Medical Laboratory Science Education in Australia: An Academic Review

Abstract

Medical Laboratory Scientists contribute to pathology organizations to provide medical testing for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. To meet patient medical testing demands in Australia, an employment projection of moderate growth by 2026 in Medical Laboratory Scientists is predicted. This requires an experienced academic workforce that is competent in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) teaching supported by MLS research to graduate skilled MLS students to fill this void. However, there is little known about the academics that teach undergraduate MLS and whether there is a shortage of experienced educators and graduates. A mixed-method descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to identify 125 MLS academics to recruit and collect quantitative and qualitative survey data from 2019 to 2021. Over half of the survey respondents had never worked as a Medical Laboratory Scientist, and less than a third had an undergraduate degree in MLS. The breadth and depth of academic teaching and research interest were wide and covered both MLS and non-MLS themes. The retention of MLS academics remained stable. There was a meagre growth in new appointments over 3 years which was likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic which also impacted student enrolment and graduate data. It is unclear from these results if the 2026 predicted growth will be achievable.