How Important Is the Role of Medical Laboratory Science in Healthcare?

If there was ever an underappreciated field of healthcare in spite of having excellent career prospects and playing a vital role in saving lives daily, then that would be a medical laboratory science. An MLS (medical laboratory science) professional is the person who producesthe medical reports which doctors all over the world depend upon to diagnose health conditions. They are also the ones who play the main role in procuring vaccines and cures for life-threatening epidemics by working with organizations such as the CDC and WHO. The work done by a clinical lab scientist is so important and essential to the world of medical science that anyone who has completed anMLS program will never really have to look too hard for a job. Consider the following points to understand a small portion of the tremendous importance that MLS professionals hold in the field.

Physical Tests

From simple lipid profile tests to figuring out the right antibiotics necessary for killing off a particularly resistant strain of bacteria like the Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus; it’s the lab scientists who test, interpret and jot down the absolutely vital data which the doctors then use to diagnose the disease accurately and treat the patient successfully. After the treatment has been introduced, the physicians once again depend on the accuracy of the objective data continuously provided by lab professionals to monitor the condition of the patient. Doctors would not have been able to save as many lives as they do today if the lab scientists did not play the role that they do. In that regard, these are the people that save countless lives every day, while going mostly unnoticed by the ones they helped to save.

Finding Vaccines and Cures

Everything from the Hodgkin Disease and Ebola to swine flu and avian flu is being tested all the time to find better vaccines and cures at different wings of specialized disease research institutes such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the DCDC (The Division of Communicable Disease Control). Although the general public attributes the findings and successes of these research projects to “doctors,” in truth, they are mostly the result of the work done by medical laboratory scientists. The Oral Rabies Vaccination Program in Texas remains a prime example of such a triumphant program that managed to eliminate a form of rabies usually contracted from animals like coyotes and foxes.

The Career Opportunities

Even if you have an MS or a Ph.D. in microbiology or biomedical studies, you just can’t work in a clinical research lab until and unless you complete an NAACLS accredited medical laboratory scientist program from a reputed university. In other words, you may find yourself unemployed even after completing a Ph.D. in microbiology, but with just an online bachelor of science degree in medical laboratory science, your opportunities in the medical field as a young professional will increase instantaneously and rapidly. Any programs you might have completed prior to that will now gain extra momentum and propel you towards the career opportunities which you seek.

Whether you are an undergrad student, a professional or a scholar, enrolling in a medical laboratory scientist program online will give you the opportunity to pursue both degrees simultaneously.