Clinical Laboratory Science, B.A.S.

Acceptance Criteria

In order to qualify for admission to the Bachelor of Applied Sciences in Clinical Laboratory Science, students must:

• Have a 2.5 overall GPA in previous coursework.
• Have earned a minimum of an Associate in Science or Associate in Arts degree from a regionally accredited educational institution or 60 credit hours*.
• Have successfully completed the following common program prerequisite courses (or appropriate substitutions) with a grade of C or higher:
  • BSC 2010 - Core Biology 1 / BSC 2010L - Core Biology 1 Lab (4 credits)
  • MCB 2010 - Introduction to Microbiology / MCB 2010L - Introduction to Microbiology Lab (4 credits)
  • BSC 2085 - Anatomy and Physiology 1 / BSC 2085L - Anatomy and Physiology 1 Lab & BSC 2086 - Anatomy and Physiology 2 / BSC 2086L - Anatomy and Physiology 2 Lab (8 credits)
  • CHM 2045 - College Chemistry 1 / CHM 2045L - College Chemistry 1 Lab, CHM 2046 - College Chemistry 2 / CHM 2046L - College Chemistry 2 Lab, CHM 2210 - Organic Chemistry 1 / CHM 2210L - Organic Chemistry 1 Lab,  CHM 2211 - Organic Chemistry 2 / CHM 2211L-Organic Chemistry 2 Lab  (16 credits)
  • STA 2023 - Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)

*Applicants that have not completed an associate degree may need to complete general education requirements before graduation.

Foreign Language Competency and General Education

Individuals who have not completed their foreign language prior to enrolling at SF (can be high school or college level) must complete two semesters of college-level sequential foreign language study before finishing the BAS program. Students may select their General Education classes from any eligible courses within SF’s approved General Education package, but students should choose classes which also will satisfy the Common Program Course Prerequisites.

Scholarships

There are many scholarships available for Santa Fe College students to apply to. Please visit the Scholarships webpage for more information and how to apply.

Financial Aid

There are many options to finance your education. You may be eligible for Federal Grants, Work Study, State Grants, Federal Loans, and Institutional Scholarships. Please visit the Financial Aid page for more information and how to apply.

Program Goals

Upon completion of the Santa Fe’s Clinical Laboratory Science – Medical Laboratory Science Track, MLS graduates will be prepared to:

• Supervise, train, or direct lab assistants, medical and clinical laboratory technicians or technologists, or other medical laboratory workers engaged in laboratory testing.
• Provide technical information about test results to physicians, family members, or researchers.
• Communicate effectively with health care providers and the public.
• Continue to learn throughout their professional careers.

Educational Objectives

At the completion of the MCLS-MLS program, students will be able to: 

• Conduct chemical analysis of body fluids, including blood, urine, or spinal fluid, to determine presence of normal or abnormal components.
• Analyze laboratory findings to check the accuracy of the results.
• Operate, calibrate, or maintain equipment used in quantitative or qualitative analysis, such as spectrophotometers, calorimeters, flame photometers, or computer-controlled analyzers.
• Collect and study blood samples to determine the number of cells, their morphology, or their blood group, blood type, or compatibility for transfusion purposes, using microscopic techniques.
• Enter data from analysis of medical tests or clinical results into computer for storage.
• Establish or monitor quality assurance programs or activities to ensure the accuracy of laboratory results.
• Analyze samples of biological material for chemical content or reaction.
• Set up, clean, and maintain laboratory equipment.
• Cultivate, isolate, or assist in identifying microbial organisms or perform various tests on these microorganisms.
• Develop, standardize, evaluate, or modify procedures, techniques, or tests used in the analysis of specimens or in medical laboratory experiments.
• Harvest cell cultures at optimum time, based on knowledge of cell cycle differences and culture conditions. Select and prepare specimens and media for cell cultures, using aseptic technique and knowledge of medium components and cell requirements.
• Conduct medical research under direction of microbiologist or biochemist.

Starting as a freshman, the suggested course sequence for this program schedules a full load of classes each semester including summers over four years for a total of 125 semester credit hours. If starting as a junior with the required prerequisites, the suggested sequence of courses takes two years including summers to complete. Students from other colleges and universities requesting to enter the upper division portion of the program must document comparable prerequisite course work before admission to the program.

Students must have a grade of "C" or better in all 3000 or 4000 level courses.

Baccalaureate students will enroll in courses full-time and will complete a clinical internship in the five specialty license areas in their final year at affiliated laboratories. Part time students will be allowed to take courses if space is available. The clinical affiliate internships will only be offered on a full-time basis after completion of all didactic coursework and serve as an evaluation point at which the students must demonstrate mastery of the program’s learning outcomes. To ensure equity across sites, the SF Clinical Director works closely with all affiliate institutions to ensure that students gain proficiency in the skills needed to enter the Clinical Laboratory workforce.

Upon completion of all program requirements, students will graduate with a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. Graduates are then eligible for certification as a medical technologist by the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB) and American Medical Technologist (AMT) at which point they may apply for licensure in the state of Florida. 

Bachelor of Applied Science in Clinical Laboratory Science Completion Overview of Credits Required

• Program prerequisite courses: 35 credit hours
• General Education courses: 26 credit hours
• Biotechnology Lower Division Core Courses: 6 credit hours
• CLS Upper Division Core Courses: 58 credit hours
• Total required credit hours for program: 125 credit hours

Term 1

• BSC2426C Methods 1 (3 credit hours)
• HSC3555C Pathophysiology (3 credit hours)
• BCH3023 Biochemistry (3 credit hours)
• PCB4233 Immunology (3 credit hours)

Term 2

• MLS4308/L Hematology (4 credit hours)
• MLS4625/L Clin Chem (4 credit hours)
• PCB3134/L Molecular Biology (4 credit hours)

Term 3

• MLS4460C Pathogenic Micro (5 credit hours)
• MLS3705 Lab Management (2 credit hours)
• MCB4503 Virology (3 credit hours)
• BSC2423C Proteins (3 credit hours)

Term 4

• MLS4550/L Immunohematology (4 credit hours)
• MLS4191/L Molecular Diag (3 credit hours)
• MLS4150 Clinical Correlations (2 credit hours)
• MLS4038L Medical Technology (1 credit hour)
• MLS4825L Urinalysis/Body flds (1 credit hour)
• MLS4824L Serology (1 credit hour)

Term 5

• MLS4820L Clin Chem Intern. (4 credit hours)
• MLS4822L Hematology Internship (4 credit hours)
• MLS4821L Micro Internship (4 credit hours)
• MLS4823L Immunoheme Int. (3 credit hours)

CLS students must be able to:

• Possess sufficient eyesight to observe, manipulate, and evaluate instrumentation and procedures.
• Possess sufficient hearing to communicate, manipulate, and evaluate computerized instrumentation and perform laboratory testing Procedures.
• Possess sufficient critical thinking, problem solving and ethical practice within the course and all laboratory practice settings.
• Possess sufficient English verbal and written skills to communicate effectively.
• Possess sufficient fine motor coordination to safely perform laboratory techniques to determine differences between diagnostic elements in clinical specimens.
• Possess sufficient intellectual and emotional abilities to exercise independent judgment and discretion
• Perform mathematical and scientific data to medical testing interpretation and other laboratory practices.
• Maintain respectful and effective communication in professional interactions.
• Perform procedures efficiently and under stressful situations and environments.

Program Effectiveness captures the quality of a program using qualitative data such as program completion and job placement.

Clinical Laboratory Sciences offers a sound foundation for Pre-Med programs.

Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program Outcomes

• 2020 - 2021 - Pass Rate still in process
• 2019 - 2020 - Average Pass rate for ASCP: 87%

Program completion rate

Expected Level of Achievement: 95% or greater of the Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) students admitted who successfully complete the CLS program.

• 2019 - 91%

Employed in field

• 2019 - 100%
• 2020 - 100%

Required internship is approximately 20 - 22 weeks depending on the clinical site. Required rotations include: Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Hematology, Blood Banking and Urinalysis.

Note: This degree is contingent on passing the National Board Exam ASCP. Students apply during the last rotation of their internship. Students may also be certified through American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB).