(a) (1) The department shall issue a clinical laboratory scientist’s or a limited clinical laboratory scientist’s license to each person who is a lawful holder of a baccalaureate or an equivalent or higher degree, who has applied for the license on forms provided by the department and has met the requirements of this chapter and any reasonable qualifications established by regulations of the department. However, an exception to the degree requirement may be made by the department for the clinical laboratory scientist’s license only if the applicant for the license has completed a minimum of two years of experience as a licensed trainee or the equivalent thereof, as determined by the department, doing clinical laboratory work embracing the various fields of clinical laboratory activity in a clinical laboratory approved by the department. In addition, the applicant applying under this section must have 90 semester hours or equivalent quarter hours of university or college work or the equivalent thereof, as may be determined by the department, which shall have included at least 23 semester hours or equivalent quarter hours of science courses as specified by regulations of the department. Additional college or university work that includes courses in the fundamental sciences may be substituted for one of the two years of experience in the ratio of 30 semester hours or equivalent quarter hours for each year of experience. This exception shall not apply to the limited clinical laboratory scientist’s license. The department shall hold examinations to aid it in judging the qualifications of applicants. Licenses may be issued in any or all of the sciences applied in a clinical laboratory as determined by regulation established by the department. The department shall establish by regulation the college courses or majors to be included in the college or university training and the amount and kind of training or experience required. Examinations, training, or experience requirements for limited licenses shall cover only the science concerned. The department may identify by regulation the appropriate sciences and shall establish the minimum requirements for training and experience and required courses or major for each.

(2) Experience as a clinical laboratory technician in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States may be considered equivalent to the experience as a trainee, if the experience is approved by the department. Each year of training and experience as a clinical laboratory technician in the armed forces shall be equivalent to 15 semester hours, which shall be credited to the minimum number of hours required to qualify for licensure as a trainee. The semester hours acquired in this manner shall not consist of the science courses required by the department under this section. The maximum number of hours granted shall not exceed 60 semester hours or its equivalent.

(b) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the department shall establish an “MLT-to-CLS” pathway program by January 1, 2022, that would authorize a licensed MLT to apply their work experience and training from a department-approved MLT training program towards the completion of a CLS training program. The work experience and training may only be eligible for the pathway program upon approval by the department.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision:

(A) “CLS” means a clinical laboratory scientist.

(B) “MLT” means a medical laboratory technician.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 144, Sec. 1. (SB 334) Effective January 1, 2020.)