[University of West Florida Usha Kundu, MD College of Health Medical Laboratory Sciences uwf.edu/coh graphic]

[Upbeat musing playing]

[Dr. Behan speaking]
My name is Dr. Kris Behan, and I am the department chair for Medical Lab Sciences.

[Kendall Zitka speaking]
I'm Kendall Zitka. I'm currently in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program.

[Dr. Behan speaking]
Our department really consists of just one degree, and it's a degree called Clinical Laboratory Sciences, but it has many disciplines within it. Our graduates will work in hospital laboratories—in a blood bank, for example, or in microbiology, hematology, or clinical chemistry labs.

[Kendall Zitka speaking]
I like the fact that we are still saving lives, but we’re not in the limelight. People don’t really think of the laboratory; they think of other people who run the tests. You don’t think, when you go to the doctor, ‘Who’s diagnosing me? What’s going on with my samples?’ That’s kind of behind the scenes, and I feel like we’re the puzzle pieces that put everything together. So I like being able to save lives behind closed doors.

[Dr. Behan speaking]
Most of the people—maybe 80%—who earn the degree will work in a hospital laboratory. Our program is affiliated with about 20 different hospitals for training, and those hospitals often hope to hire our students after graduation. They could also work in a reference lab, and some of our students use this degree to prepare for medical school or for PA school.

[Kendall Zitka speaking]
Class sizes are usually about 20 to 30 students, so professors aren’t overwhelmed with large groups—they’re really available for one-on-one help. If you have a question, they’re quick to answer and guide you in the right direction. This program is definitely preparing us for our careers. Beyond classroom learning, we get a lot of hands-on experience in the laboratory environment, and we also complete 29 weeks of clinical rotations. That’s where most people get hired—nine times out of ten, students receive job offers from the hospitals where they complete their rotations.

[Dr. Behan speaking]
The Medical Lab Sciences Department almost guarantees a job for students when they graduate. The nearest program to us is at the University of Central Florida, and employers are constantly calling us looking for our graduates.

[University of West Florida Usha Kundu, MD College of Health Medical Laboratory Sciences uwf.edu/coh graphic]