SHREVEPORT – Louisiana students now have a faster, more affordable way to launch a healthcare career thanks to a new partnership between LSU Shreveport (LSUS) and LSU Health Shreveport (LSUHS). This new academic pathway creates a 2+2 program that allows students to complete their first two years at LSUS before transferring seamlessly to LSUHS to graduate with a degree in one of these programs:
- Bachelor of Science in Cardiovascular Technology
- Bachelor of Science in Cardiopulmonary Science
- Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science
The institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Friday, July 25th, at LSU Health Shreveport’s Center for Medical Education building. This MOU agreement allows students to complete two years of pre-professional coursework at LSUS before transferring seamlessly to LSU Health Shreveport to finish the degree program. The signing ceremony, held at the LSUHS School of Health Professions and Sciences, marked a milestone in collaborative efforts to grow Louisiana’s healthcare workforce and make degree completion more efficient for students seeking to enter critical healthcare fields.
These degrees lead to high-demand, high-impact careers such as a respiratory therapist, cardiovascular technologist or a medical laboratory scientist. These are roles that are vital to modern medicine and urgently needed across the state of Louisiana.
Dr. Sharon Dunn, Dean of the School of Health Professions and Sciences at LSUHS, calls the partnership “an exciting step forward” for students and families in the region.
“This new agreement is exciting because it facilitates a fast-track, seamless route to three hot health professions. Students will begin their bachelor’s degree at LSUS to complete the general education and prerequisite requirements for these professional programs, then finish with us at LSUHS-SHPS with a mechanism for guaranteed acceptance into these programs. We believe this will be an attractive option for students looking to reduce overall education costs and get into the workforce quickly in careers that are making a real difference.”
LSUS Provost Dr. Helen Taylor emphasized the student-centered mission behind the effort:
“We want to make a seamless pathway from the first two years of general education at LSU Shreveport to the health professions programs at LSUHS without students even noticing they’ve been at two different institutions. It’s a natural partnership with a focus on helping students get the credentials they need. I have to really compliment the faculty at both institutions – Dr. Elisabeth Liebert at LSUS and Dr. Madeline Barclay at the LSU Health Sciences Center – who refined the process and eliminated as many barriers for students as possible.”
Dr. Sharon Dunn also added, “Completion of any one of these bachelor’s programs results in qualifications, credentials, and licensure eligibility to join exciting healthcare fields that are in high demand across our region and state.”
The bachelor's degree programs included in this 2+2 pathway lead to well-paying careers in healthcare that are vital to patients across Louisiana and the nation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for respiratory therapists (Cardiopulmonary Science graduates) is projected to grow 13% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the national average, with approximately 8,200 openings per year nationwide. Similarly, demand for cardiovascular technologists and technicians is expected to grow 11% over the same period, with about 9,400 job openings per year nationally. Meanwhile, medical laboratory scientists are essential to diagnostic medicine, collecting, analyzing and delivering test results to physicians. That career field faces an extreme shortage of workers as well. All these careers combine technical skill, patient care and stability, making the new pathway a timely investment in both workforce development and student success.
