r/MLS_CLS

I’m currently a Sophomore entering my junior year of college as a Medical Laboratory Science Major. Recently I be realized that idk if that’s something I really want to do due to what I’ve heard about the limited pay. Because of this I spoke to my dad who is in cybersecurity and he recommended I do that instead. I’m just unsure what to do and need advice. How hard is cybersecurity really? Is the lid of MLS pay and moving ranks real? Should I maybe die cyber security and have a health major?Please help I have to have a decision by 11:59

Hi all,

I graduated UC Davis (2025, Neurobio/Physio/Behavior) and I’m currently working full-time as a lab tech in histology for a vet diagnostics company. I also have about 3 years of undergrad research in vertebrate comparative anatomy. Current job has basically pushed me into wanting to go oos MLS > CLS (back to California eventually).

Right now I’m starting post-bacc prereqs and GPA repair while working full time. If everything goes right I’ll land around a ~2.7 GPA by application time next year (horrific I know).

Plan is:

• Hematology (UCSD Extension, online)
• Biochem (UCSD Extension, online)
• Micro + lab (in-person)
• Analytical/Quant Chem + lab (in-person)
• Medical Microbiology (UCSD Extension, online)
• Pathophysiology (maybe)

Target schools right now:

• INOVA Fairfax
• United Regional Health Care System
• University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Carolinas College of Health Sciences
• Sentara RMH
• Ohio State
• University of Utah
• Corewell Health

My goal is basically: get into any solid NAACLS MLS program so I can come back to California for CLS later:

• Is a ~2.7 GPA realistic to get into these? I know the threshold for most of them are 2.5 but still
• Are any of these on my list actually known for taking borderline GPA applicants or am I coping with half of them

I’m trying not to just throw another year into coursework if I’m still going to get screened out everywhere 😞 I need to hear some success stories.

Appreciate any blunt feedback.

Got my DCLS, but CAP doesn't recognize DCLS for medical directorship. So now I'm restricted to lower quality non CAP labs.

Its so frustrating how ASCP and CAP actively advocate against rank and file MLS. They want us contained to low paying bench jobs while they hog the posh admin roles for which pathologists receive minimal training. They actively advocated against CMS recognizing DCLS.

They have the nerve to say that h1b should be expanded because there's a "shortage" of directors and they're overworked, but you have perfectly qualified DCLS who apparently aren't "qualified"

Question for the hospital core lab folks in California. Do larger hospitals ever hire techs carrying a combo of clinical chemist and hematologist licenses (no BB or micro) or do they only hire generalists for core lab positions?

Hi all! I'm currently completing a generalist MLS(ASCP) certification program to qualify for the ASCP BOC exam. I am not sure that I want to work in a healthcare (especially hospital) environment, but I do know that I really enjoy laboratory work. I'm interested in going to graduate school and potentially working in academia in a few years. The subjects I am most interested in researching are more related to organismal/cellular/evolutionary biology. Does anyone know applicable an MLS certification would be to other life science-based laboratories? Will having this certification also be valuable in a different kind of lab, or is it really only applicable in a clinical setting? I'm definitely not opposed to giving healthcare/medical a try (especially because I know how inconsistent and low-paying research jobs can be) just curious about what my future options might be. Thanks in advance!

I’m an analytical scientist that does a lot of protein or antibody purity testing, been in this for 7 years or so, following SOPs, regulations, etc. I can go into more detail about what I do if it helps any in the comments if asked.

My BS is in biology with a minor in chemistry.

I’m moving to a state where the role I’m currently in is slim pickings and I really want to stay in a lab setting.

Is it easy to transition from a pharmaceutical lab to a hospital setting? I don’t know if that’s considered “clinical” setting if I’m working on drugs that are in early clinical phases or if it’s just a hospital lab setting haha.

Should I pursue this career if I’m not great at chemistry? I retook chemistry 1 and made a low B, the first time I made a D. I made high Cs on my exams.

It occurred because of issues involving its license to operate clinical lab services. Can't run a hospital without a lab...

Help! I’m a baby tech and I don’t know much about Florida license renewal. I know there’s CE’s we have to do but where do I find the ones Florida accepts? Are there any they don’t? I’m a generalist but I work in micro. My supervisor isn’t being much help when I ask questions so I wanted to reach out on here.

I just completed my 4-year Bachelor's in Clinical Lab Sciences (MLT), and honestly, I have no idea what to do next.

I'm the first person in my family to go into the medical field, and I had basically zero guidance regarding careers and higher studies. I chose this field because I genuinely liked it, and for the first few years I was really happy with my choice.

The reason I didn't choose MBBS was because I thought it only led to becoming a general physician, and I later realized medicine has a huge range of specialties, including surgery, which I probably would've loved. That realization hit me pretty hard, but right now I still feel like I should build on the 4 years I've already invested into CLS/MLT instead of starting over immediately.

The problem is that where I am, MLT/CLS doesn't always feel valued properly. Labs often prefer hiring diploma technicians bc they're cheaper, and technologists with bachelor's degrees are sometimes treated the same despite the difference in education and training. That made me question my future in this field.

I know I don't want a repetitive routine job. I want something challenging, meaningful, and diverse where I can keep learning and ideally contribute to something bigger like disease research, outbreaks, cancer/genetics research, diagnostics, etc. I also realized I want to be somewhat closer to patients or real-world impact instead of being completely behind the scenes all the time.

Recently I started looking into MPH/Public Health, especially epidemiology and genetics-related paths, and that feels closer to what I want, but I'm still very open to suggestions.

I also heard that some universities in countries like China allow students with strong CGPAs/research potential to go directly from a bachelor's degree into PhD-track or advanced research programs without first completing a master's degree. I don't know how true or realistic that is, but I wanted to ask if anyone here has experience with that or knows how those programs work and whether those degrees are actually valued internationally.

Sorry if this sounds all over the place. I'm just trying to figure things out without much guidance, and I'd really appreciate advice from people already in the field. Please feel free to suggest other options I could look into.

Edit: I’m from Pakistan, completed my 4-year Bachelor’s in Clinical Lab Sciences (CLS/MLT) from here.

Had my interview this morning for a micro day shift position. I love micro, but I'm a micro trained generalist so I didn't have high hopes coming into the interview.

Last night, I had to stay late was our Cobas decided to crash just as I was about to leave and the new grad on night shift didn't know how to troubleshoot it. Ended up not getting enough sleep for the interview this morning.

I got asked about what plates we use for certain specimens. As I'm not in micro every day, I almost always refer to the SOP instead of having it memorized so I don't get it wrong. I think I got some of the things wrong in the question.

Then for some reason I forgot to tell them that I did AST as well when the manager asked for my experience, though it was listed on my resume. I was just so tired so I may appear to be not enthusiastic.

At the end, the manager told me he's moving me forward to HR. I'm just so disappointed in myself for my interview performance.

Hello Everyone, long time lurker of this subreddit but I’ve finally organized my thoughts enough to ask for advice now.

Long story short, I’m a first generation college grad who hates his career outlook, and would’ve actually chosen this field if I knew it existed as it’s an amalgamation of my interests. I have a bachelors in environmental studies and a minor biology, but the courses don’t translate well for program prereqs or as one of the sciences NY accepts for an alternate licensure pathway.

So the advice I’m looking for is, Do I go back to community college and get my CLT and go from there (thinking about the suny broome program)? Or do I take some prerequisites and try to do a post-bacc (I’m in NY and a lot of the online post-baccs such as Weber aren’t accepted)? Also if anyone knows of any scholarships or programs please let me know, I’ve exhausted a lot of FAFSA opportunities from my bachelors.

Signed, a stressed out first generation college grad who’s trying to make something of his life and enjoy his career.

So the cost of living in New Jersey has sky rocketed, but my salary has not. I have my lease renewal coming up and am dreading it. Most of my Rutgers MLS class is working a full time job and a per-diem job to get by. But I'm feeling super burned out. I feel like I did everything right but am getting priced out of my home state.

I have nursing friends who are graduating and will be starting at a higher rate than me, despite my 5 years experience. It's so disheartening to feel left behind.

Weight based MTP are usually more common in peds, so we don't get a lot of MTPs.

I don’t have it memorized but the chart is easily accessible. Is it normal not to memorize it or do you memorize it?

I'll be going to Ball State for my Medical Laboratory Science degree in the fall, I have about a 2 month period where I have all the time in the world. I really want to do some basic lab work over the summer just so I can get some experience inside a lab. I'm not talking the actual tests and such but the simple things like restocking and cleaning. Does something like that exist? If so, does it usually pay good? I'm a few thousand short of my tuition and need the money.

Hello,

I have been interested in becoming an MLS for quite some time and have decided to finally start applying to programs.

For context, I have a bachelors in pharmaceutical science, I have worked as a research associate in the medical device industry for 3 years, and worked in academic labs for about 2 years. In college, I had a GPA of 3.8.

Im very interested in GWU’s post-bacc online MLS program, but am worried about being able to complete my clinical hours. I have a meeting with an advisor tomorrow to discuss application requirements and clinical placement, but I wanted to gain some insight on the program from a students perspective. I’m mostly curious about the clinical placement process works. Is it up to the student to find clinical placement? Does anyone have any advice on how to land clinical placement?

I’m really excited about this career transition and hope I get admitted!

Hi! I'm a rising senior in biochem and recently became aware of this career path and wanted to pursue it due to how secure it is compared to industry (my original plan). I currently attend a UC and have been doing undergrad research in a cancer lab for about a year and am committed to them for another year. I don't have any clinical experience but plan to get a phlebotomy cert to gain some experience. I also plan to finish my prereq classes the summer after graduating.

I've heard that CLS/MLS programs in CA are very competitive, and I aim to stay in SoCal while I do the program. My backup plan is to become an MLT if I don't get into any programs. I would like some advice on what I can do to further improve my chances of getting in or any opportunities to gain clinical experience, or whether this plan is reasonable.

Asking for a freind. looking for an aggressive employee lawyer in California, very solid strong case for wrongful termination, retaliation and distressing circumstances in a health care facility, organization break policy, complained to HR and seen pattern to force to quit and non renew contract with traveler CLS who involved in bullying. Solid documents and evidence to prove everything.
Lab director was bypassing training and competency requirements, and even a state inspection identified issues with competencies at the facility. After concerns were raised and HR was involved, there appeared to be a pattern of retaliation, pressure to quit, and non-renewal of contract.
Also looking to involve the traveler CLS who was involved in bullying and potentially pursue action against the lab director personally, including reporting to CDPH and all appropriate agencies.
Shoot me your recommendation looking for a 500k to 1M lawsuit.