24.129.603    MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR LICENSURE

(1) In addition to the requirements of 37-34-303, MCA, applicants for licensure shall meet the following additional qualifications:

(a) Applicants for a license as a clinical laboratory scientist must have graduated from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree with at least 36 semester or 54 quarter hours in the physical and biological sciences. The applicant must also have passed a generalists examination offered by a national certifying body for clinical laboratory scientists.

(b) Applicants for a license as a clinical laboratory specialist must have graduated from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree with at least 36 semester or 54 quarter hours in the physical and biological sciences. The applicant must also have passed a specialist examination offered by a national certifying body for clinical laboratory specialists. The following are areas of clinical laboratory science for which the board will grant a specialist's license:

(i) clinical chemistry;

(ii) hematology;

(iii) microbiology;

(iv) cytology;

(v) immunohematology;

(vi) cytogenetics; and

(vii) molecular biology.

(c) Applicants for a license as a clinical laboratory technician must have graduated with an associate degree or possess 60 semester or 90 quarter hours in a science-related discipline, or completed a military medical laboratory training program of at least 12 months in duration. The applicant must also have passed a technician examination offered by a national certifying body for clinical laboratory science technicians. 

(2) Examinations administered by the following national certification agencies are approved by the board:

(a) American Association of Clinical Chemists (AACC);

(b) American Medical Technologist (AMT);

(c) American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP);

(d) American Society for Microbiology (ASM);

(e) International Society for Clinical Laboratory Technology (ISCLT);

(f) American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG);

(g) National Registry of Certified Chemists (NRCC);

(h) National Certification Agency (NCA); or

(i) American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB).

(3) Applicants holding valid licensure to practice in another state or jurisdiction shall submit verifications from all states where the applicant has held or holds a license.

(4) Foreign-trained applicants shall be required to use an evaluation of educational background performed by the World Education Services (WES) or another evaluating entity approved by the board.

History: 37-1-131, 37-34-201, MCA; IMP, 37-1-131, 37-34-303, MCA; NEW, 1993 MAR p. 2766, Eff. 11/25/93; AMD, 2000 MAR p. 727, Eff. 3/17/00; TRANS, from Commerce, 2002 MAR p. 1485; AMD, 2002 MAR p. 1486, Eff. 5/17/02; AMD, 2008 MAR p. 629, Eff. 4/11/08; AMD, 2016 MAR p. 518, Eff. 3/19/16; AMD, 2017 MAR p. 299, Eff. 3/11/17; AMD, 2022 MAR p. 835, Eff. 5/28/22.