About the CareerASSOCIATE
DEGREE IN MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY
CERTIFICATE IN PRE-MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY
About the CareerClinical laboratory testing plays a crucial role in the
detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Medical
laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids, tissues and cells. They
look for bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical
content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the
blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment. These technicians also
prepare specimens for examination, count cells and look for abnormal cells. They
use automated equipment and instruments capable of performing a number of tests
simultaneously, as well as microscopes, cell counters and other sophisticated
laboratory equipment. Then, they analyze the results and relay them to
physicians. With increasing automation and the use of computer technology, the
work of technologists and technicians has become less hands-on and more
analytical.
About half of all medical laboratory technicians work in hospitals. Most of the remaining jobs are in medical laboratories or offices and clinics of physicians.
About the ProgramThe Medical Laboratory Technology program is a two-phase curriculum. Phase I, the Pre-Medical Laboratory Technology Certificate, includes the general education and related courses (English, math, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, etc.) required in the curriculum. The Phase II portion of the associate degree includes the hands-on, technical courses; laboratory theory and procedures learned in the classroom are applied in laboratory and clinical facilities. Full-time clinical rotations complete the program.
The
program is fully accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical
Laboratory Sciences and qualifies graduates to take the American Society for
Clinical Pathology board of registry examination to earn the title of medical
laboratory technician.
