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Medical Laboratory Science Program - Mayo Clinic

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Medical Laboratory Science Program - Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic Medical Laboratory Science Program is housed in our renowned Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology.

Medical laboratory scientists are medical professionals that develop, perform and troubleshoot the assays and methods for analysis of blood, tissue and body fluids in diagnostic laboratories.According to some experts, approximately 70 percent of the objective information that physicians and other health care providers use to make medical decisions comes from the clinical laboratory. Laboratory testing is used for diagnosis, prognosis or risk determination, and monitoring of therapy. A medical laboratory scientist must have a broad background in clinical biochemistry, microbiology, immunohematology (transfusion medicine), hematology and coagulation, and molecular diagnostics to function in today's modern diagnostic laboratory. Concepts in laboratory management, regulation and accreditation, and statistical concepts are also of fundamental importance. Additionally, once training is complete, students may choose to specialize in a particular area of diagnostics, such as molecular diagnostics, coagulation, hematology and microbiology. Not only do our students learn from our distinguished medical and allied health staff instructors, but we have also implemented progressive teaching strategies that incorporate online learning and make the most of our student's educational experience. The program gives students access to numerous specialized, cutting-edge diagnostic laboratories for training that allow them to get a head start on finding areas of special interest (for those who choose to focus on specific areas of testing after training). Our core laboratories also provide an outstanding training area for students interested in generalist positions after graduation.Our unique quality control course combines an online component offered by a world-renowned quality control expert (James Westgard) combined with in-class hands-on activities to reinforce concepts and teach day-to-day application. Medical laboratory scientists are in great demand and are highly sought after by clinical laboratories here and across the country, and the forecast for job opportunities remains excellent. Our program prepares students for a career in one of the most rewarding and fastest growing areas in health care — medical laboratory diagnostics.

04/07/2026

MLS student Ellie rotated through the Clinical Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CMSL) last week. During her time in the lab, Ellie observed a technologist performing part of a Liquid‑Liquid Extraction using aspiration waste. This technique removes the aqueous layer through suction and is used when the aqueous layer is less dense than the organic layer. The extraction shown was for DHTS (Dihydrotestosterone), one of many assays performed in CMSL. Additional extraction methods used in the lab include Solid Phase Extraction, Dialysis, and Protein Precipitation, among others.

04/06/2026

Big congratulations to our second cohort of MLS students on completing their Clinical Immunohematology course last week! They reviewed for their final exam by putting their knowledge to the test with Blood Bank Trivial Pursuit.

04/05/2026

Last week, MLS student Marguerite split her time between the Hepatitis HIV Serology (HHS) Laboratory and the Virology Laboratory at the Superior Drive Support Center (SDSC). She focused on the critical step of inspecting consumables prior to loading them onto the Roche Cobas 8800 (aka Sully). Both labs are part of the Division of Clinical Microbiology and were part of her microbiology clinical experience.

04/03/2026

MLS student Jenna is hard at work learning how to perform immunophenotyping analysis on leukemia and lymphoma patients using flow cytometry. Defining the immunophenotype of clonal populations is essential for accurate diagnosis and guiding treatment. This process relies on pattern recognition, analytical algorithms, and comparison to normal populations to identify abnormal expression patterns. What an incredible educational experience in her rotation through the Cell Kinetics Laboratory!

03/29/2026

We recently checked in with our MLS student at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Leane! She is currently completing her Clinical Chemistry Laboratory rotation, where students observe and perform a variety of tests using automated chemistry methodologies. During this rotation, Leane has been building her knowledge of testing principles and methods, applying laboratory safety policies, and learning to utilize quality control and quality assurance procedures. She recently gained hands‑on experience programming protein electrophoresis sample runs.

03/27/2026

Escape Room Success!
Check out highlights from yesterday’s Blood Bank Escape Room experience! Our MLS Transfusion students put their skills to the test in a new escape room challenge. Both teams demonstrated outstanding communication, strong collaboration, and impressive blood bank expertise as they tackled advanced serologic puzzles, cracked clever riddles, and successfully “escaped” the rogue AI module—Hemo Goblin 3.0—behind the Blood Bank integrity breach. Well done, everyone!

03/26/2026

Yesterday, Catie spent the day learning alongside our Molecular Hematology Laboratory team. The Molecular Hematopathology (MolHeme) Lab, part of our Division of Hematopathology, performs nucleic acid–based clinical testing to support the diagnosis and evaluation of Hematologic disorders.
During her experience, Catie reviewed incoming samples for clots before loading them onto the Hamilton instrument for automated DNA extraction. This important quality step helps ensure optimal DNA yield and prevents instrument clogging. Catie also gained hands‑on experience with sample processing and test setup for the detection of genetic abnormalities.

03/24/2026

MLS students Kameron and Katie got a behind‑the‑scenes look today with a tour of the Mayo Clinic helicopter on the St. Mary’s campus during their Transfusion Lab rotation.

03/21/2026

The Mycology Laboratory is a specialty area of Microbiology. Mycology testing is focused on the detection, identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of mold and yeast present in samples from patients. MLS student Alyssa spent the past week in the Mycology Lab where she was able to to practice pipetting plates to run MALDI-TOF in order to identify yeast isolates based on their unique protein profiles.

03/19/2026

Today, our MLS Transfusion Medicine students explored Transfusion Reaction case studies facilitated by Transfusion Medicine Fellow Dr. Luz Sullivan.

03/17/2026

The Fertility Testing (Andrology) Laboratory provides both analytical testing and clinical services for patients at Mayo Clinic, as well as for outside clients through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. The lab performs a variety of tests to assess male fertility, including semen analysis, post‑vasectomy analysis, and detailed evaluation of s***m morphology. Clinical services include s***m preparation for intrauterine and therapeutic donor inseminations, as well as semen cryopreservation.

This week, MLS student Allyssa is rotating through the Fertility Testing Laboratory and gaining hands‑on experience with these specialized procedures. She is learning how to retrieve frozen patient specimens from the ultra‑cold storage tank for thawing prior to intrauterine insemination (IUI), examine post‑vasectomy specimens at the microscope to assess for live s***m, and carefully pipette specimens onto slides for microscopic review while working in a laminar flow hood.

03/16/2026

Last week, MLS student Catie spent time in the Clinical Microbiology Molecular Laboratory (CMML). During her rotation, she gained hands-on experience handling unidentified specimens inside the biological safety cabinet and learned how to operate the Janus Automated Pipetter.
Both of these skills are key steps in preparing samples for PCR extraction and testing—great practice for real-world molecular diagnostics!

Address

200 1st Street SW
Rochester, MN
55902

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

http://www.mayo.edu/mshs/careers/laboratory-sciences/clinical-laboratory-science-program-florida-and-minnesota/admission

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