An entry-level MS degree in clinical laboratory science: Is it time?

Clinical Laboratory Science, Summer 2002 by Beck, Susan J, Doig, Kathy

CLS educators have responded to changes in the healthcare environment by adding management content, adding molecular biology, and decreasing clinical rotation time.5 Too often, however, educators have not anticipated change, but have reacted to changes in the environment.6 As CLS educators seek to be pro-active in curricular decisions, an entry-level master's of science (MS) degree in CLS is frequently discussed as the next step in preparing students for future practice obligations.

Other healthcare professions have struggled with the issue of the appropriate education for entry-level practice and have moved to advanced degrees. In 1979, physical therapy began a ten-year transition to the entry-level MS degree. Reasons for raising the educational requirements included the acknowledgment that the obligations of the profession and the education objectives of professional entry were too extensive to be realized at the baccalaureate (BS) level.7 In addition, credibility in the eyes of the physician was con- sidered unattainable at the BS level.8The next step for physical therapists is described in the vision statement of the American Physical Therapy Association, articulated in June, 2000; "By 2020, physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical therapy".9 Other professions are also revising the educational requirements for entry-level practice. Occupational therapy will require MS degrees for career entry by 2007 and audiologists will be required to obtain a doctorate in audiology by 2012.10,11

In CLS, the BS degree is currently the standard educational requirement for entry-level practitioners and graduate programs are available for practitioners who wish to further their education.

There is some evidence that graduate programs enhance practitioners' careers and advance the profession of CLS.12 Compared to clinical laboratory scientists (CLSs) without an MS degree, CLSs who pursued an MS degree had more managerial level jobs, increased earnings per year, and more publications and professional contributions. Currently most certified CLS practitioners are pursuing an MS degree for their own personal satisfaction rather than for expected career advancement.13

CLS education is now at a crossroads of educational preparation and professional obligations. The knowledge base and expectations of the CLS practitioner are expanding and may outgrow the traditional four-year BS level preparation. Educators are questioning whether the current BS-level programs should change significantly to emphasize non-technical competencies and de-emphasize technical skills or whether it is time to move to entry-level MS degree programs for the CLS level practitioner. The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze information needed to guide decisions on the appropriate level of education for CLSs at this critical point in the history of the profession. The study sought to answer the following research questions: 1) Does the scope of practice of the CLS require an entry-level MS degree? 2) How would a change to an entry-level MS degree in CLS affect educational programs, the practice field, and CLS students? and 3) Based on this study, what recommendations can be made to CLS educators?