Medical Laboratory Technician - CLLS.AS

Accreditation and Program Outcomes

The Medical Laboratory Technician program is accredited by :

The design of the curriculum and activities undertaken by the faculty of the CLLS.AS Program should achieve the following outcomes

1. Produce safe, competent graduates who possess entry-level Medical Laboratory Technician knowledge and skills in clinical laboratory science.
2. The three year passing rate of the graduates who choose to take the Medical Laboratory Technician certification examination will be at least 100%.
3. 90% of the graduates who seek employment as a Medical Laboratory Technician will attain a position within one year of graduation.

The STCC CLLS.AS program admits 14 students each fall semester out of an average applicant pool of 48; the acceptance rate is generally 30%. The average graduation rate over the past three years is 90% for those who enter the final half of the program. Of the graduates who took the National MLT Certification Examination in the past three years, 100% have passed.

The program administers student didactic and clinical course surveys, clinical performance assessments, graduate opinion surveys, clinical and academic faculty surveys, advisory board surveys, employer surveys and aggregate data from the National Certification Examination to assess the effectiveness of the program. For those students who graduated between 7-1-13 and 6-30-16, 100% of the graduates who sought employment have reported they were able to secure a position within one year of passing the national certification examination. Some graduates choose to continue their education and do not seek employment.

Program Goals

• Provide students with a high quality academic and clinical education in the field of Clinical Laboratory Science and General Education subjects.

• Insure that, upon completion of the program, students are competent at the career entry level and have the knowledge and background to successfully prepare them for employment.

• Provide a sense of responsibility and professionalism when interacting with patients, peers, fellow employees, and other health care providers.

• Communicate effectively and professionally and to prepare the student to function as part of a team and possess an understanding of their role in the healthcare team.

• Instruct students in the procedures, analysis and interpretation of laboratory tests so that they are able to perform laboratory tests competently, problem solve and think critically.

• Produce an understanding in the student of the importance of continuing education and professional awareness.

• Instill the importance of honesty and professionalism in the workplace.

Applying to this Program

• All forms and applications for consideration for acceptance into the program should be received in the Admissions office in April of the application year. Application review will begin mid-April with student notification occurring in early May.
• Fall start only, day program only
• This is a competitive program with rigorous standards, therefore only students with all application requirements met will be considered. The program admits 14 students out of an average applicant pool of 48. Student application and documents will be scored on a rubric based on the admission pre-requisites as noted below:

Admission Prerequisites:

Proof of High School transcript, GED or HISET

English

• Completion of 4 years of high school English (grade of C+ or higher) ; OR
• Placement examination score  at ENG 100 level: OR
• Successful completion of ENG 101  (grade of C+ or higher)

Math

• Successful completion of high school Algebra 2(grade of C+ or higher); OR
• Successful completion of  Algebra 2 MAT 097  or college level (100 or higher) math course (grade of C+ or higher): OR
• Placement examination score at MAT-101 or higher

Biology

• Completion of high school level Biology with a lab (grade of C+ or higher); OR
• Completion of college level Biology with a lab (such as BIO-101  or BIO-201  ) (grade of C+ or higher, within 7 years)

Chemistry

• Completion of high school level Chemistry with a lab (grade of C+ or higher); OR
• Completion of college level Chemistry with a lab (such as CHM 101  or CHM 111  ) (grade of C+ or higher, within 7 years)

Admission Checklist (click here to download/print)

• In order to strengthen your application, it is strongly recommended you submit this document along with all other requirements.

Notes:

Course work with designated time frames must be current within 7 years from the start of the program.(fall of application year)

Mid-semester grades for applicable spring courses will be considered.  Students requesting consideration for coursework being performed outside STCC must submit mid-term grade reports to the Admissions office with their application. 

Conditional acceptances will be given for applicants who have incomplete courses in the spring semester. The condition will state what final grade must be earned to gain full acceptance. Students not meeting stated conditions will not be granted admission to the program.

Upon review of application materials and scoring using the departmental rubric, students will be ranked by score and then accepted into the program.  If there are additional qualified students in the applicant pool, students will be notified and placed on a waitlist.  If a seat in the program become available, students will be accepted based on ranking and notified

Programmatic Technical Standards: Students with disabilities must be able to meet the technical standards of the program with reasonable accommodations as defined by the ADA.

The following are examples of how to strengthen your application for admission:

Work experience in the healthcare industry will be considered, Please submit a current resume or summary of work history with your application if you have previous or current experience in healthcare.

GPA/college degrees: Previous coursework, overall grade point averages and previously earned college degrees (associate or higher)will be considered. Please submit official transcripts from all college level academic work with your application..

Course work: Students who have completed required non-MLT course work will receive additional points on the evaluation rubric based on the percentage of the courses completed.100% (7-8 courses) = 4 pts, 75% (5-6 courses) = 3 pts., 50% (3-4 courses) = 2pts., 25% (1-2 courses) = 1 pt.Course credit which has been earned through CLEP or challenge exams are acceptable

Non-MLT course work includes the following courses.

• ENG 101    - English Composition 1 
• ENG 102    - Composition 2: Intro to Literature
• CHM 101    - Survey of Chemistry 1 
• CHM 101L  - Lab: Survey of Chemistry 1
• CMP 106    - Computer Basics: Concepts & Applications
• MAT 115    - Statistics 
• EL-SOC   - General Behavioral/Social Science Elective
• BIO 231  - Anatomy & Physiology 1 and BIO 231L  - Anatomy & Physiology 1 lab
• BIO 232  -Anatomy & Physiology 2 and BIO 232L  - Anatomy & Physiology 2 lab

Applying for Re-Admission to this Program

Students who leave this health program before completing it may apply for re-admission.  Students reapplying to the program must resubmit an application, all supporting documents and essay with updated official transcripts. Students will be eligible to receive up to a maximum of one re-admission. Click here  for information about the re-admission policy and process. 

Additional Requirements for Accepted Students

Deposit: If offered admission, a non-refundable $50.00 deposit will be required to secure your acceptance to this Program.

Mandatory Health Records:  All required health records, immunizations, and physicals MUST be filed in the STCC Health Services office by July 1 of the admission year. The Health Office is located in the Building 20 Suite, room 320 (third floor center) (413-755-4230). The college/program reserves the right to rescind the admission status of any student not meeting, as well as not submitting, all post-admission requirements in a timely manner. 

Background Check: Students enrolled in Health Professions Programs that involve potentially unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, or which includes a clinical affiliation, internship, or field placement with a private or public health care provider, will be required to undergo state-wide and/or national criminal background checks, including but not limited to  Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sex Offender Record Information (SORI), Seven (7) year residential Search, and FBI Fingerprinting checks. Depending on the results of the background checks, a student may be deemed ineligible to participate in such academic or clinical activities, which may impact a student’s ability to complete program requirements. Furthermore, please be advised that eligibility to participate in College academic and/or clinical activities following a background check does not guarantee your eligibility to sit for a professional credentialing examination(s) or employment upon graduation.  It is your responsibility to contact the certification or licensure board for your particular health care profession to determine  the standards that must be met for credentialing, licensing and/or employment  in that field.

Drug Screening Policy for Clinical Placement: The School of Health & Patient Simulation is committed to high quality education and providing excellent clinical experiences to students in the health professions. Students are expected to perform at their highest functional level during all educational and clinical experiences in order to maximize the learning environment and ensure patient safety. Thus a student’s performance at all times must be free of any impairment caused by prescription or non-prescribed drugs or alcohol use. Students enrolling in Health Professions programs are required to undergo and pass a drug and/or alcohol screening analysis in order to be eligible for placement in a clinical facility. Students assigned to clinical education experiences at our contracted facilities may also be required to undergo and pass random drug screening analysis in order to remain at that clinical facility and in the program.  Students who fail a screening, or refuse to submit to a screening within the designated time frame will be ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program. Students with a positive drug test may challenge the results of the test within five (5) days of notification of the drug test results. This challenge must be in writing and delivered to the college’s Director of Health Services. Students may re-apply for re-entry into a health program after one year.  Requests for re-admission will be considered on a case by case basis.

Students who are notified of a “negative-dilute” result will submit to a random drug test within 24 hours of the previous test in order to confirm the negative status of the screening. Additional random testing may also be required under the guidelines listed in your program’s handbook. A student who claims that he/she tested positive due to a prescription drug and was unable to clarify this matter with the medical review officer (MRO) from the drug testing lab shall be required to provide evidence from a health care provider of the type of prescription, dates of permissible use and dosage amounts within five (5) days of notification of the drug test results to the college’s Director of Health Services. Failure to complete this notification will result in the student being ineligible for clinical placement, which will affect their status in the program.

Students who test positive for marijuana are unable to continue in a clinical placement, which will affect their status in the health program. A student who has a prescription for Medical Marijuana and tests positive for marijuana will also be ineligible to participate in clinical placement due to the federal restriction on the use of marijuana. While the use of Medical Marijuana is permitted in Massachusetts, marijuana remains classified as a controlled substance under federal law and its use, possession, and/or cultivation at educational institutions remains prohibited.

Programmatic Technical Standards: Technical Standards reflect performance abilities  and essential skills that are necessary for a student to successfully complete the requirements of a specified program. Students with disabilities must be able to meet the technical standards of the program with reasonable accommodations as defined by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA.)  See the link below. Program Technical Standard forms found in your admission acceptance packet must be submitted to the Office of Health Services by July 1. Health Services office is located in building 20,  room 320 (413 755-4230)

Health Program Latex Policy  

Program Requirements and Advancement

• Minimum Grade Requirement: Medical Laboratory Technician students must achieve a minimum grade of “C” (73%) in all required courses.  The student who is unable to meet this minimum requirement will be withdrawn from the program and must reapply with the Dean of the School of Health and Patient Simulation.
• Technology Requirements: All MLT courses in the curriculum are web-assisted.  Accepted students must have access to a lap top or personal computer, with internet access, and must be able to print course materials and assignments.
• Certification: graduates are eligible to sit for one or more national certification exams. Certification information may be obtained from agencies at: American Society for Clinical Pathology www.ascp.org or American Medical Technologist, http://www.americanmedtech.org/
• Advancement in the field of Clinical Laboratory Science: Many graduates pursue advanced degrees in order to attain certification as Medical Laboratory Scientists.  Traditionally, a majority of the STCC MLT courses will qualify for transfer to applicable baccalaureate programs.  The specific educational requirements for eligibility to sit for advanced certification is located on the American Society for Clinical Pathology at this link:  ASCP.ORG
• Students must adhere to the strict attendance policy in lecture, lab and clinical practicum in order to graduate.
• Upon successful completion of the program requirements the degree of Associate in Science in Clinical Laboratory Science will be awarded.  Granting of the CLLS.AS degree is not contingent upon passing any certification or licensure exams.

(CLLS.AS) Curriculum

Total (CLLS.AS) Curriculum Program Credits: 68

Notes:

1. Students who anticipate continuing to a four year institution should take the transferable courses, BIO-231  AND BIO-232 , in substitution for BIO-120  AND BIO-114  which are not transferable. Substitution credits for BIO-120  and BIO-114  will be assigned only when both BIO-231  and BIO-232  are successfully completed.
2. Course may be taken during the evening or summer.

Department Personnel