Introducing public health into a medical laboratory science program

According to the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the public health laboratory workforce in the United States is estimated to total 20,000. Traditionally the individuals who are hired into public health laboratory positions have degrees in microbiology or another basic science. Rarely do they have public health education. There are currently about 220 programs in medical laboratory science (also known as medical technology or clinical laboratory science) in the United States. Many of these programs have been challenged to maintain full enrollments. We describe the modification of a traditional medical laboratory science (MLS) curriculum that allows for the creation of a public health concentration. This concentration was created with only five course substitutions plus the addition of a semester-long internship offered at a state public health laboratory. Deleted courses included clinical chemistry, hematology and blood banking. Substituted courses included environmental microbiology, food microbiology and epidemiology. In addition, students in the public health concentration are encouraged to take electives in public health and global health. The public health concentration has been in existence for just three years however currently almost 10% of the MLS students at the University of Vermont have selected this option. We conclude that medical laboratory science programs can be a valuable resource in meeting the needs of the public health laboratory workforce. Not only does the modified curriculum better prepare students for a career in public health, it can serve as an introduction to public health for many undergraduates who are unfamiliar with the field.