Medical Laboratory Technology

The Medical Laboratory Technology program at Trident Technical College is an associate degree program aimed at providing students with a high quality education and excellent clinical skills which students will utilize to become successful professionals win the field of clinical laboratory science.

The program subscribes to the college’s mission to provide quality education and promote economic development in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties by preparing the student for opportunities and responsibilities in a rapidly changing global environment.

The program emphasizes the role of the medical laboratory technician in maintaining the value of human life in a changing health care environment.

Accessible and responsive to the needs of the multicultural community, the college provides the tri-county area with competent medical laboratory personnel who have quality marketable job skills.

As an integral part of Trident Technical College, the Medical Laboratory Technology program seeks to provide an environment of educational excellence.

Graduation Rate:

Graduation rate is defined by NAACLS as the % of students who have begun the final half of the professional program (Fourth semester-Fall) and go on to successfully graduate from the program.

Certification Examination (ASCP) Pass Rate:

TTC MLT graduates are eligible to take the ASCP MLT examination for certification. See www.ascp.org for information about the examination process.

MLT graduates are not required to take the ASCP certification exam but are encouraged to do so because most places of employment require certification.

The Pass rate on the ASCP exam is defined by NAACLS as the number of graduates passing the exam within the first year of graduation per the total number of graduates taking the exam.

Job Placement Rate:

Completion of the Medical Laboratory Technology program at Trident Technical College does not guarantee employment. The competencies taught in the program allow the student to sit for a national certification exam and be competitive in the laboratory job market. There are many opportunities for employment for Medical Laboratory Technicians in hospital and doctor office settings in the Charleston area. Please note that entry-level clinical laboratory jobs are not always day shift jobs and usually involve weekend hours as well.

The Job Placement Rate is defined by NAACLS as the % of graduates who take jobs in the field, or a closely related field, or who continue their education within one year of graduation. Part- time jobs and full-time jobs are both counted equally as employment. Note: Students not responding to follow-up surveys and whose employment status is unknown are not included in this outcome measure.

Medical laboratory technicians work in laboratories in a variety of practice settings, such as hospitals, urgent care centers, independent laboratories, physician offices and clinics, specialty or research laboratories, military and public health facilities, and industry.

You will also learn how to:

• Fix and troubleshoot laboratory analyzers
• Operate multiple platforms of software, learn how they communicate, and learn how they measure
• Perform maintenance

There are TWO options for the MLT program:

• Full-time: 18 months to graduation
• Part-time: 28 months to graduation

Once your application for the program is received, your MLT program advisor will provide you with a course curriculum schedule.

The Medical Laboratory Technology program prepares the student for employment as a medical laboratory technician (MLT).  The program is designed to foster the development of the entry-level competencies that meet requirements for NAACLS accreditation. Graduates of the program should be able to demonstrate the entry-level competencies required for professional practice.

These competencies are:

1. Collecting and processing biological specimens and other substances
2. Performing analytical tests on blood, body fluids, cells and other substances
3. Recognizing factors that affect procedures and results in pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases, and taking appropriate actions within predetermined limits when corrections are indicated
4. Performing and monitoring quality control within predetermined limits
5. Performing preventive and corrective maintenance of equipment and instruments or referring to appropriate sources for repairs
6. Applying principles of safety
7. Demonstrating professional conduct and interpersonal communication skills with patients, laboratory personnel, other health care professionals, and with the public
8. Recognizing the responsibilities of other laboratory and health care personnel and interacting with them with respect for their jobs and patient care
9. Applying basic scientific principles in learning new techniques and procedures
10. Relating laboratory findings to common disease processes
11. Establishing and maintaining continuing education as a function of growth and maintenance of professional competence

Clinical Experience Rotations:

During MLT 107, MLT 271, MLT 272, MLT 273, and MLT 274, MLT Students will be given the opportunity to gain hands-on clinical experience, performing laboratory procedures under the qualified supervision of clinical instructors employed by medical laboratories that have affiliation agreements with the College.

Clinical Affiliates:

Clinical rotation assignments are made by the MLT Clinical Coordinator and are not negotiable. Clinical rotation assignments and times are based on training requirements, space availability, patient care, and affiliate workload, and NOT on individual student preferences or geographical considerations. An attempt is made to place students in different institutions during their major rotations. This provides students with the opportunity for a broader clinical training experience.

Policy on Placement for Clinical Experience:

Due to major changes in health care organizational structures and laboratory mergers, space for clinical experience may become limited. If this happens, students will be assigned to clinical rotation slots according to the date on their Health Sciences application to the MLT Program. In the event that more students qualify for clinical rotation slots than are available, those on the waiting list will be notified when a clinical site becomes available. Those students waiting on an available clinical site will be given an incomplete, and his/her graduation may be delayed.

Clinical Facilities

• Roper St. Francis Hospital – Downtown, Leeds Avenue, Mt. Pleasant, and Berkeley St. Francis Hospital
• Medical University of South Carolina
• Trident Medical Center
• Summerville Medical Center
• East Cooper Medical Center
• Colleton Medical Center
• Beaufort Memorial Hospital

The MLT Program is part of the Division of Health Sciences. In the MLT Program, students should utilize this line of communication when attempting to make complaints, solve problems, offer suggestions, or get questions answered. This line of communication begins with the student’s instructor or advisor and proceeds as follows:

1. Should a student have a classroom issue, the student should first address the concern with the instructor of the class, and then the MLT Program Director if the concern is not resolved at the instructor level.
2. Should a student have a programmatic issue, the student should address this concern with the MLT Program Director.
3. Should a student have a clinical issue, the student should first address this at the clinic, and then the MLT Clinical Coordinator if it is not resolved at the clinic level.
4. Should the student issue fail to be resolved at the program level with the Program Director, the student should complete and submit the Academic Complaint Form found in Etrieve, so the Dean and Associate Dean can address the issue. The Academic Complaint could be any of the above issues that have not been resolved at the Program or Clinic level.

COVID-19 vaccines as well as other vaccines/immunizations/titers may be required for some health sciences programs in order to attend clinicals. Should immunizations and titers be required by a clinical affiliate and the student refuses to obtain the vaccines/immunizations/titers, this may impact the student’s ability to be assigned to certain clinical rotations, which may in turn impact the student’s ability to continue in the program.