The program received the maximum term length for accreditation by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
The New York Medical College (NYMC) Master of Science Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS) program in the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences (GSBMS) was granted accreditation for five years by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). The accreditation, awarded to the program for the first time, gives the program national recognition and affirms the program’s high academic standards.
The CLS program, which began in 2019, provides a unique healthcare opportunity, training students for a professional career in medical and pharmaceutical laboratories, performing diagnostic laboratory tests to help monitor treatments and uncover new disease states. Completion of the CLS program at NYMC qualifies the student to take the New York State Exam for Clinical Laboratory Science licensure, upon graduation, a requirement of the New York State Education Department to work in a hospital laboratory.
NAACLS accreditation is an extensive evaluation process of external peer review granting public recognition to education programs that meet established high standards in quality, value, innovation and safety and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
“I am delighted that our Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program is recognized by this national accrediting agency, because it underscores the quality of our program. This milestone would not have been possible without the hard work of the faculty and staff of this master’s program, who provide support and mentorship to our students,” said Carol Carbonaro Ph.D., SM, MLSCM (ASCP), CLS program director and clinical associate professor of pathology.
The excellent news comes just three years after the program welcomed its first class of students and one year after the program saw its first graduates in 2021.
“Our accredited CLS program is a unique opportunity to obtain a master’s degree in a profession that is a backbone of healthcare. The fact that our students can start their careers after just one year of study is highly advantageous to fulfill their professional goals and helps meet the critical shortage of qualified medical laboratory technologists nationwide,” said Marina K. Holz, dean of the GSBMS, interim chair of biochemistry and molecular biology, and professor of cell biology and anatomy.
Lindsey Singer, who will graduate from the program on May 24, says she benefitted from the program’s wide-ranging clinical work.
“I knew this career would be something that would complement my personality as well as my passion for science and helping others. The M.S. in CLS is a program that allowed me to launch this into reality,” Ms. Singer said. “The program is unique because it allows students to rotate through all areas of the clinical laboratory including hematology, chemistry, microbiology, molecular/virology and the blood bank. My career has launched as I now work with a permit at Westchester Medical Center as a full-time clinical laboratory technologist,” Ms. Singer said.
NAACLS accreditation assures current students, graduates and future applicants that NYMC has developed a program which meets established national education standards in clinical laboratory science. Graduates of NAACLS accredited programs are highly qualified and trusted to provide the highest levels of patient care and are sought after by employers nationwide.
