Molecular Pathology
Hello, I’m Lori Rice-Spearman, Program Director of the Molecular Pathology program at TTUHSC. I am so excited about this program and its potential! The MP program offers a Master of Science degree in Molecular Pathology that provides students with the theoretical knowledge and technical skills to work in a molecular diagnostics laboratory (you might think of it as a “gene-testing” lab). This type of laboratory science has presented lab professionals with new challenges that include unique kinds of testing, unusual ethical issues, and back-to-basics science. And right now there is a very real shortage of qualified people available to work in this type of lab.
Our training lab facility here at TTUHSC is awesome. It is filled with state-of-the-art equipment so you can be trained on some of the most complex gene-testing instruments available. The 900 sq ft laboratory space is divided into a clean room (where we isolate the DNA and RNA) and a dirty room (where we do PCR, DNA sequencing, and viral assays). The techniques you will learn are the very same as those used by forensics labs.
If you love working in the lab, if you’re good at hands-on puzzle solving, if you are interested in something new and unique, or if you just love science, apply to the Molecular Pathology program. Take this opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this exciting new discipline!
A student admitted into the Molecular Pathology program must meet basic and essential requirements that are necessary to be able to obtain employment. The essential functions identified are the following:
- Must be able to communicate effectively, in English, in the written and verbal form with colleagues, instructor, patients, and other members of the health care team.
- Must have the physical and motor function ability to observe, learn, and implement various technical skills associated with the practice of laboratory medicine such as: hand-eye coordination to operate specialized automated and technical equipment.
- Must have the intellectual and integrative abilities to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, evaluate and synthesize. This includes problem solving skills and interpretation of laboratory data.
- Must have the maturity to readily accept the clinical preceptorship assigned by the clinical coordinator.
- Must have computer and typing skills required to complete academic and preceptorship assignments.
The TTUHSC Molecular Pathology program culminates in the Master of Science degree in Molecular Pathology. To further molecular pathology among allied health professions, the National Credentialing Agency (NCA) has developed a national certification examination for the Certified Laboratory Specialist in Molecular Biology, CLSp (MB). In addition, the American Society of Clinical Pathology offers a certification exam in molecular pathology resulting in an MP(ASCP) certificate.
This program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS), 8410 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 670, Chicago, IL 60631-3415.