Spokane’s Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center is doing its part to combat the shortage of laboratorians. A year-long program, gives gives those pursuing a clinical laboratory career hands-on training, including medical rotations that, at the end qualifies them to sit for certification exams and become licensed.

There are only three accredited medical laboratory science programs in Washington state, at the University of Washington, Heritage University in Toppenish and Providence’s program in Spokane. There are seven medical laboratory science programs in the greater Pacific Northwest, including the three programs in Washington.

Students should have a bachelor’s degree or be working towards completing one in a science, usually biology or chemistry. Then the application process begins.

At Providence, the program can only hold up to 16 students in each cohort, with two each year. One cohort begins in the summer, while the other begins in the middle of winter. Students pay tuition for the program, but scholarships, loans and potential tuition reimbursement are available.

Read more at the The Spokesman-Review.