Clinical Laboratory Technician, A.A.S.

Degree: Associate in Applied Science
HEGIS Code: 5205
Curriculum Code: 2188.CLT
Health Sciences Division

Pre-Admission Recommendations: H.S. average of 85%; Computer Skills; Math, Biology and Chemistry at College levels.
Recommended High School Courses and/or Experiences: Regents Math, Regents Biology and Regents Chemistry

Career Opportunities/Further Education: Medical Laboratories, Private Physicians’ Laboratory, Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Environmental Laboratories, and Research Laboratories

Program Description Admission Requirements Progression Graduation Requirements Essential Functions

Accreditation Licensure Compliance Statement Program Competencies Scholarships Curriculum

Program Description

Rapid advances in research will continue to increase both the number and the complexity of clinical laboratory tests performed. Federal regulations and New York State licensure now require more highly-trained personnel who must meet the minimum educational standard of the associate degree. Consequently, the demand for trained clinical laboratory technicians has been rising and will continue to grow in both the local and national arenas.

The modern clinical laboratory technician applies knowledge from the physical and biological sciences to the detection and management of disease. The program to train clinical laboratory technicians emphasizes development of laboratory skills and characteristics essential to the health care worker. The use of state-of-the-art equipment in the analysis of blood and body fluids, as well as computerized patient data entry systems, allows the students to gain the skills necessary to perform effectively on the Board of Certification Licensure examination.

The Clinical Laboratory Technology (CLT) curriculum encompasses a concentration of medical laboratory courses along with courses in the liberal arts, social science, sciences, and mathematics. Lectures in the clinical laboratory area include studies in hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation, analysis of urine and other body fluids, immunology, serology, blood banking, and microbiology. Troubleshooting and quality control procedures are integrated into the program. College laboratories provide a simulated medical setting that give students the opportunity to analyze clinical specimens using manual and automated methodologies. In the lab courses, students will use computers for data retrieval, record updating and printing reports.

During their senior year, students complete laboratory rotations at affiliated clinical sites: Kaleida Health: including Buffalo General and Flint Road Laboratories, Sisters of Charity including the St. Joseph Campus, Buffalo Mercy, Kenmore Mercy,  Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Erie County Public Health Laboratories, Mount St. Mary’s, Buffalo Medical Group, and Erie County Medical Center.  Additional enrichment rotations include the American Red Cross and ConnectLife. Students may not be substituted for laboratory personnel to perform direct patient and/or reportable work during their clinical/applied learning experiences. Students must be available for their entire assigned rotation shift as clinical rotation may be scheduled during evening hours.

Upon successful program completion, graduates are encouraged to take the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC) Licensure examination. Graduates passing the BOC examination will fulfill the requirements for licensure in New York State and will be nationally certified. Graduates of the CLT Program perform consistently at or above the national average on BOC examinations. The granting of the CLT Associate in Applied Science degree is not contingent upon the student passing any type of external certification or licensure examination.

CLT graduates are employed as clinical laboratory technicians in private, clinical, or hospital laboratories and research institutions. Alumni of the program have also found employment as phlebotomists, quality control technicians in the food industry, and in biological, pharmaceutical and chemical laboratories. Other graduates transfer to four-year institutions to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, as well as other medical fields such as nursing, pre-medicine and physician assistants.

Admission Requirements

Admission criteria include:

• a high school degree or HSE (High School Equivalency);
• overall high school average of 85% within the last five years;
• an 85% final grade in high school general biology and chemistry;
• a minimum placement test result at the Math 143 and English 100 level;
• a minimum college GPA of 2.7 within the last 5 years;
• completion of all required developmental English courses;
• completion of developmental math courses; and
• completion of high school biology or Biology 107 and high school chemistry or chemistry with a lab (CH 140/141) achieving a minimum grade of C in both within the last five (5) years.
• 2 letters of recommendation
• Attestation of understanding of CLT essential functions
• Completion of virtual shadowing assignment

Progression

The student must maintain a minimum grade of C in all clinical lab (ML) courses. The student must receive a minimum grade of C- in all other required coursework. All courses may only be repeated once if the minimal grades are not attained or if the student has withdrawn (W) from the course. ML courses are integrated and sequenced in a specific manner to enable students to attain program competencies.

A second failure in a repeated course (a grade below a C in ML courses; grade below a C- in all other required courses; or a second withdrawal (W) from that course) will result in dismissal from the Clinical Laboratory Technology Program. Because of the critical nature of the profession, deviations from professional conduct may adversely affect the patient’s well being. Therefore, the department reserves the right to immediately remove the student from didactic, laboratory and clinical course work and/or dismiss that student from the program if the department determines that the student has acted in an unprofessional manner or if the student is unable to provide safe laboratory practices.

Note: A felony conviction may impede a student from completing degree requirements, such as clinical laboratory rotations required for degree completion, the ability to sit for the BOC/NYS licensure examination, and attaining the ASCP credential and NYS CLT license. Failure to meet requirements from the clinical facilities may also preclude completion of the program.

Graduation Requirements

• students must complete all ML courses within a four-year limit; and 
• students must have achieved an overall QPA of 2.0.

NOTE: Graduates of the CLT Program are eligible to sit for the Board of Certification Examination to obtain NYS Licensure . As needed, consultation with the New York State Education Department is suggested for details regarding the legal limitations to licensure in New York State.

Essential Functions

In order for the student to perform the essential functions of the clinical laboratory science profession, the following technical standards are required of students entering the CLT Associate in Applied Science Program.

Essential Movement Requirements for the CLT student:

• move freely and safely about a laboratory;
• reach bench tops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds, or patients seated in specimen collection furniture;
• travel to numerous clinical laboratory sites for practical experience;
• perform moderately taxing continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting, over several hours;
• maneuver phlebotomy and culture acquisition equipment to safely collect valid laboratory specimens from patients;
• control laboratory equipment and adjust instruments to perform laboratory procedures; and
• use an electronic keyboard to operate laboratory instruments and to calculate, evaluate and transmit laboratory results

Essential Communications Requirements for the program in CLT:

• read and comprehend technical and professional materials;
• follow verbal and written instructions in order to correctly and independently perform laboratory test procedures;
• clearly instruct patients prior to specimen collection;
• effectively, confidently, and sensitively converse with patients regarding laboratory tests;
• communicate with faculty members, fellow students, staff and other health care professionals verbally and in a recorded format (writing, typing, graphic or telecommunication); and
• independently prepare papers, prepare laboratory reports, and take paper, computer and laboratory practical examinations.

Essential Intellectual Requirements for the program in CLT:

• possess these intellectual skills: comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and criticism; and
• be able to exercise sufficient judgment to recognize and correct performance deviations.

Essential Behavioral Requirements for the program in CLT:

• be able to manage the use of time and be able to systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within realistic constraints;
• possess the emotional health necessary to effectively employ intellect and exercise appropriate judgment;
• be able to provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty, emergent demands, and a distracting environment;
• be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change;
• recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations, and proceed safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self and nearby individuals;
• adapt to working with unpleasant biologicals;
• support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals; promotion of peers helps furnish a team approach to learning, task completion, problem solving and patient care; and
• be honest, compassionate, ethical and responsible.  The student must be forthright about errors or uncertainty.  The student must be able to critically evaluate own performance, accept constructive criticism and look for ways to improve.  The student must be able to evaluate the performance of fellow students and tactfully offer constructive comments.

A Health Science Division Health Report Form is required to be submitted before students complete ML 111 coursework to ensure that matriculated students are in good physical and mental health and capable of completing the program requirements.  The Health Report Form includes a physical examination and an immunization report. In addition to the college immunization requirements, the SUNY system highly recommends that students handling fluids that have been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as directly linked to the transmission of HBV/or HIV (blood, blood products, body fluids, etc.) be vaccinated against HBV. Additionally, students need to be tested annually for TB (PPD test) and must have a tetanus vaccination within the last 10 years. Students must also have documentation of either history of Varicella (chicken pox); two dates of VZV immunizations; or VZV titer levels. Futhermore, the NYS Department of Health mandates all students scheduled for clinical rotations must receive the Influenza vaccine and requires that unvaccinated persons wear a surgical mask at all times while in areas where patients may be present. The immunization record is required to be complete and current in order for students to participate in clinical laboratories and clinical rotations. The college reserves the right to deny progression in the CLT Program when students have not updated or submit incomplete health report forms.

Accreditation

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) 5600 N River Road Suite 720 Rosemont, Illinois 60018 (773) 714-8880 http://www.naacls.org.

NAACLS Accreditation guidelines require that a procedure be established for determining that the applicant’s or student’s health will permit them to meet the technical standards of the program.

Licensure Compliance Statement

Effective July 1, 2024, federal regulation requires institutions of higher education to make a determination whether a Title IV eligible academic program that leads to professional licensure or certification meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in the U.S. State where the institution is located and the U.S. States where “distance education” students are located at the time of initial enrollment in the program, as well as U.S. States where the program is advertised as meeting such requirements, and if applicable, the U.S. State where students attest they intend to be licensed/certified. The Clinical Laboratory Technician/AAS program at SUNY Erie Community College is registered by the New York State Education Department and thus meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification for New York State. Through a good faith effort, and for the purpose of complying with the federal regulation, we have determined that Clinical Laboratory Technician/AAS program at SUNY Erie Community College does not meet the educational requirements for licensure/certification in any other U.S. State.  However, it is important to note that SUNY Erie Community College is not the licensure/certification authority in any U.S. State and cannot assess whether an individual candidate will be issued a license/certificate in any U.S. State and instead it is incumbent on each individual candidate to contact the licensure/certification authority in the applicable U.S. State for any further guidance on the requirements for licensure/certification requirements and application processes. 

Program Competencies

Upon graduation with an Associate in Applied Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Technology, the graduate will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of licensure, certification, and continuing education requirements as applicable to the Clinical Laboratory Profession.
2. Adhere to safety protocols, regulatory guidelines, and demonstrate professionalism in appearance, conduct, and ethics that uphold the integrity and reputation of the Clinical Laboratory.
3. Lead by example, supporting colleagues, building relationships, and collaborating within the healthcare team, demonstrating a team player attitude.
4. Demonstrate competence in performing Clinical Laboratory procedures including:
   • Collecting and processing human body fluids for analysis, e.g. blood, urine, saliva, nasal swab etc.
   • Storing and transporting clinical samples using appropriate preservation methods.
   • Performing analytical tests in chemistry/hemostasis, immunohematology, immunology, serology and microbiology in a clinical laboratory.
   • Evaluate routine instruments checks, quality control and maintenance procedures as required for tests assayed.
5. Analyze lab results, identify deviations from expected results, provide explanations, and recommend appropriate actions by using critical thinking and problem-solving techniques. 
6. Communicate clearly, accurately, and professionally, in both verbal and written/computational format to diverse audiences including colleagues, supervisors, and patients.
7. Prioritize patient safety, confidentiality and maintain high standards of work quality, consistently meeting and exceeding performance expectations.
8. Engage in professional development opportunity to stay up to date with contemporary innovations in Clinical Practice integrating new knowledge into application.

Program Effectiveness

Use the following link to view the Certification/Graduation/Employment Placement Rates section of our website for program effectiveness details:

SUNY Erie Clinical Laboratory Technician A.A.S.

Scholarships

• American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science
• American Society of Clinical Pathologists

(Additional scholarship information is on file in the CLT Department Office, room B 613, North Campus)

Curriculum

Total Degree Credits: 64