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Clinical Laboratory Technology

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Clinical Laboratory Technology

Associate in Applied Science (AAS)

Offered through Health Professions

@ Forest Park

This Clinical Laboratory Technology program prepares students for entry-level positions as clinical laboratory technicians. Through classroom and practical experience in hospital and clinical laboratories, students learn to perform qualitative, quantitative and analytic testing in microbiology, hematology, immunohematology, clinical chemistry, serology, immunology and urinalysis.

Required Courses

The recommended academic plan blends general education requirements with options for areas of concentration to ensure students get the most out of their certificate or degree.

Overview

Clinical or medical laboratory technicians are important members of the medical team and serve as a vital part of the elaborate framework of the modern medical care. Technicians are trained in laboratory techniques that assist in the diagnosis, treatment , prevention of diseases and the maintenance of health. Most technicians work within hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories and physician offices. The medical or clinical laboratory technician performs qualitative, quantitative and analytic testing in microbiology, hematology, blood banking (immunohematology), clinical chemistry, immunology, and urinalysis. If you enjoy the sciences, can work well both on a team and on your own, then the Clinical Laboratory Technology program has all the elements of a successful career path made just for you.

Certification

Upon graduation students receive an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Clinical Laboratory Technology. Graduates are eligible to sit for national certifying examinations including the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification examination for Medical Laboratory Technicians.

Job Outlook

Graduates of this program are qualified for entry-level positions as clinical/medical laboratory technicians. Employment opportunities are widely available in hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, independent laboratories, public health, research and industrial laboratories with 45 percent of technicians working within a hospital setting and 22 percent working in medical and diagnostic laboratories. According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of clinical laboratory technicians is expected to grow by 7 percent between 2021 and 2031, as fast as average for all occupations as the volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.

 

STLCC is one of the longest-running, continuously accredited clinical laboratory technology programs in the region, having graduated the first group of students in 1969. Each year, 25 students who meet the application requirements are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. You will start the program in August. Coursework includes lectures and laboratory procedures. The following August, you will be assigned to clinical affiliates for your internship/clinical practice.

Classroom instruction includes:

  • Orientation to the Medical Laboratory
  • Hematology and Coagulation
  • Urinalysis and Body Fluids
  • Medical Microbiology
  • Immunology and Serology
  • Clinical Laboratory Skills Development (including phlebotomy)
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Immunohematology

Prior to application, it is recommended that students meet with an academic advisor. The advisor can help plan courses, clarify program requirements and review the student's academic history.

Program Admission Requirements

  1. All applicants must be admitted to St. Louis Community College.
  2. Students must have and maintain a GPA of 2.5 (in college or high school) in order to be placed and remain on the wait list.
  3. Complete minimum placement scores or successful completion of specific courses.
  4. BIO:111 Introduction to Biology I OR higher level of biology OR two semesters of high school biology with lab and two semesters of high school chemistry with lab.

For more information regarding admission requirements:

Clinical Laboratory Technology Program Requirements

Fully accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018. Phone 772-714- 8880 or www.naacls.org.

Lecture, Lab and Practice: You will start the program in August. Coursework includes lectures and laboratory procedures. The following August, you will be assigned to clinical affiliates for your internship/clinical practice. Clinical practice takes place at multiple hospitals in the area (see "clinical sites"), students may rotate through more than one hospital and they will be under the supervision of the instructor and staff preceptors.

BJC Christian Hospital-Northeast -St. Louis, MO BJC St. Louis Children's Hospital- St. Louis, MO BJC Missouri Baptist Hospital, Sullivan, MO
Des Peres Hospital-St. Louis, MO John Cochran VA Medical Center -St. Louis, MO Mercy Medical Center - St. Louis, MO
Mercy Hospital-Jefferson, Crystal City, MO Mercy Hospital - Troy, MO St. Luke’s Hospital-St. Louis MO
SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center -St. Louis, MO SSM DePaul Health Center- Bridgeton, MO SSM St. Joseph's Hospital West- Lake St. Louis, MO
SSM Saint Louis University Hospital- St. Louis, MO  
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Graduate certification rates demonstrating an average of at least 75% pass rate.

2019 2020 2021 2022
90% 100% 97% 100%
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Graduation rates demonstrating an average of at least 70% of students who have begun the final half of the program go on to successfully graduate.

2019 2020 2021 2022
89% 100% 100% 100%
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Job placement rates demonstrating that an average of at least 70% of respondent graduates either find employment in the field or a closely related field, or continue their education.

2019 2020 2021 2022
100% 100% 100% 100%
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Students in the Clinical Laboratory Technology Program must meet the essential functions of the program with or without reasonable accommodations. Essential Functions are the non-academic standards that a student must be able to master to participate successfully in the CLT program. Examples of this program’s essential functions are provided below.

Standard

Some examples of necessary activities (This list is not all inclusive)

Observation and sensory skills

sufficient to observe

and perform laboratory procedures

Observe laboratory demonstrations, procedures and instruments

Have sufficient level of hearing to determine both high and low levels of frequency and amplitude

Employ a clinical grade binocular microscope to discriminate among fine differences in structure and color

Read and comprehend text, numbers and graphs displayed in print or on a video monitor

Physical abilities sufficient to maneuver as required to perform laboratory procedures

Move freely and safely about a laboratory

Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting or standing over several hours

Travel to clinical laboratory sites for practical experience

Reach laboratory bench tops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds or patients seated in specimen collection furniture

Maneuver phlebotomy and culture acquisition equipment to collect laboratory specimens from patients

Control laboratory equipment (i.e. pipettes, inoculating loops, test tubes) and adjust instruments safely and accurately

Manipulate an electronic keyboard to operate laboratory instruments

Communication abilities sufficient for interaction with others

Read and comprehend technical and professional materials (i.e. textbooks, journal articles, handbooks and instruction manuals)

Follow oral and written instructions in order to correctly perform laboratory test procedures

Clearly instruct patients prior to specimen collection

Effectively, confidentially and sensitively communicate with patients regarding test orders and specimen collection

Communicate effectively with instructors, peers, laboratory staff and other health care professionals orally or in a recorded format

Intellectual ability and critical thinking skills sufficient for clinical judgment and professional behavior

Possess these intellectual skills: comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, reasoning, self-expression, and criticism

Exercise sufficient judgment to recognize and correct common performance deviations

Critically evaluate performance and accept constructive criticism

Perform multiple tasks and establish priorities

Organize workload and manage time in order to complete technical tasks within realistic time limits

Ability to behave and respond professionally to various situations to insure own safety and that of others

Calmly react to urgent situations

Recognize own stress level and communicate need for assistance appropriately

Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change

Follow established safety procedures

Utilize appropriate laboratory safety equipment

Adapt to working with unpleasant biological and potentially hazardous specimens

Support peers and other health care professionals in order to promote a team approach to learning, task completion, problem-solving, and patient care

Be honest and forthright about errors

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Cost of Attendance

For more information on cost of attendance visit MoSCORES.

Program Career and Salary Information

Pursuant to Missouri HB 1606 (2018), information regarding the number of credit hours, program length, employment rate, wage data, and graduates employed in careers related to their program of study at St. Louis Community College can be found at https://scorecard.mo.gov/. Search using School / Program “St. Louis Community College” and choose the degree or credential type of interest.

The following limitations to the data apply - Information provided is based on the most recent cohorts available. Typically, most recent cohorts for wage and completion data are six years prior to the current academic year. Time to complete a program of study varies depending on the number of credit hours students earn per semester.

Contact Us

Hours for all campuses: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

All Locations

314-539-5004
askus@stlcc.edu

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