Medical Laboratory Technology

This program is available at the Springfield - Leffel Lane location.

Medical laboratory technicians are a vital part of the health care process, providing information for patient diagnosis and treatment by performing laboratory tests in areas such as toxicology, chemistry, hematology, immunology and microbiology. Two-year associate degree programs with supervised clinical experience in approved laboratories provide the opportunity to enter this challenging, ever-changing career.

Clark State College – Medical Laboratory Technology Program Mission Statement

To prepare and develop skilled entry-level Medical Laboratory Technicians who utilize critical thought process during technical application and display professional behaviors in various clinical environments while meeting the needs of the industry partners.

Technical Standards
MLT students should possess (with or without reasonable accommodations) appropriate visual, motor, cognitive, technical, communication, and affective skills to be able to accurately and safely perform, plan, prioritize, analyze, solve, and interpret patient's tests and other biological specimens. The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS) has identified minimum essential functions. These are provided to students as they enter the MLT courses. Students are asked to sign a form certifying that they have read, understand, and possess the skills required to meet the essential functions of an MLT.

Course Format
Each MLT course is composed of two required components, an online lecture component and an in-class lab component. Off campus lab sites for distance students must be secured by the student and approved by the MLT program director prior to entry into the program. One suitable directed practice site is found for each student in the program by the MLT faculty and program coordinator.

Liability Insurance
Students will be billed for liability insurance for the directed practice course.

Faculty and Staff

Program Director/ Instructor: Kristen Bancroft, MA, BS, MLS(ASCP)

Instructor: Deanne Thatcher, BS, MT(ASCP)

Laboratory Assistant : Matthew Malcuit

Certification
Upon completion of the accredited program, graduates are eligible to take the national certifying examination. This program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 North River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018; telephone 773.714.8880; www.naacls.org.

Program Outcomes Measures
As a program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), the Clark State MLT Program publishes outcomes measures for the past three years. The outcome measures include ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) Exam pass rates, graduation rates, and graduate placement rates for students entering the final half of the MLT program. The definition of these measures and the three year Clark State MLT program percentage rates for these measures are listed below.

Program Outcomes are listed by Academic Year (AY) in an percentage.

Yearly Certification Pass Percentage: 83% (AY 20-21) l 92% (AY 21-22) I 75% (AY 22-23)

Three-year Average Certification Pass Rate Percentage: 83%

Yearly Graduation Rate Percentage: 82% (AY 20-21) l 91% (AY 21-22) l 100% (AY 22-23)

Three Year Average Graduation Rate Percentage: 91%

Yearly Placement Rate Percentage: 100% (AY 20-21) l 100% (AY 21-22) l 100% (AY 22-23)

Three Year Average Placement Rate Percentage: 100%

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Outcomes and Curriculum

Upon completion of an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Laboratory, a graduate will be able to:

Write clearly and accurately in a variety of contexts and formats.
Display professional characteristics.
Verbally communicate clearly and accurately in a variety of contexts and formats.
Select and use appropriate, safe, and effective tools to solve a variety of problems pertaining to collecting, handling, and conducting tests on samples and to perform corrective and preventative maintenance on instruments.
Demonstrate ability to think critically; assessing proper correlation between the results and predetermined values; performing quality control activities; relating lab results to disease processes; drawing and defending reasonable conclusions.

Course	Title	Credits
Fall
MLT 1120	Introduction to Medical Laboratory Science *	2
MLT 1125	Introduction to Medical Laboratory Science Laboratory *	1
MLT 1160	Urinalysis & Body Fluids *	2
MLT 1165	Urinalysis & Body Fluids Laboratory *	1
BIO 1105	Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology **	3
CHM 1150	Introduction to General Chemistry ***	4
FYE 1101	College Success	1
ITS --	ITS Elective	1

Spring
MLT 1130	Clinical Chemistry *	3
MLT 1135	Clinical Chemistry Lab *	2
MLT 1140	Medical Microbiology I *	2
MLT 1145	Medical Microbiology I Lab *	2
MLT 2130	Medical Microbiology II *	2
MLT 2135	Medical Microbiology II Lab *	2
ENG 1111	English I	3

Summer
ENG 1112	English II	3
PSY 1111	Introduction to Psychology	3

Fall
MLT 1150	Hematology I *	2
MLT 1155	Hematology I Laboratory *	2
MLT 2140	Hematology II *	2
MLT 2145	Hematology II Lab *	2
MLT 2122	Immunology & Blood Banking *	3
MLT 2125	Immunology & Blood Banking Lab *	4

Spring
MLT 2156	Directed Practice /Seminar *	5
MLT 2160	MLT Review and Update	2
SOC 1110	Introduction to Sociology	3
MTH --	Math Elective****	3

	Total credit hours	65

*May be taken within two years of acceptance into the program although no sooner than one year is preferred. If the course was completed more than 24 months prior to starting the program, the course will need to be repeated. Must be accepted into the MLT program to take these classes.

**BIO 1105 must be successfully completed with a grade of C or higher within five years of beginning MLT courses or while enrolled in the MLT program. If older than five years, the course must be repeated. The two semester anatomy & physiology sequence BIO 2121 and BIO 2122 may be substituted for BIO 1105.

***CHM 1150 must be successfully completed with a grade of C or higher within five years of beginning MLT courses or while enrolled in the MLT program. If older than five years, the course must be repeated. CHM 1150 must be taken in the fall semester of the first year as it is a pre-requisite to MLT 1130 & MLT 1135.

****MTH or STT must be successfully completed with a grade of C or higher within five years of beginning MLT courses or while enrolled in the MLT program. If older than five years, the course must be repeated. Choose from the MTH or STT courses listed under the General Education Requirement for Technical Programs, Mathematics courses.

The program schedule is designed for full-time students who have completed all pre-requisites and who have no college preparatory recommendations. Many individuals, especially part-time students and those taking college preparatory courses, will require additional semesters of study. Students who plan to continue to work are strongly encouraged to complete all or most non-core MLT courses prior to starting the program. Students should consult an Academic Advisor or the Program Coordinator for help in planning their schedules.

Academic Requirements

Program Admission
Entry into the program is on a space-limited basis. Students must petition for admission. To be eligible to petition, students must successfully complete reading, writing, math, and algebra placement tests or obtain a grade of C or better on the appropriate college preparatory course(s). Students who meet admission requirements and are accepted to the program are required to meet with the MLT program coordinator prior to enrolling in MLT courses. A list of the MLT clinical sites and copies of the MLT student and directed practice manuals may be obtained by contacting the MLT Program Coordinator or the School of Health, Human, and Public Services office in the Applied Science Center.

Health and Clinical Requirements
All Medical Laboratory students must meet health requirements and obtain a criminal background check prior to entering the directed practice course in the last semester of the program. Other requirements may be necessary depending on clinical site placement. Specific information including when to obtain and submit proof of these requirements will be provided during the first semester of the program.

Distance students completing lab courses in clinical agencies may be required to complete health requirements prior to their first lab course.

Graduation Requirements

To qualify for an associate degree, a Medical Laboratory student must pass all the required courses, have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, and must have a C as a minimum grade in all the technical courses of the program. Granting of the AAS degree is not contingent upon passing an external certifying examination.

Transfer Information

Transfer Options
Students enrolled in the Associate of Applied Science Medical Laboratory Technology degree program are preparing for employment upon graduation from the program. However, at some point many of these students are also interested in completing a bachelor's degree. A number of colleges/universities have designed bachelor's completion programs for students completing applied degrees. Select programs include:

Franklin University Bachelor of Science in Allied Healthcare Management
University of Cincinnati Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/MLS Program

See the transfer section of the catalog and website and your academic advisor for more information.

Questions? We're here to help!

Kristen Bancroft Instructor, Health Technologies

937.328.8077 bancroftk@clarkstate.edu