MLS - Traditional Overview of Program

Overview of Medical Laboratory Science Traditional Program

The Program accepts one class per year, beginning in the fall semester. Students are required to complete the two-year curriculum.

The MLS traditional curriculum consists of:

1. On-campus classes and laboratory sessions in the TTUHSC student laboratories. These courses are taught by Medical Laboratory Science faculty and are intended to prepare the MLS student for clinical preceptorship.
2. Clinical Preceptorships in affiliated laboratories. The Education Coordinator, in cooperation with the clinical teaching staff, directs the education of the students at an affiliate site. Clinical faculty are certified medical laboratory scientists who will serve to instruct students in the application of theory and principles of patient testing procedures.

The clinical preceptorship begins in January and ends in May of the student’s 2nd year. Students are assigned their senior clinical preceptorship site after completion of the second semester of the 1st year. This assignment is made in advance to make the necessary arrangements for moving from Lubbock if required. It is the student’s responsibility to find housing, meet all financial obligations, arrange for transportation, and (if desired) seek employment.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Medical Laboratory Science program is to improve the health of people by producing competent and compassionate laboratory scientists by providing high quality and relevant education with an emphasis on scholarly activity, research, patient care, and service, in order to meet the educational and clinical needs of the communities of West Texas, Texas, and the United States.

Vision Statement

The vision of the Program in Medical Laboratory Science is to earn regional and national recognition for excellence in undergraduate education. We will progress toward achieving this vision by:

1. Providing students with a broad educational background by utilizing a variety of educational resources and experiences.
2. Providing a strong curriculum based on current needs.
3. Maintaining the level and quality of instruction in the medical laboratory science courses by including the latest in technological advances.
4. Developing in students the professional attitudes and ethics required of medical laboratory professionals.
5. Educating students on the merits of continuing professional development.
6. Providing the region and the State of Texas with graduate medical laboratory scientists who can function at career entry-level and who can assume leadership roles as health professionals.

Departmental Organizational Structure

Chairperson

The Chairperson is directly responsible for departmental functions including: serving as a liaison between the departmental personnel and the university administration, conducting performance evaluations, determining merit salary, assigning staff (administrative assistants and clinic coordinators) duties; mediating all personnel and/or student grievances; assigning and determining space utilization; coordinating faculty meetings; administering all departmental budgets and accounts payable with recommendation from the Program Directors; determining course instructors; appointing committees; coordinating tenure and/or promotion applications; executing disciplinary actions per the University Operating Procedures Handbook, and reports to the School of Health Professions Dean.

Program Director

The Program Director (PD) is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the academic programs and clinical operations. Duties include serving as the first point of contact for grievances, course scheduling, and facilities management; participating with the chairperson in annual performance appraisals; monitoring curricular requirements in accordance with NAACLS; maintaining outcome data for the academic and clinical programs; managing the department’s Quality Improvement processes; reviewing students’ academic records; and monitoring budgetary matters. Other duties may be assigned by the Chairperson.

Assistant Program Director

The Assistant Program Director (APD) assists the PD in duties associated with oversight of the program curriculum including assessment and evaluation of effectiveness. The APD also assists the PD in monitoring requirements in accordance with NAACLS. Additional duties include recruitment activities, student advisement, and the admissions process.

Clinical Education Coordinator

The Clinical Education Coordinator assists the PD with matters regarding the affiliates. Duties include developing and maintaining clinical affiliation agreements (i.e., contracts), assigning students to clinical sites, and meeting regularly with affiliate education coordinators. Other duties may be assigned by the PDs or Chairperson.

Laboratory Manager

The Laboratory Manager is responsible for setting up student laboratory sessions, phlebotomy instruction, instrument maintenance and troubleshooting, and managing day-to-day operations of the laboratory. The Laboratory Manager also assists the students in technique and theory behind individual laboratory sessions. Other duties may be assigned by the PD.

Admissions Committee

The committee serves to review all undergraduate and graduate applications into the respective programs of study (i.e., pre-professional and graduate), coordinate graduate applicant interviews; recommend admission or denial to the Chairperson; maintain statistical information relative to student indices (e.g. grade point averages, etc.); execute all admission policies per faculty approval, and report to the Chairperson at each faculty meeting.

Advisory Committee

The Medical Laboratory Science advisory committee meets as needed to review curriculum and discuss evaluation of each program’s effectiveness. Evaluation of program effectiveness includes student course evaluations, employer’s surveys, national certification scores, and faculty input regarding curriculum and the admissions criteria for each program. The committee provides a unique perspective in the field of laboratory medicine.

MLS Program Goals

It is the primary goal of the program to provide excellent undergraduate professional education in medical laboratory science.

Program Goals:

1. Provide students with a broad educational background by using a variety of education resources and experiences.
2. Provide a strong undergraduate curriculum based on current needs.
3. Maintain the level and quality of instruction in the medical laboratory science courses by including the latest in technological advances.
4. Develop in students the professional attitudes and ethics required of medical laboratory scientists.
5. Educate students in the merits of continuing professional development.
6. Provide the region served by the program with graduate medical laboratory scientists who can function at career entry levels and who can assume leadership roles as health professionals.

MLS Program Affective Objectives

At the completion of the preceptorship, the student shall:

1. Demonstrate terminal behaviors that exhibit acceptable performance with supervision and require appropriate assistance with evaluation of situations and solutions (level 3 or above).
2. Comply with biosafety regulations by practicing proper disposal of biohazardous material and personal safety standards as evidenced by complying with established safety and governmental regulations.
3. Exhibit interest in the laboratory assignments and lecture discussions by participating in pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical components of laboratory services.
4. Help maintain a neat, clean, and orderly work area in all the laboratories without being asked.
5. Demonstrate proper care and use of laboratory equipment, as evidenced by seeking appropriate assistance with evaluation and troubleshooting.
6. Attend rotations regularly and be punctual.
7. Demonstrate preparedness for the laboratory by following directions and completing the tasks assigned with little need for additional instructions once skills have been demonstrated.
8. Cooperate by demonstrating appropriate interpersonal and interdisciplinary communication skills.
9. Exhibit assurance and confidence in performing laboratory tasks.
10. Demonstrate integrity by recognizing and repeating questionable tests and actively seeking knowledge to develop ongoing professional development.
11. Act responsibly and always be cognizant of ethical issues, such as patient confidentiality, in the practice of laboratory medicine.
12. Accept instruction and constructive criticism maturely.
13. Show respect for all health care team members and patients and be aware of appropriate professional conduct.
14. Comply with the stated dress codes.
15. Demonstrate interprofessionalism through respect, collaboration, and appropriate communication with other healthcare professionals.

Career Entry Competency Goals of the Program

It is the ultimate goal of the program to prepare students for career entry positions as laboratory scientists. Thus, specific professional competencies focused on preanalytical, analytical, and post-analytical knowledge are expected of graduates. The program strives, through educational methods, to incorporate all facets of quality laboratory practice into the students’ professional development. The curriculum is designed to prepare the graduate to perform the full range of medical laboratory tests in areas such as Clinical Chemistry, Hematology/Hemostasis, Immunology, Immunohematology/Transfusion Medicine, Microbiology, Urine and Body Fluid Analysis, Laboratory Operations, and other emerging diagnostics, and will play a role in the development and evaluation of test systems and interpretive algorithms. The medical laboratory scientist will have diverse responsibilities in areas of analysis and clinical decision‐making, regulatory compliance with applicable regulations, education, and quality assurance/performance improvement wherever laboratory testing is researched, developed, or performed.

At the career entry level, the medical laboratory scientist will have the following professional competencies. They will have the ability to:

Professional Behaviors and Communications

1. Demonstrate professional and ethical behavior along with effective interpersonal communication skills when engaging with various stakeholders.
2. Establish effective interprofessional working relationships with other health care professionals, demonstrating comprehension of and respect for their roles and patient welfare.
3. Recognize and appreciate the importance of engaging with an inclusive workforce through collaboration.
4. Value and advocate for a workplace environment that fosters inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Safety and Compliance

1. Comply with government regulations and accreditation standards relevant to the respective discipline.
2. Adhere to prescribed protocols for overall laboratory safety, biohazard containment, and waste disposal.
3. Implement quality assurance principles to ensure the validity and accuracy of laboratory generated data.

Education and Research

1. Acknowledge and respond to individual requirements for continuing education and development to foster growth and maintain professional competence.
2. Provide instruction to users of laboratory services regarding appropriate procedures, test utilization, and interpretation.
3. Evaluate clinical research studies and data sets to assess applicability and validity.

Laboratory Operations

1. Employ a logical and systematic problem-solving approach when identifying errors and/or technical issues with laboratory procedures and instrumentation.
2. Apply principles of data security to safeguard laboratory and hospital information systems.
3. Apply principles of quality assurance to ensure the validity and accuracy of laboratory data.
4. Recognize principles and practices of laboratory management as applied to clinical laboratory science.

Pre-Analytical Competencies

1. Evaluate specimen collection, processing, and storage procedures in accordance with standard operating procedures.
2. Ensure specimen integrity is maintained throughout the sample procurement process.

Analytical Competencies

1. Adhere to written policies, processes, and procedures for analytical testing, analysis, and instrumentation maintenance.
2. Evaluate and provide rationale for troubleshooting protocols in analytical testing when appropriate.
3. Perform routine procedures in accordance with standard operating procedures.
4. Apply quality control principles to analytical testing procedures, including instrument calibration, statistical analyses of control results, Westgard rules, and verification of reference ranges.
5. Perform basic calculations, dilutions, and statistical analyses for procedures and analytical testing in the respective discipline.
6. Apply theoretical principles of instrumentation to current methods of analysis.

Post-Analytical Competencies

1. Perform all post-analytical procedures in accordance with quality assurance protocols and regulatory standards.
2. Evaluate results for accuracy relative to quality control, patient history, specimen integrity, and overall clinical correlation.
3. Report test results, including abnormal, STAT, and critical values, in accordance with the laboratory’s standard operating procedures.

*Adapted from the Standards for Accredited and Approved Programs for the Medical Laboratory Scientist, 10/2024 NAACLS

Accreditation

The MLS program is accredited by the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) located at 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is accredited by the  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate, masters, doctoral, and professional degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The commission should be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support the institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement standard.

A member of the Texas Tech University System, TTUHSC has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges as a separate institution from Texas Tech University since 2004. TTUHSC received its reaffirmation of accreditation from SACSCOC in 2019. The next reaffirmation is scheduled for 2029.

For more information on ASCP, visit their Website at https://www.ascp.org.