Medical Laboratory Technician

Medical Laboratory Assistant Associate of Applied Science

East Central College offers the MLT program through the Missouri Professions Consortium (MHPC) and is coordinated through Moberly Area Community College. Medical Laboratory Technicians occupy an essential function on the healthcare team. This group of professional focuses on laboratory specimens and techniques that provide physicians with test results for medical decisions. The breadth of knowledge needed to function in this profession includes areas of: Hematology and Coagulation; Clinical Microbiology, Parasitology, Mycology and Virology; Immunohematology, Clinical Chemistry and Urinalysis; Immunology and Phlebotomy.

Core classes in this program study human diseases and laboratory tests that identify them. Students learn to operate equipment in medical laboratories and perform a wide range of procedures. Classroom lecture and clinical instruction emphasize proper specimen collection and handling, understanding test procedures, safety, quality control, acquisition of technical skills, and troubleshooting techniques. The MLT program prepares you to assume responsibility in various laboratory settings, medical or non-medical, clinical diagnostic or research, hospital or reference laboratories.

After all classes and clinical requirements are completed within the MHPC MLT Program, students graduate from their home campus. The MHPC MLT Program is full-time only, with courses offered in a specific sequence. Each summer, an average of thirty students are selected to begin the program in the fall. The professional year of the program (MLT Coursework) is designed to be completed within 12 months beginning in August and ending the following August. When students have successfully completed the medical Laboratory Technician program, they will be eligible to take the American Society for Clinical Pathology certification exam.