ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University partnered with Carolinas College of Health Sciences in Charlotte, North Carolina, to allow its biology students to complete a medical laboratory sciences certification as they finish their undergraduate degree.
This program will allow Winthrop students to spend their final year at the Charlotte, North Carolina, college, working on the medical lab certification, said Dwight Dimaculangan, chair of the Department of Biology.
Students would spend three years at Winthrop taking general, introductory and advanced biology classes. They would then spend three semesters at the Carolinas College of Health Sciences, which is a public college focused on educating students who are devoted to a healthcare career. The college is owned by Atrium Health; therefore, enrolled students are given priority to facilities within the healthcare system for clinical rotations.
Graduates would have the credentials needed to work in a clinical laboratory setting where they would be able to detect, diagnose and treat human diseases. Upon completion of their degree, they will be offered a job with Atrium Health, and the students may be eligible for a generous signing bonus.
Medical Laboratory Science students are eligible for the Atrium Health loan forgiveness program. This loan essentially pays for half of tuition cost if the graduate agrees to remain a full-time employee for one year after graduation from the MLS program.
“Our partnership with Winthrop is the gateway to educating future Medical Laboratory Scientists a year sooner, with the hope to expand our partnership with other healthcare program offerings, thus, working together for the common cause of fulfilling workforce needs in our regions of upstate South Carolina and the greater Charlotte area in North Carolina,” said Melissa Jackson, program chair of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
No faculty members or equipment would be needed at Winthrop but the partnership would allow the university to help provide the next generation of lab workers. With Wake Forest Medical School planning a campus in midtown Charlotte and Piedmont Medical Center building a new facility in Fort Mill, there would be more opportunities for students to work in clinical settings.
Carolinas plans to soon host its first recruitment event at Winthrop to recruit students to pursue this health profession.
“The founding of the relationship between Winthrop and Carolinas College of Health Sciences could open the door for the establishment of other healthcare-oriented programs where students can complete their preparation as undergraduates instead of in post-baccalaureate programs,” Dimaculangan said.
For more information, contact Dimaculangan, biology department chair, at 803/323-2111 ext. 6424 or at dimaculangad@winthrop.edu.
