCP Board of Certification Medical Laboratory Scientist exam. Graduation from the program is not dependent upon the student passing any external certification or licensure examination.

Expenses and Financial Aid

There is no tuition fee; however a $1,000 activity fee is charged. Students must purchase their own textbooks and uniforms as well as provide for their own housing and transportation.

3+1 students should have access to the usual financial aid provided through their college or university. At times, stipend funds are available through the MBMC Clinical Laboratory for students enrolled in the School of Medical Laboratory Science. In addition, the Program Director provides information about various scholarships that may be available. Contact the Program Director for more information about the student stipend and scholarships.

Course Descriptions

Please send all requests for information regarding credit hours for the following courses to the Program Director.

Accessioning and Processing

Handling & processing of requisitions and specimens from inpatients, outpatients, and Outreach accounts, including discussion and solving of pre-analytical problems.

Phlebotomy

A study of basic venipuncture & skin puncture techniques.  Clinical practice may be required following didactic instruction. 

Hematology/Coagulation

A study of the origin, development, morphology, physiology and pathophysiology of formed elements of blood, bone marrow and body fluids, normal and abnormal mechanisms of the hemostatic system and therapeutic measures that alter the normal coagulation processes & monitor anticoagulant therapy.  Performance of various manual hematological and hemostatic assays. Discussion and/or operation, including maintenance, quality control and trouble-shooting, of various automated cell counting and differential instrumentation, automated hemostatic system instrumentation, bone marrow studies, special staining procedures, hemolytic studies, cytogenetics and flow cytometry.

Clinical Chemistry

A study of biochemical constituents of the human body such as lipids, proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates, nitrogenous substances, electrolytes, acid/base analytes and heme derivatives.  Includes a study of toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring & molecular diagnostic procedures as well as immunoassays relating to hepatitis, HIV, tumor markers & hormones of the endocrine system. Discussion and/or operation, including maintenance, quality control and trouble-shooting, of various manual and automated assays related to chemistry and immunochemistry. 

Immunology

A study of the immune system including antigen-antibody reactions in relation to bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic, autoimmune and immunologic disease states.  Performance of various precipitation & agglutination assays. Discussion and/or operation, including maintenance, quality control and trouble-shooting, of various pieces of instrumentation related to immunology and serology testing.

Immunohematology

A study of blood group systems, pre-transfusion testing, antibody detection, donor blood collection, component preparation, storage and distribution of blood & blood products, and evaluation of hemolytic disease of the newborn and post-transfusion problems. Performance of various manual immunohematology assays. Discussion and/or operation, including maintenance, quality control and trouble-shooting, of various pieces of transfusion medicine instrumentation.

Urinalysis and Body Fluids

A study of the renal system, physical, chemical and microscopic examination of urine and other body fluids and correlation of findings with disease states. Discussion and/or operation, including maintenance, quality control and trouble-shooting, of various manual and automated urine and body fluid assays.

Microbiology

A systematic study of medically important bacteria, emphasizing isolation, identification & antimicrobial susceptibility testing of pathogenic bacteria as well as epidemiology & mechanisms of pathogenesis. A study of protozoan, helminthic & arthropod parasites of medical significance including life cycles, pathogenicity & epidemiology.  A study of pathogenic fungi, including dermatophytes, systemic & opportunistic fungi including culture characteristics, clinical manifestations & microscopic morphology.  Discussion and/or operation, including maintenance, quality control and trouble-shooting, of various automated and manual assays for identification of bacterial, parasitic and fungal pathogens.  Manual and automated methods of antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Special Topics: Education and Management

An overview of basic education theory such as behavioral objectives, criterion & norm-referenced evaluation, methods of instruction and research techniques as well as an overview of various managerial & supervisory theories and practices.  Students participate in a variety of journal article, case study & current event presentations as well as two capstone projects.

Program Mission

The mission of the School of Medical Laboratory Science is to guide the educative process of students to a professional level of competency, as measured by a national certification examination and feedback from employers of our graduates. Further, it is our mission to serve the community through continuously improving quality medical care and effective use of education and technology for our staff and students in a personal and compassionate environment.

Program Goals

The overall goal of the Medical Laboratory Science Program is to provide excellent professional education in clinical laboratory science and to assist in carrying out the mission of Mississippi Baptist Medical Center by continuously improving the quality of education for our employees and students in the laboratory environment.

Our goals are to develop Medical Laboratory Scientists who are competent in:

  • Establishing and following procedures for collecting and processing biological specimens for analysis.
  • Accurately performing analytical tests & reporting results of tests on blood, body fluids and other clinical samples, demonstrating an awareness of professional limitations, and understanding when to request assistance.
  • Evaluating, interpreting, and relating analytical data, while making judgments regarding possible discrepancies; confirming abnormal results; utilizing and verifying quality assurance procedures and developing solutions to problems concerning the generation of laboratory data.
  • Operating equipment properly, and establishing and performing preventive and corrective maintenance of laboratory instrumentation, as well as identifying appropriate sources for repairs.
  • Evaluating the efficacy of new techniques, instruments and procedures in terms of their usefulness and practicality within the context of a given laboratory’s personnel, equipment, space and budgetary resources.
  • Demonstrating ethical behavior and integrity by recognizing and repeating questionable results, and maintaining confidentiality of patient information.
  • Demonstrating professional conduct, interpersonal communication skills, and compassion with patients, laboratory personnel, other health care personnel, and with the public.
  • Recognizing and assuming responsibility for individual needs for education as a function of growth and maintenance of professional competence.
  • Applying principles of educational methodology, management and supervision

School Policies and Procedures

All School of Medical Laboratory Science policies and procedures, including those related to student employment, dress code, attendance and conduct, progression through the program, disciplinary action, contingency plans and record retention, etc. are available from the Program Director upon request.

Faculty

Clinical and didactic instruction takes place under the direction of the following individuals:

Program Director

Jennifer Knight, MHS, MLS (ASCP)

Core Lab

  • Technical Specialist – Sarah Boyd, MPFDC, MT(ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Tammy Grimes, MT (ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Julie Harkins, MLS (ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Porter Hudson, MT (ASCP)

Serology Lab

  • Technical Specialist – Teri Gieb, MT (ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Carolyn Campbell, MT(ASCP)

Special Hematology Lab

  • Technical Specialist – Scott Wilkinson, MT(ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Kenya Heath, MT (ASCP)

Blood Bank Lab

  • Technical Specialist – Caitlin Patterson, MLS (ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Jennifer Rodriguez, MLS (ASCP)

Immunochemistry Lab

Technical Specialist – Paul Montgomery, MHS, MT(ASCP)

Microbiology Lab

  • Technical Specialist – Brittany Van Buren, MLS (ASCP)
  • Senior Medical Technologist – Tina Jackson, MLS (ASCP)

Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for your interest in Missippi Baptist Medical Center School of Medical Laboratory. As you consider our program, we invite you to review our informative list of frequently asked questions (FAQs).

View Frequently Asked Questions