{"id":4460,"date":"2019-09-05T15:08:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T19:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/clinical\/?p=4460"},"modified":"2019-09-11T14:59:10","modified_gmt":"2019-09-11T18:59:10","slug":"alumna-spotlight-mackenzie-collins-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/clinical\/2019\/09\/alumna-spotlight-mackenzie-collins-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumna Spotlight: Mackenzie Collins \u201817"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mackenzie Collins \u201917 graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015 with a degree in biology. After realizing she wanted to work in a laboratory environment, she discovered an interest in microbiology and decided to complete a degree in clinical laboratory science. Collins hopes to earn her PhD to become a clinical laboratory director.<\/p>\n

\"Mackenzie
Mackenzie Collins ’17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hometown:<\/h4>\n

Greensboro, North Carolina<\/p>\n

Division:<\/h4>\n

Clinical Laboratory Science<\/p>\n

Current Employer and Job Title:<\/h4>\n

McLendon Clinical Laboratories; molecular microbiology laboratory technologist<\/p>\n

Tell us about your job:<\/h4>\n

Collins has had the opportunity to conduct her own research and travel to conferences to present data. Her research focuses on method comparison\u2014particularly in the realm of new molecular techniques.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of growing bacteria on a plate, we\u2019re getting DNA straight from the sample,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThat\u2019s better for the patient overall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Collins said even though laboratory technologists don\u2019t see patients day to day, she still feels like she\u2019s making a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth care is not just nurses and doctors, there are other ways you can be a part of the team for patient care,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThis program will not only teach you class work, but it will give you that real-world experience, talking to doctors, talking to people in the lab who are part of your team.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did your education with the Division of Clinical Laboratory Science benefit you?<\/h4>\n

\u201cAs an undergrad, I didn\u2019t have any lab experience,\u201d Collins said. \u201cThrough my classes here, I gained a focus and interest in microbiology. I credit my professors with helping me learn how to be professional and confident.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mackenzie Collins \u201917 graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015 with a degree in biology. After realizing she wanted to work in a laboratory environment, she discovered an interest in microbiology and decided to complete a degree in clinical laboratory science. Collins hopes to earn her PhD to become a clinical laboratory director. Hometown: Greensboro, North … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55977,"featured_media":4457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumna Spotlight: Mackenzie Collins \u201817 | Clinical Laboratory Science<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/healthsciences\/clinical\/2019\/09\/alumna-spotlight-mackenzie-collins-17\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumna Spotlight: Mackenzie Collins \u201817 | Clinical Laboratory Science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mackenzie Collins \u201917 graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2015 with a degree in biology. 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