Admissions Program-Specific Policies Curriculum Summary Progress, Promotion, and Graduation For additional information, please view our Frequently Asked Questions

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Kathy Kenwright, Ed.D., Program Director
Alex Ryder, M.D., Medical Advisor

Program Objectives

The College of Health Professions offers an online Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science (BSMLS) for students who have earned an Associate of Science (AS) or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT). This career-ladder program allows Medical Laboratory Technicians to complete their Bachelor of Science degree online while maintaining their employment in a medical laboratory. Graduates of the program are prepared to function effectively as medical laboratory scientists in any laboratory setting and eventually to assume positions of responsibility in laboratory management, teaching and consulting.

Accreditation

The UTHSC program in medical laboratory science is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018- 5119; (773) 714-8880; http://www.naacls.org.

Admissions

Prerequisite coursework	Credit Hours
General Education
English Composition	3
English Literature	3a
Humanities or Fine Arts	3
Social/Behavioral Sciences	3
Natural Science/Mathematics
College Algebra	3
American History	6b
Subtotal	21
General Education Electives
Electives	5
Subtotal	5
Prerequisite Course Work
English Composition II	3
General Chemistry	8
Organic Chemistry	8c
General Biology or Zoology	8
Human Physiology or Anatomy/Physiology	4
Microbiology	4
Subtotal	35
MLT Courses & Licensured
Competency-Based Credit	23
Total	84

1. Courses in literature maybe used to fulfill the Humanities/Fine Arts requirement.
2. Students lacking the required one unit (one year) of American History from high school must complete six (6) credit hours of American History or three (3) credit hours of American History and three (3) credit hours of Tennessee History to fulfill the requirements in General Education.  Students who have successfully completed one unit (one year) of American History in high school will need to complete six (6) credits of elective to have thirty (30) credit hours in General Education.
3. One semester of Organic Chemistry and one semester of Biochemistry maybe be substituted for two semesters of Organic Chemistry.
4. Applicants who have completed a medical laboratory technician program, received a degree and passed one of the following board exams: American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) or American Medical Technologists (AMT) and are certified as a medical laboratory technician will be granted 23 credits for competency based education.

 

2. An earned AS or AAS degree in Medical Laboratory Technology from a NAACLS accredited program.
3. In  addition  to  their  B.S.  degree  requirements,  qualified  students  must  have  successfully completed with a “C” or better the specific courses required for medical laboratory science.
4. A minimum overall GPA of 2.5.
5. Sufficient college level course work to total a minimum of 84 credit hours with a “C” or higher in MLT and prerequisite courses.
6. Two letters of recommendation from previous college instructors or immediate supervisor and a letter of support from the applicant’s laboratory manager.
7. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must submit the results of t h e TOEFL, with a minimum score of 550 on the written test, 213 on the computer test or 80 on the TOEFL iBT®.
8. Interview with the faculty.
9. Coursework from another professional degree program may not be transferred to meet the requirements for admission to or graduation from the MLS program.  There is no advanced standing or placement in the program.

Applications are accepted online at http://www.uthsc.edu/admissions/chp.php.

Health Requirements

In addition to general University of Tennessee Health Science Center requirements, Medical Laboratory Science students are required to have an annual skin test for tuberculosis and to be immunized against Neisseria meningitidis and the Hepatitis B virus.

Required Textbooks

Students may access the required books for the program by going to the following link to the Bookstore on the UTHSC website: http://www.uthsc.edu/purchasing/bookstore.php.

Technical Standards

For admission to the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science degree programs or the Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), students are expected to be able to successfully meet the Technical Standards outlined below. Students are required to sign the Technical Standards Commitment form indicating their understanding and ability to meet these standards either with or without accommodations (for persons with documented disabilities). Any questions about these technical standards should be directed to the program director of the MLS programs.

UTHSC receives applications from a diverse body of potential students including those with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to help students meet these technical standards when appropriate, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Any student wishing accommodations should contact the Student Academic Support Services and Inclusion (SASSI) for further information. Information regarding accommodations can be found on the SASSI website page:

https://uthsc.edu/sassi/disability_services.php or by calling 901-448-5056.

In the event a student cannot fulfill these Technical Standards with or without reasonable accommodations at any time in their program, the student will be ineligible for admission or continued enrollment in the program. In addition to ensuring that students can meet the intellectual, emotion and physical criteria for medical laboratory science, it should also be noted that of utmost importance is the student’s ability to provide for the welfare and safety of their patients and others. This is the foundation of all Technical Standards and if this cannot be done, the student is unable to meet the criteria outlined by the Technical Standards.

Once enrolled in the BS MLS or MS CLS Program, students must meet the requirements of the curriculum, including the demonstration of the skills described herein for the Program in order to progress through the curriculum and to graduate.

General Standards

The students must have the ability to:

• Assess and make appropriate judgements regarding lab services and patient outcomes.
• Prioritize and perform laboratory testing.
• Adapt to a variety of patient care situations, including crisis.
• Communicate effectively in English, orally and in writing.
• Participate in discussion in the classroom, the clinical arena and with colleagues and patients.
• Acquire information developed through didactic instruction and clinical experiences.
• Comprehend reading assignments and to search and evaluate literature.
• Prepare written assignments and maintain written records.
• Perform duties and assignments in a timely fashion while under stress and in a variety of settings.
• Meet deadlines and manage time.
• Utilize the computer for instructional assignments and patient care activities.

Physical and Motor Skills

The student must possess:

• Dexterity with both wrists, hands and arms, and dexterity with all fingers.
• Motor skills to grasp, pinch, push, pull, finger, hold, extend, rotate, cut.
• Ability to obtain and/or verify patient samples.
• Sufficient stamina to tolerate physically taxing workloads.
• Ability to operate/manipulate and effectively evaluate the status of laboratory instruments and equipment.

Sensory Skills

The student must possess:

• Visual acuity (corrected to 20/40); visual perception with respect to depth and color.
• Cognitive, Integrative, Quantitative Skills
• The student must possess the:
• Ability to measure, calculate, analyze, interpret, synthesize and evaluate as applicable to clinical practice.
• Ability to solve one or more problems within specific time frames, which are often short.
• Ability to comprehend spatial relationships.

Affective, Behavioral and Social Skills

The student must be able to:

• Function as part of a team (communicate effectively in English, consult, negotiate, share, delegate).
• Delegate to and supervise others.
• Adhere to safety guidelines for self and others.
• Comply with standards and regulations required by external agencies.
• Follow instructions/procedures with accuracy and precision.
• Maintain intellectual and emotional stability and maturity under stress, while also maintaining appropriate performance standards.
• Learn and exhibit professional attributes.

State Authorization

As outlined in the college section of this bulletin, students completing all or a portion of an educational program who reside outside of the state in which the program originates (i.e., for UTHSC students residing outside of the state of Tennessee while enrolled in an online program) must be authorized per statute to do so by the state in which they live.  The University of Tennessee is responsible for securing all necessary authorizations across the US.  Students seeking admission to the online MLT-MLS who plan to live outside of Tennessee while completing the degree should contact the program director to confirm the presence of the necessary state authorization.

General Education Competencies

General education competencies for all UTHSC baccalaureate degrees are:

Critical Thinking
​Students will demonstrate their ability to solve problems, construct and present cogent arguments in support of their views, and understand and evaluate arguments presented by others.

Communication
Students will demonstrate appropriate skills in planning, preparing, and presenting effective oral and written presentations.

Interprofessionalism
Students will be able to explain interprofessional practice to patients, clients, families, and/or other professionals, describe the areas of practice of other health professions, and express professional pinions competently, confidently, and respectfully while avoiding discipline specific language.

General education competencies will be measured through tools and strategies such as student performance on oral presentations, written critiques of research papers, and papers written in capstone courses.

Program-Specific Policies

Communication

Email is the primary mode of communication for instructor and student interactions and is conducted using the official UTHSC email system. Course information is provided to students via the campus learning management system, BlackBoard, which includes the course syllabus, links to campus resources, reading and supplemental class materials, recorded lectures, testing and assessment, grades and other classroom materials. To ensure online privacy and to verify student identity, students must use their unique login and id to access their email accounts and the BlackBoard site. Student’s personal information is not shared with anyone outside of the college unless specified by the student in accordance with all FERPA guidelines. Students can only access courses in which they are enrolled.  Faculty may also interact with students via web-conferencing, video chat and telephone conferences.

Exams
Final exams are taken through a live proctoring service that allows students to take exams from anywhere using a webcam and a reliable internet connection. This service verifies the identity of the student.

Academic and Student Support Services for Online Students
Additional resources and information particularly pertinent to students enrolled in an online program is provided in the college portion of the bulletin as well as the overall UTHSC portion of the bulletin.  Students are strongly encouraged to review the information regarding access to various resources for online students.

Attendance Requirement

Attendance is mandatory. In an online class, which means participating in discussions or activities posted in Blackboard and checking for announcements on a daily basis.

Clinical Affiliations

Clinical affiliation sites are located in Memphis and throughout Tennessee. Ideally students will complete their clinical practicums at their place of employment. These practicums must be completed outside of their work schedule. If the place of employment does not perform testing in all areas, the student will be expected to find an alternate site. An affiliation agreement (between the clinical site and the University) must be signed before a student can perform a clinical practicum.

Grading Policy

Written and practical examinations and performance evaluations are a part of the educational program throughout the curriculum. All courses in each credit must be passed before the student is allowed to progress to the next term. No credit for any course is awarded until the end of the term. The point- grade conversion scale used by the medical laboratory science program for all courses is as follows:

94-100 = A

92-93 = A-

89-91 = B+

85-88 = B

83-84 = B-

80-82 = C+

75-79 = C

73-74 = C-

71-72 = D+

65-70 = D

Below 65 = F

The grading scale for all clinical practice courses is as follows:

95 - 100 = A
86 - 94 = B
80 - 85 = C
75 - 79 = D
Below 75 = F

Information about grading for incompletes and withdrawals is covered in the general college section of the bulletin. Students should reference this information about grade assignments in these situations.