Behind Every Diagnosis: Become a Medical Lab Expert
Do you have a passion for medical discovery? San Jacinto College’s Medical Laboratory Technology program may be for you. Lab workers play a vital role in the health of our society. Although they have minimal contact with patients, they provide doctors with critical information to diagnose, monitor, and treat patients. Through hands-on training in state-of-the-art campus labs and supervised clinical rotations at partnering hospitals and diagnostic facilities across the Houston area, students develop skills in hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical chemistry, and blood banking.
Career Opportunities and Income
Visit sanjac.edu for information regarding career opportunities and potential earnings in the Greater Houston region.
Job Entry Requirements. The College informs all students in this program who may have a criminal background that a criminal history could keep graduates from being licensed by the state of Texas. Students with any questions about their background and licensure may speak with the program’s department chair. This is in accordance with Texas House Bill 1508 amendments to Texas Occupations Code Sec 53.152.
Learning & Career Pathway
The Medical Laboratory Technology, Associate of Applied Science (AAS) is intended to provide students with all skills needed to enter the workforce. At this time, this award is the only one that employers value and hire for job entry, so the College does not currently have other certificates or degrees related to this learning pathway.
Learning Outcomes and Career Skills
A student completing this degree will be able to:
- Collect, process, and analyze blood and body fluid specimens
- Determine specimen acceptability based on test ordered and specimen requirements
- Perform daily and scheduled quality control and analyzer maintenance
- Trouble shoot and interpret patient and quality control results
- Trouble shoot and perform tasks to correct technical errors
- Exhibit verbal, non-verbal and written communication across healthcare disciplines
- Use critical thinking to prioritize and manage department workflow
- Perform the duties of a Medical Laboratory Technologist in an ethical and professional manner that is in compliance with HIPAA
Program Accreditation
The San Jacinto College Medical Laboratory Technology program is accredited by:
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 N. River Road, Suite 720
Rosemont, Illinois 60018-5119
847-939-3597
773-714-8880
773-714-8886 (fax)
External Learning Experiences
This program includes external learning experiences outside of the classroom, e.g., an internship, externship, clinical, practicum, or cooperative learning experience. Those experiences are typically on-site at a business or organization.
All students participating in external learning experiences are required to comply with the immunization requirements and policies of the external learning sites. Some learning sites outside the college have their own vaccination requirements. These rules come from those facilities and are not mandated by the college. Failure to meet those immunization requirements may limit a student’s ability to complete the program and/or may delay the student’s graduation date. San Jacinto College does not process exemptions, and students should address potential vaccination exemptions directly with the external learning site.
Locations
College Admission
San Jacinto College is an open admission institution. All students are welcome to apply and will be admitted to the College. You may begin the process on the College’s “How to Apply” webpage.
Program Admission
In addition to being admitted to the College, students must also be admitted to the Medical Laboratory Technology, AAS which has additional requirements and/or steps.
Plan of Study
3MED-LABT
| Prerequisites | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 2404 | Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology (lecture & lab) 1 | 4 |
| Mathematics 2 | 3 | |
| ENGL 1301 | Composition I | 3 |
| MLAB 1201 | Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science | 2 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| First Term | ||
| PLAB 1223 | Phlebotomy | 2 |
| MLAB 1311 | Urinalysis and Body Fluids | 3 |
| MLAB 2534 | Clinical Microbiology | 5 |
| MLAB 1415 | Hematology | 4 |
| HPRS 1206 | Essentials of Medical Terminology | 2 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Term | ||
| MLAB 2164 | Practicum I-Medical Laboratory Technician | 1 |
| MLAB 1227 | Coagulation | 2 |
| MLAB 1235 | Immunology and Serology | 2 |
| MLAB 2165 | Practicum II-Medical Laboratory Technician | 1 |
| SCIT 1314 | Applied General Chemistry I | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Third Term | ||
| MLAB 2431 | Immunohematology | 4 |
| MLAB 2401 | Clinical Chemistry | 4 |
| PSYC 2301 | General Psychology | 3 |
| Credits | 11 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| MLAB 2167 | Practicum III-Medical Laboratory Technician | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Speech Communication | ||
| Public Speaking | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Business and Professional Communication | ||
| Language, Philosophy and Culture (Humanities) or Creative Arts (Fine Arts) | 3 | |
| MLAB 2168 | Practicum IV-Medical Laboratory Technician | 1 |
| MLAB 2238 | Advanced Topic in Medical Laboratory Technician | 2 |
| MLAB 2232 | Seminar in Medical Laboratory Technology | 2 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 60 | |
Course outline is representative of fall entry only. Adjustments will be made for spring entry.
- 1
Students who have already completed BIOL 2301, BIOL 2101, BIOL 2302, and BIOL 2102 may use this combination instead of BIOL 2404.
- 2
Students desiring to obtain a baccalaureate degree should take MATH 1314 College Algebra.
Capstone Experience: MLAB 2238 Advanced Topic in Medical Laboratory Technician
Medical Laboratory Technology students must earn a grade of C or above in each Medical Laboratory Technology course and required science courses and maintain an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 to graduate from the Medical Laboratory Technology program.