Medical Laboratory Science

 

                  MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE 

 Meaning:  Medical laboratory science is a professional medical course usually classified as allied-health science which prepares people fundamentally for work in hospital laboratories and clinics, pharmaceutical laboratories, public health laboratories, surgeries, vet clinics, non-clinical industrial research labs, biotechnology/biomedical laboratories, forensics and reference labs.

 Medical laboratory science is a chemistry/biology- based degree which leads to the award of B.Sc in MLS or Bachelor of Medical Laboratory science (BMLS), or Doctor of Medical laboratory Science depending on awarding Institution.

  The field of Medical laboratory Science also called clinical laboratory science and ab initio medical technology carries out disease detection, study/examination and analysis of body fluids and tissues for clinical utilization. Medical laboratory science is 5-year undergraduate degree program in most Universities, except for those currently running the 6-year Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science program, and the field forms an integral aspect or facet of the health field.

  It plays a vital role in the diagnoses, treatment and management of health conditions because most medical diagnoses, evaluation and treatments are based on medical laboratory findings. medical laboratory Science should not be mistaken for Science laboratory technology

      WHO ARE THE MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS?

 They are important professional health care detectives with extensive knowledge of normal and abnormal physiology, infectious agents, body chemistry, correlation of lab results to specific diseases, individual diagnostic testing procedures and principles and crucial knowledge of biomedical instrumentation.

 They therefore, apply and utilize biomedical instrumentation/technology, automation, robotics, computer systems and similar gadgets of varying sophistication to carryout testing on body tissues, blood and other body fluids (sputum, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, blood etc). They receive patients’ body specimens, test and analyze the specimen and report results.

 They were initially called medical technologists, owing to the reason that they help to isolate and identify infectious/disease-causing agents or malfunctioning or dysfunctional body components.

 They form essential part of the health workforce experts that generate vital data used in cancer detection, uncovering of abused substances/drugs, identifying and isolating disease-causing agents and checking of other health conditions like fertility, endocrine function, sugar and lipid level, electrolytes, etc. They also test for blood compatibility and other tissue compatibility for treatment (histocompatibility).

  Individuals good at problem-solving, handling of multiple tasks, independent working capacity and adjustable to challenging and fast-evolving scientific environment would be suited to this field. It may also be used as possible route to other advanced medical and allied-medical degrees, viz; medicine and surgery, dentistry, vet medicine, nursing science and midwifery, clinical pharmacy.

 The physician’s medical decisions (about 70-79%) are direct consequence of medical laboratory findings and data.

  In technical terms, medical laboratory scientists carry out chemical, hematological, cytopathological, immunological, microscopic and molecular diagnostic testing and analysis for clinical utilization. They examine, test and analyze body specimens like blood, urine, saliva, sputum, stool, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, pericardial fluid, body excretions and body secretions (semen and vaginal fluids etc).

 Some of the major tests carried out include;

Complete blood count CBC, complete metabolic panel, CMP, urinalysis, renal function tests, serological studies and routine cultures. Others are virological testing for HIV/AIDS, Coronavirus, lipid profile tests, histocompatibility tests, DNA tests, blood type and forensics.

 Medical laboratory scientists aided by medical laboratory assistants collaborate with physicians (pathologists), medical lab technicians as well as other clinicians as the case may be.

  Medical Laboratory Science is famed to be the third largest health profession after MBBS and Nursing Science and Midwifery and guarantees a great future for the graduates.

 Students of medical laboratory science, at the end of their training acquires the skills and expertise to fabricate new diagnostic testing tools, repair and refine existing ones, upgrade/advance old testing procedures and techniques and carry out research in the field of medical laboratory science.

 

                   Personal skills needed in MLS field

  First and foremost, the field requires solid basic science background (biology, chemistry and physics). Since it involves instrumentation and technology, basic knowledge in ICT and mathematics (calculus) is needed, though, ICT skills may be acquired during or towards the finalization of the program.

Below are personal skills and abilities needed:

 Sound intellect

 Good motor skills

 Visual acuity

 Eye-hand coordination

 Effective communication skills

     Professional skills connected with MLS include; time management, independent working capacity, analysis and problem-solving and penchant for gadgets.

 However, it is paramount to emphasize the role of medical laboratory scientist as part of the health workforce as they report laboratory results to physicians. About 70% of medical decisions regarding patients’ diagnoses, treatment, admission and discharge are based on results from medical laboratory science.

  In Teaching Hospitals, they work inside the pathology department alongside medical laboratory technologists/technicians and relaying laboratory results to pathologists. Some establish their own private practice and employ other ancillary staff as the case may be. Some may pursue the academic cum research part or combine both.

  Some Of The Responsibilities Of Medical Laboratory Scientists

By utilizing sophisticated, automated and high-precision equipments and reagents in testing body specimens to detect diseases and monitor health treatments, the med lab scientists carryout the following roles;

1  Examining and analyzing body fluids and tissues

2  Overseeing the work of medical laboratory technicians

3  Establishing quality assurance

4  Cross-matching blood for transfusion and other histocompatibility tests

5  Ensuring accuracy of test results

6  Reporting lab results to physicians

7  Researching on new testing techniques

8  Refining, maintenance and fabrication of biomedical instruments

9  Laboratory administration

And other responsibililties.

 

These are some of the specialties of medical laboratory science are; clinical biochemistry, clinical microbiology, immunology, virology, transfusion science, genetics, mycology, cytopathology, hematology, cytogenetics, histopathology, molecular diagnostics etc.

 Some of the common tools used in medical laboratory are listed below:

Petri dish, Pasteur pipette, spectrophotometer, micropipettes, calorimeters, beakers, test tubes and racks, Bunsen burner, syringes, microscopes, high-speed centrifuge, electrophoresis apparatus, cryofreezers, immunoassay analyzers, MRI systems, hematology analyzers, computer systems, dispensers, thermometers etc.

  In Nigeria, only the qualified medical laboratory scientists can establish and man the medical laboratory

 

     EDUCATION

  You need to take classes in science in secondary (post-primary) schools. Candidates must sit for the west Afican Examination Council (WAEC) exam or the Nigerian National Examination Council (NECO) exam or their equivalents and finally write the JAMB Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) with good scores.

 WAEC subjects: English, general mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics at not less than credit levels.

 UTME subjects: Use of English, physics, chemistry and biology.

  Direct Entry candidates are required to possess an undergraduate degree in a relevant field (microbiology, biochemistry, biology, zoology, basic medical sciences, nutrition, chemistry, biotechnology, botany, pharmacology, public health, biomedical technology, molecular science, parasitology and entomology, animal science, optometry etc), or possess Alevel certification (IJMB, JUPEB, CAMBRIDGE) or National diploma with grades acceptable to the applied Universities.

NOTE: please use the JAMB brochure or the school’s website to get specific requirements as it may vary slightly across the Federation.

First year students of MLS take math, physics, chemistry and biology alongside other GSTs courses.

In year 2, they are given introduction to Medical Laboratory Science, alongside other basic medical sciences (anatomy, physiology and biochemistry).

  Some 300level courses include; medical physics, basic immunology, introduction to general pharmacology, basic hematology, laboratory instrumentation and technology, blood transfusion science, medical lab ethics, entrepreneurship, introductory microbiology and few others.

400level courses may include; analytical chemistry, biotechnology and informatics, immunochemistry, cytology, virology, nucleic acid biochemistry, mycology and biotechnology etc.

  500level courses; cytogenetics, chemical pathology, chemical enzymology, research methodology and others.

  The final year program is normally conducted in such a way for students to carryout undergraduate specialization in any two of the MLS subjects. One of the specialty is termed a Major degree and the other a Minor degree.

         Medical Lab Scientist and The Medical Lab Technician

  The medical laboratory technician assist and help medical lab scientists, to collect, process and analyses body specimens and perform routine lab procedures, maintain and fix laboratory equipments.

  On the other hand, Medical laboratory scientists have a greater theoretical knowledge base, therefore, do not only carryout laboratory procedures, but also carryout sophisticated analysis, evaluate and interpret lab results, conduct research, test and discover new diagnostic methods and refine existing lab equipment/apparatuses.

   MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE COUNCIL OF NIGERIA (MLSCN)

 MLSCN is a Federal government statutory regulatory agency, which is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health, established by Act 11, 2003, empowering it to regulate the training of Medical laboratory scientists, Technicians and Assistants.

  They carryout regulation and licensing of medical lab services, through regulation and licensing of medical laboratories, medical laboratory practitioners, mandatory inspection and monitoring for quality improvement, accreditation, evaluation as well as certification of laboratory test kits and reagents

    ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENTISTS OF NIGERIA (AMLSN)

AMLSN is the professional association for registered medical lab scientists practicing in Nigeria, whose mission is to vanguard and advocate the advantages of global best practice of MLS profession and National health services in Nigeria.

 

  The Medical Laboratory Science is a great and promising field of health science with various obvious opportunities for its graduates in Nigeria and beyond.

   As at the time of publication of this article, the below institutions are currently approved to run the medical laboratory science undergraduate program;

Ø      University of Lagos

Ø      Babcock university

Ø      Ladoke Akintola university, Oshogbo

Ø      Madonna university, Elele

Ø      Ebonyi state university

Ø      Nnamdi Azikiwe university, Nnewi

Ø      University of Nigeria, Enugu

Ø      Imo state university, Owerri

Ø      University of Calabar, Calabar

Ø      AmbroseAlli university, Ekpoma

Ø      kwara state university, Malete

Ø      Edo university, Iyamho

Ø      University of Ibadan

Ø      Enugu state university of science and technology

Ø      University of Benin, Benin city

Ø      Abia state university, Uturu

Ø      Niger Delta university

Ø      Usman Danfodiyo university, Sokoto

Ø      University of Jos

Ø      Rivers state university of science and technology

Ø     University of Maiduguri

Ø      Achievers university Owo

Ø      Igbenedion university, Okada

Ø      Bayero university Kano

Ø      Afe Babalola university, Ado-Ekiti

Ø      Al-hikmah university, Illorin

Ø      Lead city university, Ibadan

Ø      Pamo university of medical sciences, Port-Harcourt

Ø      University of medical sciences, Ondo

What other things can I do with my MLS degree?

Science and technology writing/ journalism and blogging

Teaching

Scientific research

Quality assurance

Environmental health expert

Physician assistants

Public health services

Entrepreneurship (technovation)

Legal sector employee

Forensic expert

Consultancy services

Medicine stores owner

Sales representative (for biomedical firms)

Patent drug dealer

 

Your skills and dexterity may also be utilized in

ICT

Technology startups and other high-tech industries

Defense

Social work

Guidance and counseling

Environment and agriculture

Administration and management

Banking and Financial sector.

 

Other courses similar and or related to medical laboratory Science

Medical radiography

Biomedicine (medical biology)

Science laboratory technology

Biomedical engineering technology

Medical biochemistry and microbiology

Medical imaging and diagnostic sciences

Pharmaceutical engineering technology

Analytical chemistry

Parasitology and entomology

Molecular biology

Biotechnology

Genetics

B.Sc Basic Medical Sciences

Environmental health/community health

Public health science.

  Thanks for reading.