BS Bio graduate, qualms about becmoing a MT.

LW in Pasadena, California said: Is it possible for me to find a job at Quest in SJC without any License and Certification? I have a degree in Biology and trying to to sit for MT exam, but the registrar of AMT told me I need 1 year work Lab Experience...

If you're in CA, the AMT is not recognized to get your CA CLS license. Even if you were AMT certified, you couldn't work as a CLS in CA.

However, you must also meet the state requirements in your education, namely the 1 year of rotational experience. That means even if you are ASCP certified, you may not qualify to get your CLS license if you don't have that 1 year.

One year of any lab experience won't do. You could work at Quest as a Lab aide, but they just either process and receive specimens or do maintenance on instruments, which is basically the grunt work. What you need to do is enter either the limited CLS program at Quest, or go to a generalist CLS program. This is your only way to work as a CLS in CA. AMT certification may help you in other states that do not require a state license, but not in CA.

K, CLS in the bay area in Sunnyvale, California said: Hey Ryan
I think becoming a MT( cls ) is a good move. I graduated from cal state hayward, and went to the san jose state program. My GPA was about a 2.9 and I got in on the first try. It only took 1 year for me to complete the cls training program. The pay for a starting MT
( CLS ) in the bay area ia about $40. I know my hospital pays a level 1 MT for $41.75, i know northern california MT make a little more then MT in southern cali. The hospital i work for do not have any MLT yet.

Hi,
I am also a graduate of Cal State Eastbay Hayward) and am planning to get into the CLS program at San Jose State University.I am applying for March 2011. I would appreciate if you can give me some feedback on the program as well as some guidance.

I got my BA in a totally non-science-related field about 8 years. However, I was always pretty good in my science classes and have an interest in becoming a CLT. I've started taking the prereqs and so far I'm getting A's in my classes, with hopes of applying to a CLS program in either SF or the LA area in a couple of years.

My question is, will I have a problem getting a CLS job, even if I complete a program and licensed, if my degree is in communications? I would want to just go ahead and get a Bio degree while I'm taking classes, but I live in California and most of the UCs and Cal State campus' do not accept students for a 2nd bachelor's degree. Also, I'm making $13/hr in the Bay Area right now so I don't have a lot of extra money to throw around. Most of the jobs found on the CAMLT website seem to require a BS in one of the life science though. Is there any hope for me? I really want to pursue this field, but I would hate to find out I still couldn't get a job after getting licensed because I had a degree in another field ...

Any suggestions?

Half of Loma Linda's students have a BS degree already and get a 2nd BS degree when they finish the CLS program. As long as you have a CA CLS license, labs will not care if your degree was in Philosophy.

I hope not, because I think it will be hard for me to obtain a second degree without spending a ton of money I don't have. I already have enough loan debt from the first time around!

But after reading the job listings on the CAMLT website where nearly every one required that applicants have a degree in "biology or a related field," and then reading someone's comment on another thread saying he was a hiring manager at a lab and that they wouldn't even consider you if you didn't have the right degree, it is a bit worrisome.

I'd go the Loma Linda route, but I'm also worried about being $75k in debt at the end of it ...

Moksha in Oakland, California said: I hope not, because I think it will be hard for me to obtain a second degree without spending a ton of money I don't have. I already have enough loan debt from the first time around!

But after reading the job listings on the CAMLT website where nearly every one required that applicants have a degree in "biology or a related field," and then reading someone's comment on another thread saying he was a hiring manager at a lab and that they wouldn't even consider you if you didn't have the right degree, it is a bit worrisome.

I'd go the Loma Linda route, but I'm also worried about being $75k in debt at the end of it ...

Especially in Cali, there is no way around the license requirements. You may be able to take just the pre-requisites for a post-bacc hospital program without getting a full second bachelors, but that will require two to three years, in addition to the clinical years.

It might seem excessive, but you do need that science background to survive the clinical program.

I am fine with the prereqs, working on those now and I know it will take me a couple years at the least.

I'm more concerned that I will need to actually get the second bachelor's degree, since most of the state schools in CA aren't currently accepting second bachelor's students. I'd have to go to a private school and that would be probably more than I can afford.

On the other hand, I would hate to take all the prereqs, get into a CLS program and get licensed and then find out I can't get a job because my actual B.S. is in a different subject area ...

Moksha in Oakland, California said: I am fine with the prereqs, working on those now and I know it will take me a couple years at the least.

I'm more concerned that I will need to actually get the second bachelor's degree, since most of the state schools in CA aren't currently accepting second bachelor's students. I'd have to go to a private school and that would be probably more than I can afford.

On the other hand, I would hate to take all the prereqs, get into a CLS program and get licensed and then find out I can't get a job because my actual B.S. is in a different subject area ...

If you completed a NAACLS program and passed your ASCP exam, no employer should care about your BS...I can tell you they do not here in the Midwest.

Moksha in Oakland, California said: I am fine with the prereqs, working on those now and I know it will take me a couple years at the least.

I'm more concerned that I will need to actually get the second bachelor's degree, since most of the state schools in CA aren't currently accepting second bachelor's students. I'd have to go to a private school and that would be probably more than I can afford.

On the other hand, I would hate to take all the prereqs, get into a CLS program and get licensed and then find out I can't get a job because my actual B.S. is in a different subject area ...

Yes Loma Linda is expensive. As I said before, you have a CA CLS license, employers don't care, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOUR DEGREE IS IN.

Hello everyone,
Thank you for all your insight. This is very important for me because I’m about to start the CLS post-bac program at Dominguez Hills in about a month. Although some of you are saying that MT”s are underpaid and mistreated in other states, I hope that it will be a respectable occupation here in Cali. My main reason for choosing the CLS program is having the option to work in CSI. Compared to nursing, MTs don’t have to deal directly with patients, which in my case is a plus. Another experience that greatly influences my career path was when I toured a biopharmaceutical company in Irvine. When I mentioned that I will obtain a CA CLS license, the director’s eyes lit up and suggested that I apply to his company because they are hungry for qualified people. Is this the case here in Cali, or am I just hopeful and delusional?

Masha in Los Angeles, California said: Hello everyone,
Thank you for all your insight. This is very important for me because I’m about to start the CLS post-bac program at Dominguez Hills in about a month. Although some of you are saying that MT”s are underpaid and mistreated in other states, I hope that it will be a respectable occupation here in Cali. My main reason for choosing the CLS program is having the option to work in CSI. Compared to nursing, MTs don’t have to deal directly with patients, which in my case is a plus. Another experience that greatly influences my career path was when I toured a biopharmaceutical company in Irvine. When I mentioned that I will obtain a CA CLS license, the director ’s eyes lit up and suggested that I apply to his company because they are hungry for qualified people. Is this the case here in Cali, or am I just hopeful and delusional?

MASHA,
Congrats on starting the CLS program @ CSUDH. I've just finished the program @ CSUDH this year and had a wonderful experience from the professor to the clinical rotation of the program. We need more younger people like yourself to replace the aging lab workers. Well, good luck in the program.

I dont understand why anyone outside of CA would give this man any advice on becoming a CLS. Most CLS in CA know that every other state doesnt get paid, So they dont move out of state. We dont have MLT's here to lower the pay and from the looks of it that is not going to change. Our techs here in Sac start out around 65K a year with no exp. and we're the second highest paid hospital. DO NOT let out of state people talk you out of it.

Hi, I just graduated from Cal State East Bay with a BS degree in Biomedical sciences (the prereq's for CLS program). I graduated with a low GPA 2.8 and am very interested in becoming a CLS. I'm planning to apply this winter for next year but I wanted to know if I even have a chance. I worked in the biology lab at my school and was a TA for my microbiology professor, but that is the only lab experience I have. Do these CLS programs even look at your experiences or do they solely base their admittance on GPA. If so do you think I should retake classes to raise my GPA or just apply? I don't have a lot of time because I have student loans to pay back. Can someone please give me some advice, or know of any CLS programs in CA that isnt too competitive. Thank you

I am a Medical Laboratory Science graduate from the philippines. I have already completed a 6 month internship in the philippines and applied to take the ASCP exam. Though unfortunately I was informed by the CDPH that even if i passed the exam, I will not be issued a CA license because my internship should have been one year. They suggested that I take a one year training program as soon as possible. I am currently interested in San Jose States CLS training program. I have already obtained an evaluation from AACRAO regarding my foreign transcript and it is equivalent to US standards. My problem is, in the philippines, they do not use a GPA system, so i dont know what my GPA is. How can I determine that? and can anyone give me pointers on applying to the SJSU CLS program?

I have also already completed one semester of each of the ff courses as stated in my transcript:
hematology I and II
blood banking
clinical chemistry I, II, III
analytical chem, biochem, inorganic chem, and organic chem.
parasitology
bacteriology
mycology and virology
immunology and serology
histology
histopathology and cytology
cytogenetics
human anatomy and physiology
med tech laws and ethics (philippine based)
intro to med tech (phlebotomy)
physics
college algebra
basic statistics
instrumentation and quality control

will this qualify me for application to the CLS program?