Alumni Resources

Forms

• Transcript Request Form
• Release of Information Form

Need Support?

From your first day in the lab to graduating from the program, CCMLS is here to support your career and educational journey. If you have any questions about life post-graduation or need assistance, please email [email protected].

How Can Alumni Support CCMLS?

Whether you’re interested in speaking at an information session or would like to support us at an in-person event, we would love to connect. Please email [email protected] to ask about upcoming speaking and volunteer opportunities.

Career Specialties

Generalist

While the generalist MLS is prepared for a career in which they can work across the various departments of hospital medical laboratories, some individuals specialize during their careers. Medical laboratory scientists play a vital role in diagnosing diseases like cancer, anemia, and other blood disorders. They perform analyses for cardiac disease, diabetes, renal disorders, electrolyte imbalances, infectious diseases, and the detection of molecular disorders and imbalances.

While the generalist MLS is prepared for a career in which they can work across the various departments of hospital medical laboratories, some individuals specialize during their careers. The MLS also ensures routine and emergency blood transfusions are safe for the patient to receive.

Immunohematology

The clinical immunohematology laboratory, often referred to as the “blood bank,” is a specialized area within a clinical laboratory that focuses on testing blood samples to determine blood type, identify antibodies, and ensure compatibility for safe blood transfusions, primarily by analyzing antigen-antibody reactions on red blood cells, making it crucial for patient safety before transfusion procedures.

Hematology

A clinical hematology laboratory is a medical laboratory that analyzes blood samples to diagnose and monitor diseases related to blood cells, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The lab also performs tests such as complete blood counts (CBCs), blood differentials, blood smear analysis, and coagulation studies, which help identify conditions like anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, infections, bleeding disorders and monitoring treatment effectiveness for blood-related disease.

Clinical Chemistry

Clinical chemistry is generally concerned with the analysis of various markers in body fluids. This department plays a crucial factor in the early detection, treatment and management of human diseases and health disorders. The discipline uses a variety of analytical techniques and complex instrumentation. The medical interpretation of a test result is based on comparison to a reference interval that reflects the range of values expected for a healthy individual.

Microbiology

Clinical microbiology is the study of microorganisms that cause disease in humans. It involves laboratory identification of pathogens to aid in treatment and control of infections. The clinical microbiologist uses a wide variety of testing methods and instrumentation to isolate and identify pathogenic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. They use culture analysis, automated testing platforms, microscopic identification, and molecular diagnostics to hone in on the cause of clinical infection.

Molecular Diagnostics

A molecular diagnostics lab uses a variety of specialized techniques and instrumentation to analyze biological markers in the genome and proteome and how their cells genetically express as proteins. This is where molecular biology is applied to medical testing. The MLS working in molecular diagnostics uses these techniques to support diagnosis and monitor disease, detect patient risk, and help make decisions regarding personalized therapies for individual patients.