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Cytotechnology

Cytotechnologists work in medical laboratories preparing, staining, mounting, and evaluating specimens of human body tissues for the purpose of detecting cells that are abnormal as a result of inflammation, infection, malignancy, or other conditions. The abnormal specimens are then submitted to the supervising pathologist for confirmation and interpretation. A bachelor's degree is required in order to take the examination to become a certified cytotechnologist (CT).

The professional training requires 12 months of study in a medical laboratory following at least three years of college study that emphasizes the biological and physical sciences. Iowa State University is affiliated with cytotechnology programs at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines, IA and the State Laboratory of Hygiene on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Requirements for admission into cytotechnology school are the following:

• General chemistry (CHEM 163, 163L and 164, 164L or the sequence 177, 177L and 178, 178L)
• Mathematics (3 credits at the level of MATH 140 or above)
• Biological sciences, 20 semester credits (BIOL 211, 211L and 212, 212L are required. The remaining 12 credits can be chosen from courses such as: BIOL 313, 313L; 314, 314L; BIOL 255, 255L and 256, 256L; 351; 352; 353; 305; 335; MICRO 201, 201L or 302, 302L; 310; 475)

Professional schools may change their prerequisites. Students are responsible for maintaining direct contact with specific professional schools for current prerequisite guidelines.

To prepare for certification as a cytotechnologist, Iowa State students have several options:

1. They may earn a Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) degree by using the 32 credits from the schools of cytotechnology at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, IA or the State Laboratory of Hygiene in Wisconsin for one of the distribution areas. The second distribution area is natural sciences and mathematics and includes the courses required by the cytotech school. Students must select an additional area of distribution. Students who are interested in the BLS major should see the preprofessional health programs adviser for additional information.
2. Students planning to enter Mercy School of Cytotechnology may participate in a 3+1 program through the Biology Program. Students selecting this option complete the biology core courses, take the required courses for the cytotech program and then use 32 credits from the professional program to complete the BS in Biology from ISU.
3. They may earn a bachelor's degree while taking the courses required for admission to a cytotechnology school. The courses are most efficiently taken as part of the requirements for a degree in zoology, biology, or microbiology, but students may major in any department of the university. A student with a bachelor's degree may apply to any school of cytotechnology for the clinical training. Completion of the pre-requisite courses or a bachelor’s degree does not guarantee admission to any of the hospital programs.

More information, including a list of accredited cytotechnology programs, is available at: www.asct.com/index.html.