This handbook should be kept throughout your time as a Medical Laboratory Science student. It contains a great deal of useful and important information that you will need to refer to in the future. You will be held responsible for knowing the policies and information found in this handbook and you are required to sign and return the final signature page to Room 210 Kendall Hall. Keep your handbook throughout your undergraduate years at UNH.
We have prepared this student handbook as an additional resource for campus information. Other important student information may be obtained in the current editions of the UNH Undergraduate Catalog and the Student Rights, Rules and Responsibilities publication. Your advisor is also an excellent source of information, and can help you find answers to your questions or refer you to resources to help you with problems, whether personal or academic in nature.
PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS:
The Medical Laboratory Science Program will provide the state of New Hampshire and region with highly qualified clinical laboratory scientists who possess entry level knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform proficiently in workplaces such as clinical diagnostic laboratories, research settings and in the biomedical industry.
Goals of the Program: The program will provide the training for competent, qualified clinical laboratory scientists to satisfy the needs of the healthcare community and the biotechnology industry.
- Clinical Track: Students will be trained in the theoretical and practical competencies required by the National Association for the Accreditation of Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS). Students completing a degree in the MLS clinical track are eligible to take a national certification examination through either the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) or the National Certification Agency (NCA) for clinical laboratory scientists.
- Research Track: Students following the research track will complete MLS courses and additional approved electives instead of participating in the clinical internship program required for clinical track students. They will not be eligible to take MT certification exams, but will be prepared to work in laboratories in medical research and biotechnology related fields.
EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
The Medical Laboratory Science Program graduates competent professionals by providing each graduate with:
- Advanced skills and knowledge in routine laboratory services
- Familiarity with and opportunities for safe practice of analytical laboratory procedures in the university and hospital settings
- Comprehensive experience to achieve the standards set for by the program's accrediting body, NAACLS
ENTRY LEVEL COMPETENCIES:
Upon completion of the Medical Laboratory Science degree requirements, the graduate will be able to:
- Understand the fundamental scientific concepts applicable to medical laboratory sciences
- Use the scientific method and academic background to perform laboratory analyses, evaluate laboratory data, and solve problems
- Independently perform a variety of laboratory tests efficiently and accurately
- Understand relationships between laboratory data and health and disease
- Understand basic concepts in research study design
- Understand and apply basic concepts and skills in education, management, computer science, laboratory information systems, and medical research
- Develop, recognize and accept personal, professional and community responsibility
- Appreciate the need for self improvement through continuing education
- Adhere to the highest level of medical ethics
- Effectively communicate with other healthcare professionals
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
ACCREDITING AGENCY: The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) accredits The UNH MLS program. This accreditation ensures that your education is meeting the standards set forth by national agencies for the highest quality professional programs. If you have any questions, you may reach NAACLS at:
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
8410 W Bryn Mawr Ave. Suite 670
Chicago, IL 60631
Telephone: 773.714.8880
Fax: 773.714.8886
http://www.naacls.org
ADVISING:
You will be assigned an advisor when you enter the MLS program. You will need to meet with your advisor before registration each semester. Your advisor will help you decide which courses to take, help you ensure that you are meeting General Education requirements, and will give you your RAC sheet that contains your time to register and registration number.
It is your responsibility to make an appointment with your advisor before open registration begins.
You are also encouraged to make an appointment with your advisor any time during the semester if you have academic or other concerns. Your advisor will be happy to help you, or refer you to groups on campus that offer tutoring, peer counseling, or other assistance. Because of the low instructor/student ratio you have the ability to get to know your professors, and talk to them about the profession. The MLS faculty and staff are committed to maintaining confidentiality and impartiality.
APPEALS:
Refer to the Students Rights, Rules and Responsibilities Handbook for policies on the Appeals Process.
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS:
Evelyn Nixon-Jardine Award: Evelyn Nixon Jardine was one of the founders of the Medical Technology Program at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, established in 1937. This scholarship, set up in her memory, is awarded to a junior or juniors who have demonstrated excellence in the field of Medical Laboratory Science. It is awarded both on merit and on identified financial need.
Martha Hopkins Scholarship: The Martha Hopkins Scholarship was established at the University of New Hampshire with gifts from the family and friends of Martha Hopkins, UNH Class of 1964. She became a professor of Medical Technology, and taught Clinical Chemistry from 1982-1987. It is awarded on overall academic achievement in chemistry to an MLS senior.
Dr. Elizabeth French Scholarship: Dr. French studied Medical Technology at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, and was soon the Chief Technologist in the hospital's laboratory. In 1946 she entered medical school at McGill University and eventually returned to work at Mary Hitchcock, the Hitchcock Clinic, and the Dartmouth Medical School. Later, she became the Medical Director of the School of Medical Technology, and remained interested in the students and the field of medical technology. This scholarship was established in her memory by her former students and is given to the MLS senior with highest academic achievement in Hematology and Immunohematology.
Pam Low Scholarship: Pam Low earned her degree at UNH in 1951, and went on to a varied career in Microbiology, which included work for Arthur D. Little. She continues to be active in UNH Alumni Affairs and in the state of New Hampshire. Ms. Low established this award to recognize academic achievement in the area of clinical microbiology. The award is given to the MLS junior or senior with highest academic achievement in this area.
BLOODBORNE PATHOGEN STANDARDS:
The Medical Laboratory Science Program is committed to developing procedures and promoting practices that support prevention of the spread of infections by blood, body fluids and tissues. Work practices are based on the assumption that all body fluids and tissues are potentially infectious (Universal Precautions) and that blood is the single most important source of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and other bloodborne pathogens. You will receive detailed instructions in your classes on all procedures that need to be followed before handling potentially infectious materials. Please refer to the Student Laboratory Safety Manual and be aware that each student must review the manual each semester and place his/her initials and date in the log sheets at the back of the manual.
CERTIFICATION:
When you have completed the MLS program, including the internship, you are qualified to take the certification exams of the National Certifying Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel (NCA) and ASCP Board of Registry (ASCP). You do NOT have to pass any certification exam in order to graduate. Certification will be useful to you when you are ready to start working as a Medical Technologist, but it is not part of your academic program. UNH students are well prepared for these exams, and have a high rate of passing on the first attempt. Study materials are also available through the MLS office.
American Society of Clinical Pathologists - ASCP
Email: ascp@ascp.org www.ascp.org
2100 West Harrison Street
Chicago, IL 60612-3798
800-621-4142 (Voice - Toll-free) 312-738-1336 (Voice)
312-738-1619 (FAX)
National Certifying Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel - NCA
Email: nca-info@goamp.com www.nca-info.org
P.O. Box 15945-289
Lenexa, KS 66285
(913) 438-5110, EXT. 647
(913) 599-5340 (FAX)
CLINICAL AFFILIATES:
COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Academic setting: Students are required to communicate and interact appropriately and effectively with both course instructors and classmates.
Clinical setting: Students are required to communicate and interact appropriately and effectively with members of the healthcare team, instructors, students and patients.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
Students are expected to maintain confidentiality of all patient information and must not talk about patient records/values outside of the learning environment. Breaches of this policy will lead to dismissal from the program.
COUNSELING CENTER:
The student counseling center is located at Schofield House and can be reached at 862-2090. Appointments can be made over the phone or in person and emergency services are offered during regular business hours or by calling the Counseling Center after hours.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
If you major in the Medical Laboratory Science clinical track, you will be choosing a health care profession where honesty and integrity are critical personal characteristics required both in your academic studies and in the practice of the profession. To ensure that your decision to pursue this career is the correct one for you, we ask that you review the Essential Functions by which you will be assessed as a Medical Laboratory Science major. The Essential Functions are the non-academic requirements of the Program, comprising the physical, emotional and professional demands required.
Physical demands required include:
1. Ability to perform manual laboratory procedures with dexterity.
2. Ability to operate state-of-the-art instruments, including computers.
3. Ability to use a microscope and differentiate microscopic components.
4. Ability to perform delicate manipulations that require good hand to eye coordination.
Emotional demands required include:
1. Ability to perform laboratory procedures accurately and quickly, even under stressful conditions.
2. Ability to exercise independent judgement and to think logically in the performance of one's duties.
3. Ability to organize and to assume responsibility for one's work.
Professional demands required include:
1. Ability to communicate in a professional, positive and tactful manner with patients, physicians, nurses and other health care and non health care employees, as well as fellow laboratory personnel
2. Ability to maintain patient confidentiality and to exercise ethical judgement, integrity, honesty, dependability and accountability in the performance of one's laboratory responsibilities.
3. Ability to perform laboratory tests carefully while maintaining efficiency and organization.
4. Ability to exercise critical thinking skills to solve problems.
FACULTY:
Christine L. Bean, MBA, MT(ASCP) Assistant Professor
Office: Room 223 Kendall 862-1632
Lab: Room 235 Rudman 862-3008
E-mail clbean@cisunix.unh.edu
Sylvia Countway, M.Ed., MT(ASCP), Assistant Professor and MLS Program Director
Office: Room 210 Kendall 862-0133
E-mail: shc@cisunix.unh.edu
Adele Marone, B.S., MT(ASCP), Instructor
Lab: Room 519 Kendall 862-2354
E-mail: amarone@cisunix.unh.edu
Deena Small, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Office: Room 310 Kendall
Joyce Stone, B.S., H(ASCP)SH, Assistant Professor
Office: Room 310 Kendall 862-0656
E-mail: jstone716@excite.com
GRADING POLICIES:
Grading policies will be handed out in each class at the start of the semester. Every instructor is responsible for discussing and explaining the basis for her or his evaluation of students (Students Rights, Rules and Responsibilities (2002-2003).
MLS majors must earn a grade of C or better in all MLS courses. MLS courses must be repeated if the student earns any grade below C, including C- (please see "Internship" section for grade and cumulative grade-point-average requirements).
HEALTH SERVICES:
UNH Health Services provides comprehensive primary medical care, laboratory testing, radiology, and pharmacy services and is located at the Health Services Center (862-1530)
HONORS:
Students who complete at least 12 credits in one semester and earn at least a 3.20 grade point average are designated honors students for that semester. Students who have a minimum of a 3.20 grade point average may complete the Honors in Major which requires that during both the junior and senior years, one major course per semester is designated as "Honors". An additional course project is completed to earn the honors credit and may be in the form of a research paper, class presentation and/or poster preparation for a professional meeting.
IMMUNIZATION, HEPATITIS
We highly recommend that each student complete the series of vaccinations for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and antibody titer testing, available through UNH Health Services. This immunization will protect you from contracting HBV. If you choose not to complete the vaccinations, you will be required to sign a waiver of consent form.
click to view policy
INTENT TO GRADUATE FORMS:
At the start of the final year of the program, each student who expects to meet the graduation requirements by the following May (research track) or September (clinical track) must fill out an Intent to Graduate form. This process protects the student, ensuring that all requirements including major, general education and writing intensive, are known far enough in advance so that appropriate action can be taken if necessary.
INTERNSHIPS:
Phlebotomy and senior internships are not guaranteed! Formal application is required for clinical internships. UNH Faculty recommendations and formal interviews by the clinical site are also required and considered for internship acceptance.
You must have a 2.5 cumulative GPA, and have received a C or better in all MLS courses in order to apply for a clinical internship. Both of these requirements must be maintained at the time the internship begins. If you do not have a 2.5 GPA and are able to improve your GPA by retaking classes to remedy any shortfalls, you may be permitted to apply in the fall of your senior year for any open internship slots.
For those students who do not meet these requirements, other options to complete the major are available. First, students may consider a categorical option in the clinical track. This option requires the student to select one specialty area of focus and the MLS faculty will assist in finding a clinical internship in that one laboratory area. The second option
is the MLS research track, which is described later in this handbook. Students in the MLS research track must fulfill University requirements for the B.S. degree.
PASS/FAIL COURSES:
The University offers this option to encourage you to take a maximum of 4 credits per semester up to a total of 16 credits toward a degree as pass/fail. This cannot be used for general education requirements, writing intensive courses, for courses required for a major or minor or for repeated courses.
RESEARCH TRACK:
The research track option is available to students who plan to work in research laboratories or the field of biotechnology. Students follow the same curriculum as clinical track students except that they do not complete a clinical internship. Instead, these students work with their advisors to select elective courses to complete during the spring semester of senior year on campus. These students may also earn credit for working in a research laboratory on campus or in a biotechnology laboratory. Please speak to your advisor about this option and see the MLS curriculum outline for ideas for elective courses.
SERVICE WORK IN CLINICAL SETTINGS:
Students are not required to work in the clinical settings outside of regular academic hours. Students who demonstrate proficiency in a laboratory area, may be permitted to perform procedures with qualified supervision if they choose to.
STUDENT CONDUCT:
MLS students are expected to behave professionally in both the academic and clinical setting. As with any profession in the health field, good patient care requires honesty, strict adherence to established procedures, and confidentiality. These qualities, referred to by educators as the "affective domain", are just as important as academic performance. You will be evaluated informally in your classes on these qualities using the MLS Laboratory Course Evaluation Form. These informal evaluations will be used by MLS faculty when completing Faculty Recommendation Forms for the Clinical Internship site(s). Sample evaluation forms are attached at the end of the clinical handbook.
TELEPHONE/FAX NUMBERS:
| MLS PROGRAM OFFICE KENDALL HALL ROOM 210 |
603 862-1376 |
| FAX (DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL, NUTRITIONAL AND MLS) |
603 862-3758 |
TRANSFER CREDITS:
The Admissions Office will evaluate credits transferred from another institution. If you are a degree student and want to take courses at another institution, you will need to get a Course Credit Transfer Approval Form from the Registrar's Office and speak with your advisor about your plans.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:
Students are encouraged to enhance their undergraduate education through collaborative research projects with UNH faculty members. Students may apply to the UROP program to receive awards and fellowships to support the research. Contact the UROP Office at Hood House 862-4323 and speak with your faculty advisor about available opportunities.
SIGNATURE PAGE:
After printing, please fill out and return this page to the MLS program at 210 Kendall Hall. Thank You!
APPENDIX A: A schedule of the current academic year 2002-2003
APPENDIX B: Current curriculum
APPENDIX C: Evaluation Forms
MLS Laboratory Course Student Evaluation
Faculty Recommendation Form for Clinical Internship
APPENDIX D: American Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences Code of Ethics
REVISED 10/2002
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