Students get plenty of practice in the lab.
It took Maritza Camacho almost 20 years to figure out what she wanted to do as a career, but she finally did. She’s among a small group of College of Southern Nevada students who have just finished their bachelor of applied science degrees in Medical Laboratory Science.
It’s an incredibly popular program at CSN and elsewhere. When UNLV ended a similar program due to budget cuts several years ago, the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education approved the new program at CSN. It became the college’s second bachelor’s degree program.
Camacho, 52, is one of seven CSN students who finished the program in December, three semesters after it got underway at CSN. Two more students are scheduled to finish in the spring.
She has been attending classes at CSN for almost 20 years. She said the B.A.S. in Medical Laboratory Science will be her fifth degree.
CSN students work with the latest equipment.
She said she chose the program because she had recently finished the college’s program in Medical Laboratory Technology, a two-year program, and wanted to continue in the field.
Both medical laboratory scientists and medical laboratory technicians conduct lab testing, but only those with a bachelor’s degree qualify for supervisory positions. The pay is also considerably higher, with MLTs earning from $13 an hour to $28 an hour and MLSs earning from $20 an hour to $43 an hour.
Heidi Schneiter, the director of CSN’s program, said the demand for medical lab scientists remains high locally, as well. A new group of students begins the program each fall semester.
CSN MLS students perform clinical work as part of their training.
The 120-credit MLS degree program includes 16 weeks of clinical work at local hospitals and labs, high-level philosophy, English and statistics courses in addition to clinical laboratory science coursework. CSN expanded and remodeled laboratory space on the Charleston campus to add the program.
For more information, visit the Ralph & Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences.