Medical Laboratory Technician

Medical Laboratory Technician - Performs routine laboratory tests on blood, urine, and body fluids to help in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury in:

• Hospital
• Clinical laboratory
• Reference laboratory

Laboratory Technician/Research Assistant - Performs routine and special laboratory tests in:

• Laboratory settings: research, industrial, environmental and food science labs.

With additional training and/or work experience, graduates may find employment as:

• Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Medical Technologist)
• Medical Microbiologist
• Laboratory Computer Sales or Training Specialist
• Laboratory Sales/Product Representative
• Instrument Service Technician
• Quality Control Officer
• Biomedical Instrument Specialist
• Clinical Research Associate
• Safety Officer
• Laboratory Science Instructor/Trainer

Students entering the program should:

• Have good reading, math, and comprehension skills.
• Be in good physical and emotional health.
• Be flexible, adaptable, and enjoy working with people.
• Be self-confident, independent, and a self-directed learner.
• Meet Wisconsin Caregiver Law requirements.

Students who graduate from the Medical Laboratory Technician Program will be able to:

• Collect, process and preserve blood and other body fluid samples.
• Perform and report laboratory tests in a variety of laboratory settings.
• Identify pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical variables that affect procedures, instruments and results, and take appropriate corrective action.
• Perform mathematical functions as required by laboratory procedures.
• Perform and monitor quality assurance and quality control techniques.
• Practice laboratory safety and regulatory compliance.
• Perform information processing functions in the clinical laboratory.
• Apply laboratory results to diagnosis and treatment of clinical conditions and/or diseases.
• Communicate with colleagues and patients in a professional manner.
• Model professional behaviors, ethics, and appearance.

• Day, evening/weekend and online classes may be available.
• Financial aid is available to those that qualify.
• August program start date; however, some classes will be available in January.
• Qualified students may take some courses immediately upon program acceptance.
• Students must achieve a grade of a C or better in each course of the program curriculum to be eligible to progress.
• Current Healthcare Provider CPR certification must be maintained throughout the program.
• Sign off as qualified in Functional Abilities after acceptance to the program and prior to first clinical.

NOTE: Completed physical examination with complete medical and vaccination history must be on file prior to any clinical placement or rotation.

• Caregiver Background Check (CBC); view the Background Information Disclosure Instructions (PDF) found on the Department of Health and Family Services website or on the SWTC website.
• Physical exam with a completed Medical Physical History Form on file prior to beginning the first semester clinical rotation.

Essential Functions for Medical Laboratory Technicians

Students enrolling in and graduating from a Medical Laboratory Technician program must meet the essential function requirements of the academic program and of the corresponding MLT profession. They must complete programs consisting of academic study, simulated laboratory practice, and clinical laboratory experience. Students must be able to contribute to the progress of their peers; complete tasks assigned by instructors and clinical supervisors, and provide services that contribute to the well­being of patients. The essential functions of the MLT are as follows:

Observation / Visual

The MLT student must be able to:

• Observe laboratory demonstrations of specimens, techniques, and instruments.
• Characterize the color, consistency, and clarity of biological specimens or reagents.
• Use a microscope to discriminate among fine differences in structure and color including hue, shading, and intensity.
• Read and comprehend text, numbers, and graphs displayed in print and on a video monitor.

Movement / Motor Function

The MLT student must be able to:

• Move freely and safely about a laboratory.
• Perform continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting or standing over several hours.
• Travel to clinical laboratory sites for practical experience, which may over 45 miles from campus.
• Reach laboratory bench tops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds, or patients seated in specimen collection furniture.
• Maneuver phlebotomy and culture collection equipment to collect laboratory specimens from patients.
• Operate laboratory equipment (pipettes, inoculating loops, test tubes) and adjust instruments to perform laboratory procedures.
• Use an electronic keyboard to operate laboratory instruments and calculate record, evaluate, and transmit data.

Communication Skills

The MLT student must be able to:

• Read and comprehend technical and professional materials (textbooks, journals articles, handbooks, and procedure manuals).
• Follow oral and/or written instructions in order to correctly perform laboratory test procedures.
• Clearly, effectively, confidentially, and sensitively converse with patients regarding laboratory test orders and specimen collection instructions.
• Communicate with instructors, peers, laboratory staff, and other health care professionals orally and in recorded format.

Intellect

The MLT student must:

• Possess the intellectual skills: comprehension, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and self-analysis.
• Exercise sufficient judgment to recognize errors and take appropriate corrective actions.

Behavior

The MLT student must:

• Organize work and manage the use of time in order to complete technical tasks within realistic time limits.
• Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively use his or her intellect to exercise appropriate judgment in a distracting environment under stressful circumstances.
• Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change.
• Follow established safety procedures in order to minimize risk of injury to self and co-workers.
• Adapt to working with unpleasant biological specimens.
• Be supportive of peers and 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.
• Be able to critically evaluate his or her performance, accept constructive criticism, and be responsible for improving performance.
• Be compassionate and ethical.
• Possess the intellectual skills: comprehension, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and self-analysis.

Students with disabilities should consult with Southwest Tech’s Student Support Services regarding reasonable accommodations needed to perform successfully in this program.

• High School Graduation or Equivalency.
• Submit official high school and post secondary transcripts.
• Complete required HESI admissions assessment testing to demonstrate pre-set subtest scores
• Pay required assessment testing fee.
• Complete application form.
• Pay a $30 nonrefundable application fee.
• Interview with counselor.