Medical Lab Tech Program

Admission Process and Criteria

MHPC Medical Laboratory Technician Program

Admission to the MHPC MLT Program is competitive and applications are assigned points in each required category in order to determine campus ranking and student selection. The application procedure and selection process are the same for all campuses participating in the MHPC MLT Program.

Applicants may wish to review the MLT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Advising Form, MLT Student Handbook, and other informational documents posted on the MHPC MLT website prior to submitting application materials (click on the “medical laboratory technician” program link). The information posted on the website will give a better understanding of program requirements and student expectations.

In order to be considered for admission to the MHPC MLT Program, students must complete the following steps before the May 15^th MLT Application deadline:

NOTE: Please allow enough time for references to submit their online recommendation form prior to the application deadline (see Step 4).

1. Apply for community college admission

Meet all requirements for admission to the community college of your choosing, including a completed student admissions file submitted to the college where you wish to attend the MHPC MLT Program. Students must be admitted to the community college before they can be admitted to the MLT Program. The college admission process should be completed as soon as possible and could take additional time beyond what is required for the MLT Program application process.

2. Submit transcripts

After applying for community college admission, students must submit high school and official college transcripts to the community college in order to complete the college admissions process. Official transcripts for all colleges attended, including dual credit, must be on file at the community college prior to the May 15^th MLT application deadline. It may take a few weeks for official transcripts to be sent. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure transcripts arrive at the community college by the application deadline.

In addition to submitting transcripts to the community college, students must also submit unofficial transcripts for all college coursework, including dual credit, to the MHPC MLT Program office in Mexico before the May 15^th deadline. Students may print unofficial transcripts from the college website (student portal) and submit transcripts along with the other required MLT application materials listed below. The MLT Program office, unlike the home campuses, does not require a copy of high school transcripts on file.

3. Application for Program Admission

After applying for community college admission & submitting all transcripts to the college, you must complete the enclosed Application for Program Admission. All required components to this application will be submitted in one email or enclosed in one envelope. Multiple submissions or missing required components will not be accepted.

MLT Application Submission

Complete and/or collect the required items (#1-8 above, including copies of unofficial college transcripts), place them in one email attachment or one large envelope and submit them to the MHPC MLT Program office in Mexico prior to the application deadline. Be sure to follow instructions on all forms. All application materials must be postmarked on or before the May 15^th deadline.  Only complete application packets will be considered. Applicants should retain copies of all application materials. Once received, applications are the property of the MHPC MLT Program and will not be returned or copied.

Contact the MHPC MLT Program office in Mexico at (573) 582-0817 ext 13656 if you have questions about the MLT application or admissions process.

Submit all MLT application materials before the May 15th deadline to:

mlt@macc.edu

OR

Missouri Health Professions Consortium
MLT Admissions Office
Attn: Tanna Whitworth
2900 Doreli Lane
Mexico, MO 65265

Selection Process

Enrollment in the MHPC MLT Program is limited and the Program may not be able to offer admission to all qualified applicants. Only students meeting all admission criteria and submitting all required application items by the application deadline will be considered. Completed applications will be evaluated utilizing selection criteria established in advance by the program coordinator and MLT admissions committees.

Applicants are ranked using the same admission criteria and selection procedures, and rankings are grouped by clinical affiliate location in order to meet accreditation standards regarding student/faculty ratios for lab.

Application review begins as soon as materials arrive at the MLT Program office in Mexico. Each requirement for admission has a point value attached (GPA, general education coursework, recommendations, essay, etc.), and a screening score determines the preliminary ranking of applicants (paper review).

After the paper review is completed, the MLT Program office in Mexico will notify applicants of their status by email during the first week of June. Status will be either:

1. Applicant scored enough points during application review to qualify as a “candidate”, or
2. Applicant did not score enough points during application review to qualify for the next step in the admissions process, or
3. Applicant did not qualify for consideration due to not meeting the established admissions criteria.

The MLT admissions committee at each campus meets in late June to discuss the applicant rankings and select the Class. Decisions of the MLT Admissions Committees are final.

The MHPC MLT Program office will notify the candidates of the admission committee decision by email during the first week of July, either selected for MLT Program admission or not selected this application cycle. Students selected for the MLT Class will be required to complete the MLT Admissions Paperwork items before the fall semester prior to beginning MLT classes in August. Failure to submit required documentation by the established deadline may result in subsequent denial of official acceptance into the MLT program.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement

A minimum 2.5 GPA (Grade Point Average) or higher, on a 4-point scale, is required in the general education coursework (see next section for a list of required general education courses). Applicants who do not have a minimum 2.5 GPA in the required coursework will not be considered for Program admission. Points are earned in the MLT application review process for GPA; higher GPAs will receive more points than lower GPAs. Waivers to exempt older coursework from the GPA calculation will no longer be offered. For questions or assistance in calculating general education coursework GPA, please contact an advisor at the home campus community college or call the MHPC MLT Program office (573) 582-0817 ext 13619.

Students completing the program will earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Laboratory Technician.

After all the classes and clinical requirements are completed within the MHPC MLT Program, students graduate from East Central College.

The MHPC MLT Program is full-time only, with courses offered in a specific sequence. Each summer, an average of thirty students are selected to begin the program in the fall (for the entire consortium). The professional year of the program (MLT coursework) is designed to be completed within 12 months beginning in August and ending the following August.

When students have successfully completed the Medical Laboratory Technician program, they will be eligible to take the American Society for Clinical Pathology certification examination (ASCP-BOC).

MHPC Medical Laboratory Technician Program

In developing the MHPC Medical Laboratory Technician program, the curriculum was designed with specific goals in mind. Upon successful completion of the program and initial employment, graduates should be able to demonstrate entrance-level competencies in the following major areas of professional practice:

• Collection, handling, preparation, and storage of biological specimens for laboratory analysis.
• Performance of technical analyses on body fluids, cells, products, and organisms.
• Recognition of factors that affect procedures and results and take appropriate action within predetermined limits.
• Ability to operate basic laboratory instrumentation.
• Performance of quality control measures on instrumentation and technical analyses.
• Recognition of and adherence to clinical laboratory safety policies.
• Ability to troubleshoot instrumentation and technical analyses.
• Ability to perform preventative and corrective maintenance on basic laboratory equipment and instrumentation.
• Ability to recognize when to refer instrumentation problems to the appropriate sources.
• Demonstration of professional conduct with patients and health care workers both within and outside the laboratory.
• Demonstration of effective interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstration of knowledge of the relationship of laboratory findings with common diseases processes.
• Demonstration of knowledge of reporting patient results using a laboratory computer information system.
• Recognition of the need for continuing education in professional practice and action on that recognition.

MHPC Medical Laboratory Technician Program Competencies (PDF)

Program Outcomes

1. Demonstrate knowledge of laboratory professional practice by providing safe, effective and accurate laboratory test results while maintaining patient confidentiality.
2. Utilize established laboratory procedures taking into consideration the application of scientific principles, technical skills for operation and maintenance of laboratory equipment, and relationship of laboratory findings to disease states to ensure appropriate patient diagnosis and treatment.
3. Employs professional conduct and communication skills with patients, families, laboratory personnel, healthcare team members, and the community as a medical laboratory technician.
4. Participate in professional development activities valuing the importance of continuous learning in laboratory medicine.
5. Comply with Federal, OSHA, and laboratory safety procedures for the well-being of the patient, healthcare team, self and community.

As of 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed there are 328,200 MLT’s in the United States. The median pay for MLT’s nationwide is $50,930 per year.

Career opportunities are open to medical laboratory technicians include:

• Staffing hospital, private, and public health laboratories;
• Specialized positions in hematology, clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, parasitology, mycology, virology, serology, blood banking, hemostasis, toxicology, or molecular biology;
• Research and development of new test procedures, products, and equipment;
• Research and quality control in industry positions;
• Sales distribution of pharmaceuticals or laboratory products;
• Forensic laboratories;
• Education and training programs for medical laboratories;
• Technical specialists to teach new procedures and instrumentation.

Professionals employed in the field of medical laboratory technology are an indispensable part of the health care team. Using samples from many kinds of human specimens, laboratorians perform determinations and analyses that physicians use to maintain health or to diagnose and treat disease. Testing involves operating sophisticated instruments, identifying microscopic organisms, using routine testing kits, and performing complicated assays. Laboratory work requires technical expertise and attention to detail.

A laboratory professional not only performs the testing but also recognizes disease states. With their specialized training, medical laboratory technicians provide the health care team with the most accurate results available.

The MHPC MLT program prepares one to work successfully in many environments. The program graduate is eligible to take the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP-BOC) certification examination. Core requirements of this program can also prepare graduates to transfer to a four-year program.