Medical Laboratory Technician Program
Our Medical Laboratory Technician program will prepare you with the skills you need to test blood and other bodily fluids for the detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease. You will learn how to use laboratory instruments and computers, collect and process specimens, and work as part of a health care team. As you progress through the program, you will receive lab training and classroom study, supervised time in hospitals and health care settings, and preparation to take a national exam for certification accepted throughout the United States. By graduating with this degree, you will be eligible to take the MLT (Medical Laboratory Technician) and CLT (Clinical Laboratory Technician) exams.
Performance Standards for Allied Health Programs and Courses
Community College of Philadelphia’s Department of Allied Health has adopted the following Core Performance Standards for all applicants to Allied Health degree and certificate program/courses. These standards are based upon required abilities that are compatible with effective performance in Allied Health program/courses. If an applicant is not able to meet the Core Performance Standards, he/she is responsible to identify his/her inability to perform the required tasks, with or without accommodation. If while in the program/course, a student fails to meet the Core Performance Standards, with or without accommodation, the student will be removed from the program/course as the Performance Standards are considered Essential Functions for health care professionals.
All students are required to meet these performance standards. Allowing for individual differences, and encouraging program/course completion for students with a documented disability, the allied health programs/courses will work with the student and the Center on Disability to provide any reasonable accommodation to meet these performance standards when appropriate.
| Capability | Standard |
Examples of Activities |
|---|---|---|
|
Cognitive-Perception |
The ability to perceive events realistically, to think clearly and rationally, and to function appropriately and efficiently in routine and stressful situations |
Identify changes in patient/client health status. Handle multiple priorities in stressful situations and remain calm. |
|
Critical Thinking |
Critical thinking ability sufficient for sound clinical judgment |
Identify cause-effect relationships in clinical situations. Develop plans of care Respond competently within scope of practice. Interpret patient condition and apply appropriate intervention. |
|
Interpersonal |
Interpersonal abilities sufficient to interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds. |
Establish rapport with patients/ clients and colleagues appropriately. Demonstrate high degree of patience. Manage a variety of patient/client expressions (anger, fear, hostility) in a calm and professional manner. React appropriately to constructive criticism. |
|
Communication |
Communication abilities in English sufficient for appropriate interaction with others in verbal and written form. |
Read, understand, write and speak English competently. Explain treatment procedures. Initiate health teaching. Document patient/client responses. Validate responses/messages with others. Obtain medical history accurately and document clearly. Read (decode), write, and understand on demand. |
|
Mobility |
Ambulatory capability to sufficiently maintain a center of gravity. |
Ability to ambulate without assistive devices in confined areas, reach laboratory benchtops and equipment. |
|
Motor Skills |
Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to safely use blood collection equipment and lab analyzers. |
Reach, manipulate, and operate equipment, instruments, and supplies to include VP needles and micropipettes. |
|
Auditory |
Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess, or document health needs/information. |
Hear monitor alarms, emergency signals, and cries for help. Hear telephone interactions. Hear dictation being given from multiple directions and when facemasks are being used. |
|
Visual |
Visual ability sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in patient/client care, and perform accurate color discrimination. |
Observe patient/client responses. Discriminate color changes. Accurately read measurement on patient/client related equipment. Visual dexterity with eye/hand coordination. |
|
Tactile |
Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment, inclusive of size, shape, temperature, and texture. |
Performs palpation. Performs functions of examination and/or those related to physical therapeutic intervention, (e.g., insertion of a needle) safely and competently. |
|
Activity Tolerance |
The ability to tolerate lengthy periods of physical activity. |
Move quickly and/or tolerate long periods of standing and/or sitting. Perform tasks accurately under time constraints. |
|
Environmental |
Ability to tolerate environmental stressors. |
Adapt to rotating shifts. Work with chemicals and detergents. Tolerate exposure to fumes and odors. Work in areas that are close and crowded. Perform with minimal supervision. React quickly to emergency situations and control emotions. |
These are the essential skills that a student must possess in order to progress satisfactorily through an Allied Health program/course. Should a prospective student have a preexisting condition, which prohibits his or her ability to perform one or more of these skills, it is highly advised that the student pursue professional assistance for an evaluation of career suitability. Campus resources are available to assist with this process. For more information, visit Career Connections. Students who have a disability, which may impact upon the ability to provide patient care, may want to contact the Center on Disability.
Upon admission, a candidate who discloses a disability and requests accommodation will be asked to provide documentation of his or her disability for the purpose of determining appropriate accommodations, including modification to the program/course. The College will provide reasonable accommodations, but is not required to make modifications that would substantially alter the nature or requirements of the program/course or provide auxiliary aids that present an undue burden to the College. To matriculate or continue in the curriculum, the candidate must be able to perform all of the essential functions with or without accommodations.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, student must be, with or without reasonable accommodations, physically and mentally capable of performing the essential functions of the program. If a student believes that he or she cannot meet one or more of the essential functions without accommodations or modifications, the allied health program/course, along with a counselor from the Center on Disability, will determine, on an individual basis, whether or not the necessary accommodations or modifications can reasonably be made.
Occasionally, a student may experience a change in the status of these requirements while progressing through the program/course. Should this occur, the student is required to notify the Program Director. The student will be provided with referrals for professional assistance. Each student will be given the opportunity to meet clinical objectives within a reasonable amount of time as determined by the respective program director in consultation with the Center on Disability. However, a student may be denied continued enrollment in an allied health program or course until any identified issue is resolved. Should the issue remain unresolved after a reasonable period of time, the student may be dropped from the course.
Transfer Options
- Bloomsburg University
- Jefferson University
- Rutgers University – Camden