Majors at ECC: Allied Health Division

MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGY

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Program Description

Rapid advances in research will continue to increase both the number and the complexity of clinical laboratory tests performed. Federal Regulations now require more highly trained personnel who must meet the minimum educational standard of the Associate Degree. Consequently, the demand for trained medical laboratory technicians has been rising and will continue to grow in both the local and national arenas.

The modern Medical Laboratory Technologist applies knowledge from the physical and biological sciences to the detection and management of disease. The program to train medical laboratory technicians emphasizes development of laboratory skills and characteristics essential to the health care worker. The use of state-of-the-art equipment in the analysis of blood and body fluids, as well as computerized patient data entry systems, allows the students to gain the skills necessary to perform effectively on ASCP and NCA national certifying examinations of the medical laboratory technology professional societies.

The Medical Laboratory Technology curriculum encompasses a concentration of medical technology courses along with courses in the liberal arts, social science, sciences, and mathematics. Lectures in the medical laboratory area include studies in hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation, analysis of urine and other body fluids, serology, blood banking, and microbiology. Troubleshooting and quality control procedures are integrated into the program. College laboratories provide a simulated medical setting giving students the opportunity to analyze clinical specimens using manual and automated methodologies. In the lab courses, students will use computers for data retrieval, record updating, and printing reports. During the senior year, students complete laboratory rotations at three affiliated clinical laboratories: Buffalo General Hospital (BGH), Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VAMC) and the Erie County Public Health (ECPH) Laboratory. The students perform clinical laboratory procedures at BGH and VAMC under the direct supervision of an ECC clinical instructor and may not perform service work during scheduled clinical sessions.

Upon successful program completion, graduates may apply to take the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) Board of Registry National Certification Examination and/or the National Certification Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel (NCA) Examination. Graduates passing the (ASCP) examination may then use the credential MLT, ASCP. Graduates passing the (NCA) examination may use the credential MLT, NCA.

Graduates of the program can be employed as Medical Laboratory Technicians in private, clinical, or hospital laboratories and research institutions. Alumni of the program have also found employment as phlebotomists and quality control technicians in the food industry in biological, pharmaceutical and chemical laboratories. Other graduates transfer to four-year institutions to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology as well as other medical fields such as Nuclear Medicine, Nursing, Biology and Pre-Med. Eighty-five percent of the graduates pass the certifying exam.

Accreditation

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) 8410 West Bryn Mawr Avenue Suite 670 Chicago, Illinois 60631(773) 714-8880 • http://www.naacls.org

Scholarships

  • New York State Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
  • Niagara Frontier Chapter for Clinical Laboratory Science
  • American Society of Clinical Pathologists

Degree: Associate in Applied Science
Hegis: 5205
Curriculum Code: 0600
Total Degree Credits: 71.5
Campus Location: North
Health Sciences Division