Impact of the GPA and prior college experience on the completion of the Navy Medical Laboratory Technician program

Abstract

The research literature suggests that GPA, along with previously taken college courses, is a better predictor of success of student graduation than any simple measure. The purpose of this casual comparative study was to investigate whether students with prior college experience selecting a military career were better prepared for challenges in military schools than those students who have had no previous college experience. The research was conducted at the Naval School of Health Sciences in San Diego, California, located on the grounds of Naval Medical Center San Diego, California from May 2004 to August 2005. The questionnaire required students to indicate their responses to three questions. Each student (N=50) from two different classes was administered the questionnaire. The return rate was 100%. The study found that there was no difference in grade point average (GPA) of military students with and without prior college experience who were enrolled in the Navy's Medical Laboratory Technician program from May 2004 to August 2005. It was concluded that Navy's policy on requiring students to have certain college prerequisites may not necessarily impact their success in the MLT program.