Medical Laboratory Tech

This course of studies is designed to prepare the graduate to work as a member of a clinical laboratory staff. As part of a clinical lab team, graduates will perform scientific laboratory testing to aid in the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease. The program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

Often graduates will seek career opportunities in clinical, research reference laboratory or veterinary labs.

Students obtain a background in the basic sciences and an understanding of medical laboratory procedures. The first year of the program is spent in classrooms and in college campus laboratories. The second year is spent on campus in lectures and student laboratories and in participating clinical laboratories under the combined direction of hospital and college personnel. This year covers 4-5 quarters depending upon clinical assignment training schedule (Spring or Fall).

Upon completion of the second year of the program with a GPA of 2.0 or better, the student is awarded an Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences Degree in Medical Laboratory Technology (AAAS) and is eligible to write national examinations for Medical Laboratory Technicians and Clinical Laboratory technicians. The Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) student may go through graduation exercises in June and will receive a degree upon completion of the year of clinical training at the end of Summer Quarter. Certificate of Proficiency (CP) is awarded to students already having an associate degree or higher.

Outcomes:

Academic requirements
Essential functions
First year academic requirements
Program advising
Program application process
Acceptance
Second year of the professional program
Certification
Program accreditation.
Professional organization/ continuing education

1. ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

Students planning to pursue a MLT career should meet the following academic requirements:

All entering freshmen must comply with established college entrance testing and requirements.
College level credit earned in areas of the physical and biological sciences will have been completed with a 2.0 grade or higher in the past ten years. Exceptions may be made on an individual basis.
Certificate of Proficiency (CP) pathway is open to students with an associate degree or higher. Science prerequisites must be met with a grade of 2.0 or higher.
General Education requirements can be waived if an equivalent course meets course description and requirements. Core science requirements must be met with a 2.0 grade or higher.
First year academic courses are completed with a 2.5 GPA or higher.

2. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Candidates for admission into the clinical laboratory technician program must possess abilities and skills in these areas including:

observation
communication
motor function
intellectual, conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities and
behavioral and social skills.

Reasonable accommodation can be made for some disabilities in these areas, but a candidate must be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. Each applicant to the program must attest that they can meet the abilities and skills listed below before entry into the program.

Observation - An applicant must have the ability to participate actively in classroom demonstrations, lectures, student laboratory, and clinical practicum sessions. He/she must have the ability to see projected images and discriminate color variations in slide and computer format, as well as under a microscope.
Communication - The applicant must be able to communicate in English with instructors, fellow students, patients, and other members of the health care team. He/she must be able to write and transmit information clearly, accurately, and efficiently.
Motor Function - The applicant must have sufficient motor function to perform a variety of basic and advanced laboratory testing. These may include manipulation of a variety of pipettes, microscopes, phlebotomy equipment, laboratory equipment, and supplies.
Intellectual, Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities - The applicant must be able to master basic science and clinical laboratory information presented in lecture and laboratory curriculum. He/she must also be able to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, evaluate and synthesize laboratory information / data. Problem solving and interpretation of patient laboratory data is critical to all laboratory practitioners. The applicant must be able to decide when to seek supervisory help in a clinical setting.
Behavioral and Social Skills - The applicant must be able to exercise good judgment in the lecture, laboratory, and clinical settings. He/she must be able to complete tasks on time in a mature, sensitive, and effective manner with instructors, co-workers, patients, and other members of the health care team. He/she must be able to work under both relaxed and stressful emergency situations, prioritize tasks, and be able to make correct judgments with regards to patient results. Applicants must be able to be flexible with scheduling and be able to adapt to changing environments in the laboratory. Other professional attributes may include dependability, self-motivation and initiative, maturity, confidentiality and concern for others.

3. FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENTS

Selection to the second year of the program is based on successful completion of the academic requirements of the first year and an evaluation of certain personal attributes. Positions may be limited by the number of clinical spaces.

Students must have completed the first year academic requirements with a grade point average of at least 2.5. These academic requirements include:

General Education Requirements:

Communication:
a) ENG& 101 (previously Eng 101)
Quantitative Reasoning:
a) Math 99, Intermediate Algebra (or approved alternate)
Human Relations:
a) BUS 104, Human Relations in Business, or BUS 105, Essentials of Human Relations (2-5 cr)
Multicultural:
a) BUS 103 "Multiculturalism in the Workplace" or approved alternate course (3-5 cr)

Core Science Prerequisites (minimum 2.0 grade point for each course):

Biological Sciences:
    a) BIOL& 170, Human Biology
    b) BIOL& 211, Majors Cellular Biology
    c) BIOL& 260, Microbiology
Chemistry:
a) CHEM& 121, Intro to Chemistry
b) CHEM 131, Introduction to Organic/ Biochemistry
MLT 181 and 182 Introduction to Medical Laboratory Procedures / Lect & Lab, (previously MLT 180)
MLT 123, AIDS & HIV Education for Healthcare Workers (1cr)

Please refer to Career Planning Guides with course requirements for the AAAS Degree and Certificate of Proficiency pathways in the MLT Program. The individual schedule grid will help you plan the sequence of courses.

4. MLT ADVISING

Plan to attend an MLT Program Information meeting. They are scheduled monthly and review education requirements, courses in the MLT Program, the application process, clinical practicum training, certification and job opportunities.

MLT Web Site: FAQs and MLT Program Information Meetings

Individual advising appointments can be scheduled with MLT faculty. We strongly recommend that you have attended an MLT Program information meeting prior to scheduling an advising appointment. Please bring copies of your transcripts for evaluation.

Please have transcripts from other colleges evaluated by MLT faculty prior to your MLT Program application. Use the Course Equivalency Grid posted to verify courses taken at other Washington State Community Colleges. Submit a copy of your transcripts with a request for transcript evaluation to MLT Program for courses taken at other colleges. For courses taken at a college / university outside the United States, transcripts must first be evaluated by FIS (http://www.fis-web.com/ ) or WES (http://www.wes.org/ ) and then submitted to MLT Faculty for evaluation. If a student has a degree from a college outside the United States, and English is their second language, then ENG& 101 or equivalent is required.

MLT Faculty and Advisors:

Molly Morse, MLT Program Director

mmorse@shoreline.edu , 206-546-6947

Sue Seegers, MLT Faculty

sseegers@shoreline.edu , 206-546-4710

5. MLT PROGRAM APPLICATION

Students entering the MLT program will be expected to enroll in and satisfactorily complete MLT 181 & 182 (previously MLT 180) in the Spring Quarter before beginning the second year of study. The MLT Program application is updated and posted on this webpage February 15th; MLT applications are due May 10th . Students are notified of acceptance by June 30th. Review the MLT application form and carefully fill out requested information

Acceptance is based on points given for prerequisite science courses that have been completed at the time of application, a student essay and work experience/additional courses listed in Part C of the MLT Program application form. Students accepted with the highest points are assigned to clinical practicum training in the Spring quarter. When clinical training sites are filled for Spring quarter, students are then assigned to clinical practicum training in the Fall quarter.

Student acceptance into the MLT Program also depends upon the number of clinical training sites and complete training rotations available to the program. A student will train in the following areas: Hematology/Coagulation, Chemistry/Urinalysis, Microbiology/Parasitology & Mycology, and Phlebotomy.

One or two alternate students are appointed during the acceptance process. If an opening becomes available, the alternate student is notified by September 10 and given the opportunity to accept a place in the program.

Students not accepted to the MLT Program are encouraged to complete course requirements and reapply the following year.

If clinical placement can not be guaranteed for any reason, the MLT Program procedure is as follows:

The original points given at MLT Program acceptance are used to determine and, if necessary, to reassign clinical placements.
Students will be placed in the order of the highest point values originally received.
Reassignment of clinical placements will be based on the location of the original clinical placements (i.e., local Seattle-area facilities or Regional-area facilities).
Seattle-area students will be ranked together; Regional-area students will be ranked together.

The MLT Program attempts to place students in the same quarter and within the same training area (i.e., local or regional) as originally scheduled. If this is not possible, the MLT Program will place students in the earliest available replacement rotation.

MLT Program Application / current application posted February 10th

6. MLT PROGRAM ACCEPTANCE

*Following acceptance into the MLT Program, each individual will be required to submit the following information and/or documents.

A health assessment form completed at the student's expense. Should this report reveal health problems which would interfere with successful completion of the program, admission may be reviewed.

All students accepted into the Medical Laboratory Technology Program will be required to have medical insurance coverage. "Injury and Sickness" medical insurance coverage is recommended. The minimum requirement is "Injury" medical insurance coverage. Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan can be purchased at the college for a quarter or year during student training. Students already having medical insurance coverage will not need to purchase the student health insurance.

Liability insurance is included in the tuition for practicum training courses.

Vaccinations and TB skin test will be required. Vaccinations must be current. Vaccinations include Hepatitis B series, MMR, Tetanus and Varicella. PPD skins test is required annually.

Current CPR certificate for Healthcare Providers with CPR and AED training is required. Student is responsible for keeping a current CPR certificate.

A Criminal History Background check is required upon appointment acceptance into the MLT Program. If a criminal history is determined, then appointment acceptance is withdrawn.

7. MLT PROGRAM SECOND PROFESSIONAL YEAR

Medical Laboratory lecture, laboratory and practicum training courses are taken during the second year. Students complete the program either in August or December of the following year. Students are assigned to practicum training in Spring or Fall quarter.

Potential Training Sites are found at the link below

2010-2011 Training Sites

8. MLT CERTIFICATION

Upon completion of the MLT Program, graduates are eligible to take a national examination for Medical laboratory Technician (MLT) certification which would be noted as MLT (ASCP).

For more information concerning certification and qualifications, go to the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification webpage at www.ascp.org/boc . The Board of Certification (BOC) is the certification agency for the MLT examination.

9. MLT PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

The Medical Laboratory Technology Program is Accredited by:

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)

5600 N. River Rd., Suite 720 , Rosemont, IL 60018-5119

773.714.8880, 773.714.8886 (FAX)

info@naacls.org http://www.naacls.org

11. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Continuing education is a requirement for recertification by laboratory medicine professionals. Professional organizations that offer continuing education for Medical Laboratory Technicians are the following:

American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) at www.ascls.org
ASCLS- Washington (ASCLS-WA) at www.asclswa.org
American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) at www.ascp.org

MLT Program webpage updated February 10 2011.