Career Options in Clinical Laboratory Science

Join one of the Largest CLS Programs in the State!

The clinical laboratory science (CLS) program at UW-Stevens Point is among the largest in the state and one of only three in the state with national accreditation. As such, our program quality is one of the best in the nation, and with clinical site affiliation across the entire state our program is not restricted to only accredited hospital laboratories. In addition, our students have a 95 percent pass rate on the required national exam compared to 70 percent nationally. Students majoring in clinical laboratory science are required to complete a clinical practicum during their final year.

Three options are offered in UW-Stevens Point’s clinical laboratory science program:

Medical Technology

Medical technologists work in all areas of the clinical laboratory including blood banking, chemistry, hematology, immunology, and microbiology. Medical technologists are healthcare detectives, providing vital laboratory analyses on blood, body fluids, and tissues using sophisticated techniques and biomedical instrumentation. They are also responsible for confirming the accuracy of test results, and reporting laboratory findings to pathologists and other physicians.

Histotechnology

Cancer can often be detected in the arrangement of cells in a tissue sample. Once a sample tissue is taken from the patient, it is sent to the histotechnician, who prepares the tiny sections of body tissues for microscopic examination by a pathologist. Working closely with the pathologist, the histologic technician processes tissue biopsies removed during surgery.

Cytotechnology

A cytotechnologist is a laboratory specialist who is responsible for examining human cell samples under the microscope for early signs of cancer and other diseases. The cytotechnologist analyzes subtle cell changes-both nuclear and cytoplasmic-and compares these changes to normal cell findings for the body site.