Becoming a Medical Laboratory Scientist and More in USA

If you are a medical laboratory scientist in the developing countries of the world, especially in Africa and particularly from Nigeria, then this synopsis on how to become board certified and more in the USA may be valuable to you! This is in response to the many numerous inquires I have continued to receive from potential immigrants to the United States that wants to start their career in the medical laboratory science and then advance to other fields in the medical profession.

While this may not be comprehensive, nevertheless it can serve as a guide toward a successful integration and advancement of career in this allied healthcare professionals. There is certain information, I will refer to as steps that I believe are important for those aspiring to immigrate to the USA and practice as medical laboratory scientist to become aware before taking this crucial leap! Again, please bear in mind the articulations here are tentative and based on my experiences particularly since I am resident in the State of Maryland, which is on the East coast of the country.


Step 1: Professional Status in Nigeria



Are you a medical laboratory scientist; in a nutshell, an allied healthcare professional that assist in the diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis of diseases in the hospital setting?

 In Nigeria, a medical laboratory scientist has a baccalaureate degree, having spent a minimum of five years in the university, one year of internship and depending on the age of the individual have also serve one year of national volunteer service under the auspices of the National Youth Service Corp program. Most of the graduates in Nigeria take a major in specific areas during their final year and are generalist by default.

Additionally, a baccalaureate degree holder in other science disciplines such as Biology, Microbiology, and Biochemistry, just to name but a few that have also taken professional training with the Nigerian Medical Laboratory Council and have become licensed as such can also be considered as medical laboratory scientist. If you fall into either of these categories you are definitely in a position to easily transition your skill to the USA market.



Step 2: medical laboratory scientist in USA



The profession of medical laboratory science in the USA shares tremendous similarities with Nigeria, especially in context of the primary job responsibilities of her members or professionals.

However the university academic structure might be slightly different and it must also be emphasizes that unlike in Nigeria direct contact with patients or subjects are very limited! This is particularly important for medical laboratory scientist who are looking forward to practicing in the USA; the opportunity to interact with your patients is almost near zero chances, except you are in the phlebotomy section (general phlebotomy or blood bank donation center).



It is also important to emphasize that in terms of practice majority of medical laboratory scientist start off as generalist before taking interest in specific areas. Those who aspire to practice in the USA must be aware of this important fact, as it will help expand your job searching potential.

Step 3: Immigration – Part one



In order to be able to work in the USA, you must be a holder of work visa and in most cases it is the H1-B specialty visa or be a permanent resident or green card holder and or be a citizen of the USA. Additionally, if you are a dependent of a H-1B visa holder, that is a H-4 visa holder, you can be eligible to work depending on whether the primary holder has an existing approved I-140 or immigrant worker petition.



Step 4: Credential Evaluation



There are roughly 195 countries in the world and only about 53 of them list English as an official language. Fortunately for Nigerian professionals we share the commonality of same official language with the USA and that is a bonus!

Credential evaluation is the way in which academic and professional degrees earned in one country are compared to those earned in another. This is a very important step toward immigrating to the USA and working as a professional medical laboratory scientist.

As a matter of urgency, credential evaluation is one of the most critical steps that can help you apply for processional certifications or licensure and even to further your post-baccalaureate education.


There are many credential evaluators in the USA, however it is essential to make sure that the one you are intending to use meet your primary goal. For instance, if you are preparing for the evaluation of your academic and professional credentials from organizations like the ASCP and AMT, you may want to contact the website of these certifying professional bodies for ease of reference, since information changes so often and you do not want to invest your time and money unwisely.

Examples of typically used Credential Evaluators are:

1. (1)    World Education Services; WWW.WES.ORG and
2. (2)   International Education Research Foundation WWW.IERF.ORG
3. (3)  In addition, there is also the Commission of Graduate of Foreign Nurses WWW.CGFNS.ORG, which through the VisaScreen Service offer their own academic and professional credential evaluations for professional medical laboratory scientist who are not US citizens and are seeking an occupational visa to work in the United States.

Step 5: Professional Licensure and Certification



In order to obtain professional licensure and or certification depending on the State of location within the USA, you must first and foremost subject your academic credential to an International Credential Evaluation company as discussed in step 4 above. Upon a successful completion, you can then be eligible to seat for the certification or licensure examination of the required professional body you are interested to become a member.



In the most recent development, various professional bodies in the medical laboratory profession have continued to work on various modalities that will make it very easy for professionals with international credentials to take a provincial certification and build upon that to become a fully certified member of the organization.



Two of the major professional bodies I will recommend are:

1. (1)   The American Society of Clinical Pathology (WWW.ASCP.ORG)
2. (2)   And the American Medical Technology (WWW.AMERICANMEDTECH.ORG)

Visit their respective website and read about how to become a certified member of the organization(s).

Step 6: Immigration- Part Two



Assuming you have successfully had your academic and professional credentials evaluated and have even received provincial certifications as an international or foreign trained medical laboratory scientist, the next task will be how to get a job in the USA!

I am not an attorney and neither do I make referral on job employment for companies within the USA, nevertheless, based on my experiences there are many hospitals, universities and research facilities that are very ready to employ foreign trained medical laboratory scientist. There are also staffing agencies within the country that can work with international professionals and based on the interview process will recommend your candidature to a potential employer.


Step 7: Career Advancement


Once you are integrated into the USA system as a medical laboratory scientist, you will notice that the necessity of career advancement is not peculiar to Nigeria alone. There are many ways you can upgrade your professional status and maintain relevance in the ever-dynamic disciplines in the world of science and technology.



Professional Advancement



This can easily be achievable through the various advance certification programs that are plentiful in the certifying or licensing agencies. The American Society of Clinical Pathology and American Medical Technology for instance have many advance training that enables the bench medical lab sc to become a supervisor, manager and director. This professional path improves upon technical and managerial skills and therefore helps the medical laboratory scientists to remain on top of his career.



Academic Advancement



This option enables the medical laboratory scientists to pursue post-baccalaureate academic progression. In the State of Maryland there are many universities that offers plenty and relevant programs that the medical laboratory scientists will be interested in exploring. Universities such as Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland and Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as Morgan State University, Bowie State University and Coppin State University and even Howard University are institutions that are easily affordable and relevant in these regards.



Career advancement is not limited to the medical laboratory scientist’s professions alone! In the USA you have an excellent pathway to becoming a medical doctor, pharmacist, dentist, Nurse Practitioner, scientist, among others. As a result, the medical laboratory scientists must never limit his or herself, but explore the endless opportunities and challenges that are out there to make the best use of the talents that is resident within.

For further assistance and guide regarding the process, please do not hesitate to inbox me with subject title: NIG-USA-MLS (ASCP)(AMT) 2016, at abodeofhaven1@gmail.com or write to C/O Ropan (NIG) Ltd. 3833 Seq Ave Baltimore, MD 21215



Disclaimer: This article above is provided for general information purposes only. Your use of any section of this article without adequate consultation with the primary institutions responsible for credential evaluations and professional certification is at your own risk, and you should not use any of these materials without first seeking legal and other professional advice.