Lyon College junior Kaleb Newcomb has lab skills in his blood.

Newcomb is interning with the medical technologist (MT) at Stone County Medical Center in Mountain View, and he says he now plans to pursue an MT certification after graduation.

An MT is a medical professional who tests and analyzes blood.

“My favorite part is preparing a blood smear and looking at it under a microscope and being able to see the different types of leukocytes,” said Newcomb.

The biology major says working with the MT in the hospital’s lab has also taught him how to operate several machines, including the chemistry analyzer, hemoglobin analyzer, and homeostasis analyzer.

“I have also learned how to prepare bacteria cultures [and] blood typing,” he added.

Newcomb finds lab work “enjoyable” and wants to apply to a medical laboratory science program along with his MT certification.

“I’m glad I’m getting to apply the skills I gained from my science classes in the lab environment,” he said.

Lyon College is located in Batesville, Arkansas, a historic town of 10,000 that serves as the commercial, medical, social, and governmental hub for an eight-county area and was named by USA Today as the best city to live in in Arkansas. Named one of the “top American colleges” by Forbes, the College currently enrolls almost 700 undergraduate students from 24 states and 15 countries.