Medical Laboratory Science Program - Mayo Clinic

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 tes

ting 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.

This week, MLS student Allyssa trained in the Virology Laboratory, working with mock HIV quantitative samples and gainin...
04/24/2026

This week, MLS student Allyssa trained in the Virology Laboratory, working with mock HIV quantitative samples and gaining experience running them on our Roche Cobas 6800—also known in the lab as as Mike Wazowski!

MLS student Zhu Lan is hard at work this week in her Bacteriology rotation, examining Gram stains to help identify unkn...
04/23/2026

MLS student Zhu Lan is hard at work this week in her Bacteriology rotation, examining Gram stains to help identify unknown bacterial cultures.

Our third MLS Immunohematology cohort had a great time celebrating Lab Week with some sweet treats!
04/22/2026

Our third MLS Immunohematology cohort had a great time celebrating Lab Week with some sweet treats!

Our MLS students are proudly celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week! We extend our heartfelt thanks to the m...
04/21/2026

Our MLS students are proudly celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals Week! We extend our heartfelt thanks to the medical laboratory professionals who play a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Your expertise makes a difference every single day.
Happy Lab Week 2026—we appreciate you today and always!

During her Hematology clinical experience last week, MLS student Chloey had the opportunity to rotate through our Cell K...
04/20/2026

During her Hematology clinical experience last week, MLS student Chloey had the opportunity to rotate through our Cell Kinetics Laboratory. She learned lyse/wash processing techniques for blood and bone marrow specimens, a key step in isolating and concentrating white blood cells for flow cytometry leukemia/lymphoma immunophenotyping. This process helps eliminate red blood cells and interfering immunoglobulins to ensure accurate analysis.

MLS student Alex spent the week in the Renal Laboratory. In addition to performing physical, chemical, and microscopic u...
04/18/2026

MLS student Alex spent the week in the Renal Laboratory. In addition to performing physical, chemical, and microscopic urine analyses, MLS students observe and carry out a variety of testing methodologies using both automated and manual platforms. Alex is pictured performing a urine pregnancy test.

MLS student Katie is spending this week gaining hands-on experience in our Hospital Clinical Laboratory. This laboratory...
04/16/2026

MLS student Katie is spending this week gaining hands-on experience in our Hospital Clinical Laboratory. This laboratory provides STAT testing to support the Emergency Department, ICUs, and Operating Rooms at Saint Mary's Hospital. Katie is pictured learning the proper technique for mixing a sample for blood gas analysis.

A new cohort began Clinical Immunohematology last Monday, and by the end of the week they were already learning antibody...
04/13/2026

A new cohort began Clinical Immunohematology last Monday, and by the end of the week they were already learning antibody identification.

MLS student Savannah put her pipetting skills to the test this week in the Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMI) Labor...
04/11/2026

MLS student Savannah put her pipetting skills to the test this week in the Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMI) Laboratory! The CMI lab specializes in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with primary immunodeficiencies, transplant immunology, and immune monitoring for solid‑organ and bone marrow/stem cell transplant recipients.
Within the Cellular Immunology section, the lab performs advanced multiparametric flow cytometry and functional cellular assays to assess both adaptive and innate immune function. The Molecular Immunology section focuses on a select group of specialized diagnostic and genetic tests related to immunodeficiency disorders. A great learning experience in a highly specialized diagnostic laboratory!

MLS student Jonathan is spending this week in the Clinical and Forensic Toxicology Laboratory (CFTL) as part of his chem...
04/09/2026

MLS student Jonathan is spending this week in the Clinical and Forensic Toxicology Laboratory (CFTL) as part of his chemistry elective rotation. This lab provides routine and emergency drug testing 24/7 for specimens from the Mayo campus, regional practices, and clients around the world.
The lab supports testing for drugs of abuse, overdose cases, pain management monitoring, and other drug‑related toxicology needs, using strict chain‑of‑custody procedures. Testing also supports drug therapies for organ transplantation, clinical depression, and other medical conditions.
Advanced testing platforms include immunoassay, GC/MS, and LC‑MS/MS. During his rotation, Jon gained hands‑on experience aliquoting controls and measuring urine specific gravity using a digital refractometer.

MLS student Ellie rotated through the Clinical Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (CMSL) last week. During her time in the lab...
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.

Big congratulations to our second cohort of MLS students on completing their Clinical Immunohematology course last week!...
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.

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