Indiana University Southeast forms partnership with hospital groups

Indiana University Southeast, Baptist Health, Norton Healthcare, and UofL Health have come together to form a workforce development program. Beginning in the fall of 2025, Indiana University Southeast will offer a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, taking the reins from Bellarmine University, which previously offered the program via a consortium with Indiana University Southeast, and providing a stream of trained healthcare workers who will be able to fill medical technologist or clinical laboratory scientist positions at the partnered healthcare organizations.

According to an article on Indiana University Southeast’s website, Debbie Ford, chancellor of the university, was quoted as saying of the new partnership, “We are pleased to announce this unique arrangement with our hospital partners at UofL Health, Baptist Health and Norton Healthcare. This collaboration reflects our institution’s commitment to addressing community needs while delivering top-tier educational opportunities close to home. Graduates of these programs embark on fulfilling and highly sought-after health care careers, with many choosing to remain in the region, strengthening our economy and serving local communities.”

The Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science was previously offered through a consortium with Bellarmine University in Kentucky, but the program will be fully transferred to Indiana University Southeast in the fall of 2025. Students who were taking the program at Bellarmine will transfer to Indiana University Southeast to finish their degree. Indiana University Southeast will receive faculty members and the necessary equipment to teach the program. Additionally, the university will have the support of Baptist Health, Norton Healthcare, and UofL Health, who will provide internship opportunities for students in the program, as well as offer equipment, faculty, and help remodel clinical spaces to support the program’s needs.

Explaining the necessity of medical laboratory scientists, Dr. Emily Volk, who serves as the vice president of system pathology and laboratories for UofL Health, said, “The clinical lab testing done by medical laboratory scientists creates the foundation for all of modern health care. Without medical laboratory scientists, over 70 percent of the information used to diagnose patients would not be available. I applaud Indiana University Southeast and the other health care providers for working together to increase the number of laboratory medical scientists in our health care workforce.”

For more information about Indiana University Southeast, visit the school’s website.