Course Description & Program Schedule

The eleven month program includes one week of hospital/school orientation and one week in phlebotomy. Clinical rotations are taught by formal lectures and clinical demonstrations. Students are given written exams in each clinical rotation during lecture periods and while in the clinical field.

The clinical rotations are as follows:

Microbiology – Ten Weeks Combined Lecture & Classroom Exercise – Three Weeks Clinical Training
Basic principles of medical bacteriology, mycology, virology, parasitology, mycobacteriology and molecular techniques are covered. Experience in safely culturing and identifying microorganisms and conducting antibiotic sensitivity testing is provided. Molecular theory and molecular testing is part of the rotation. Students will receive lectures covering Microbiology materials concurrent with classroom exercises. Three weeks of clinical learning will occur at the conclusion of lectures in each rotation.
 
Clinical Chemistry – Three and a Half Weeks of Lectures – Five Weeks of Clinical Training
Qualitatively and quantitatively analyze blood and other body fluids for chemical constituents such as proteins, carbohydrates, enzymes, electrolytes, therapeutic drugs, and drugs of abuse. The five weeks of clinical learning will occur at the conclusion of lectures in each rotation.

Hematology – Three and a Half Weeks of Lectures – Four Weeks of Clinical Training
Development of skills needed to perform manual cell counting, electronic cell counting, and hemoglobinometry. The ability to differentiate White Blood Cells and Red Blood Cell Morphology of peripheral blood and bone marrow cells are studied. The four weeks of clinical learning will occur at the conclusion of lectures in each rotation.

Immunohematology – Six Weeks Combined Lecture & Classroom Exercise – One Week Clinical Training
Theory and practice of procedures related to the selection of donors, antigen and antibody identification, compatibility testing, blood processing, and component therapy are covered. Experience in pre-natal and post-natal testing is also provided. Most of the clinical experience is provided in our student laboratory.  However, a week of direct field experience will occur after all clinical rotations lectures are complete.

Urinalysis – Two Weeks Lectures – One Week Clinical Training
Students will gain information and experience in the physical, chemical, and microscopic analysis of urine. The Urinalysis lectures are given with the Coagulation lecture series. The one week of clinical learning will occur at the conclusion of lectures in each rotation.

Immunology/Serology – Two Weeks of Lectures – One Week Clinical Training
Theory and practice of precipitation, agglutination, complement fixation, hemagglutination inhibition testing, and fluorescent microscopy for the diagnosis of diseases such as syphilis, infectious mononucleosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. The one week of clinical learning will occur at the conclusion of lectures in each rotation.

Coagulation – Two Weeks of Lectures – One Week of Clinical Training
Students obtain knowledge as to the coagulation cascade and bleeding disorders that may develop in the coagulation system. Laboratory evaluation of the hemostatic process and the correlation of laboratory findings with disease states will be emphasized. The Coagulation lectures are given with the Urinalysis lecture series. The one week of clinical learning will occur at the conclusion of lectures in each rotation.

Management (Lab Operations) – One Week of Lectures
Students will be given information regarding management within a Clinical Laboratory. This includes budgeting, accreditation, education and communication, interview process, human resource management, supervision, clinical study design, safety, quality assurance and improvement, ethics and professionalism, decision making, performance improvement, healthcare delivery system, and federal laws impacting healthcare. Some topics of Management may be included within other rotations and within the formal week of lecture.

Phlebotomy Training
As part of the Med Tech program, students will be trained to obtain blood specimens through venipuncture and capillary skin puncture. After basic phlebotomy techniques are introduced during orientation, students work to develop their skills by observing and performing phlebotomy for a minimum of 20 attempted sticks.

Individuals with prior phlebotomy experience may be excused from this rotation if competency can be accessed and the student receives approval from the Program Director.

After demonstrating proficiency, the student may be allowed to assume a position as a phlebotomist within the Medical Center. Employment is not mandatory to fulfill academic requirements and the paid position hours must be outside of the regular academic hours and are subject to limitations by the discretion of the Program Director.

Clinical Training – 16 Weeks
At the conclusion of all lectures, students begin rotating through each department. Students are exposed to a variety of medical laboratory practices, such as quality control and interpersonal and interdisciplinary communication. Pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical aspects of laboratory testing are practiced. Students observe the correlation of medical laboratory results with medical conditions. This four month period also further emphasizes student’s critical thinking skills and classroom developed concepts and practices. To assist in this process, each week students present case study materials to their colleagues and provide dialogue. Clinical training is also the period when all materials are reviewed.

Department Rotations Also Include
Each department, when appropriate, will highlight quality assurance and improvement, safety, communication and team building, and ethics and professionalism. Also, each area of the curriculum, during clinical rotations, emphasizes pre-analytical, analytical, and post analytical components of laboratory services.

General Information
Student hours vary by course and clinical department. Lectures are typically given Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Clinical rotations have a typical start time of 7 a.m., end time of 3:30 p.m. Variances in schedules are determined by workload.

Students will be given instruction over materials before entering the clinical department. In some cases the student will receive an entire course of material before entering the clinical field. This is to aid in the student’s understanding and assist in the development of critical thinking skill necessary for the student to transition into a Medical Laboratory Scientist.

Instruction in basic management and education principles is also provided. The curriculum is constantly updated and revised in order to keep pace with the technology and the changing role of the medical laboratory scientist.

Written and practical examinations are given at frequent intervals both in the classroom and clinical areas. Performance evaluations are completed by the staff. Students are requested to complete department evaluations in order to assist in the development of our program.

At the end of the eleven months of training, a final comprehensive examination is given to each student. This test is a tool used to prepare the student for the Medical Technology Certification Examination and to help monitor the effectiveness of the training the student has received.