According to the Kansas Occupational Outlook 2008, Kansas annually has 50 unfilled medical laboratory technician positions. Because of workforce shortages, south central Kansas employers responded to a 2002 Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas survey that 30% of the MLT positions require one to three months to fill and 64% require three to six months. This shortage is not merely statewide, but representative of the national threat to healthcare. Over the past ten years, one third of clinical laboratory science programs have closed and this trend may continue due to declining enrollment. If these trends continue, the shortage will worsen over the coming decade - a time when America's and specifically, Kansas's baby boomer population will need increased healthcare services. It is projected these services will result in a 300% increase in the number of tests performed by laboratory professionals when compared with current test volumes.