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Laboratory Administrators, Do you have
vacancies you can't fill? Are you facing a large number of retirements in
the coming years? Are you concerned about finding certified laboratory professionals to
staff your laboratory?
If so, the St. Petersburg College (SPC) Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT)
Online Program may provide a long-term solution to your staffing needs. This unique program is
designed for working adults and does not have any on-campus requirements,
making it ideal for your phlebotomists or lab assistants who would like to
become MLTs. Consider becoming a clinical affiliate of
the SPC program so you can sponsor your employees in the program
and provide their clinical experiences right in your own laboratory. In just
2-3 years, you'll have new certified MLTs on your staff, ones who have been
trained in your policies and procedures and who are likely
to stay.
For further details, please review our Frequently Asked Questions below
or contact the program director at
polansky.valerie@spcollege.edu
or 727-341-3714.
How
can you teach medical laboratory technology online?
Is the SPC MLT Online Program accredited?
How long
has the SPC MLT Program been in existence?
What
can you tell me about the quality of the program?
What clinical laboratories are affiliated with the SPC MLT Program?
I’d like to talk to someone at one of your affiliated laboratories to see
how the program works for them. Is that possible?
What are the qualifications to become a clinical affiliate of the SPC MLT Program?
How does
my laboratory become a clinical affiliate?
Where do you have clinical affiliates?
Is there an application fee or any other charge to the clinical affiliate?
Does the college pay the clinical site for providing clinical instruction?
Will my staff have to deliver lectures and develop tests?
How much
paperwork would my staff have to do?
Will we need to have an education coordinator or a dedicated instructor?
How many hours of clinical instruction are required in the program?
How
many hours a week are required for clinical work?
What days and hours must the clinical work be completed?
We’re used to working with students from another program. Can we just follow
that program’s curriculum?
Can
students do any of their clinical hours on company time?
How long would it take for my employees to complete the program?
What is the tuition for
the program?
We have a tuition reimbursement plan and only pay if the student earns a "B"
or higher. Can our students pay their tuition after they complete each
course?
We want to pay our students’ tuition up front. How can we do that?
Our laboratory is not in Florida. Will our students have to pay out-of-state
tuition?
There is just one employee that we want to sponsor in the program. Can we
limit the affiliation agreement to that one person?
If we sign an affiliation agreement with SPC, are we obligated to take
students who are not employees?
We have a lab assistant who already has a BS in Biology. Since the SPC
program is an AS program, could this person apply?
We have a phlebotomist who is interested in the program. Would she have to
take the two phlebotomy courses?
We have a lab assistant who started an MLT program in our area but
didn’t complete it. Would she receive credit for the work that she did in
that program?
My employees are fast learners. Can they complete the program at their own
pace?
How often do you admit a
class?
Do you have selective
admissions?
When should my
employees apply for admission?
What are the entry
requirements?
Do my
employees have to take all of the credits through SPC?
How
can I receive more information about the program?
Q: How can you teach medical laboratory technology online?
A: It’s really just the theory that’s online. The program requires the
same amount of hand-on experience as most traditional programs, but they
take place in affiliated clinical laboratories instead of on campus.
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Q: Is the SPC MLT Online Program accredited?
A: Yes, the program is fully accredited by the
National Accrediting
Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).
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Q: How long has the SPC MLT Program been in existence?
A: SPC has had an MLT Program since 1972. The program was restructured
for distance delivery in 2001.
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Q: What can you tell me about the quality of the program?
A: As one of the first MLT programs designed for and dedicated to true
distance education, the SPC MLT Online Program has a proven track record of
success. Since its inception in 2001, the program has maintained a 100% pass
rate on the national certification exam and program means exceed the
national mean for every section of the exam. Clinical affiliates and
employers express satisfaction with the program and its graduates.
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Q:
What clinical laboratories are affiliated with the SPC MLT Program?
Click here
to see a list of current clinical affiliates
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Q: I’d like to talk to someone at one of your affiliated laboratories to
see how the program works for them. Is that possible?
A: Yes. Just contact the program director at
polansky.valerie@spcollege.edu
or 727-341-3714 and she can provide contact information.
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Q: What are the qualifications to become a clinical affiliate of the SPC
MLT Program?
A: Affiliated clinical laboratories must be accredited by CAP and/or
JCAHO and must have the staffing, instrumentation, test menu, and test
volumes to deliver the SPC clinical curriculum. The laboratory must be able
to provide instruction in Phlebotomy, Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, Blood
Banking, and Clinical Microbiology. See the
Essential Instruction
Checklist for more details.
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Q: How does my laboratory become a clinical affiliate?
A: Download and complete the
Clinical Affiliate Application and
submit it, along with the requested documentation. The application will be
reviewed by the SPC MLT Advisory Committee. If approved, a Request for
Contract will be submitted to the SPC Attorney. The affiliation agreement
must be signed by both parties before students may begin the clinical
courses.
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Q: Where do you
have clinical affiliates?
Click here to see a list of
clinical affiliates.
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Q: Is there an application fee or any other charge to the clinical
affiliate?
A: No.
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Q: Does the college pay the clinical site for providing clinical
instruction?
A: No.
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Q: Will my staff have to deliver lectures and develop tests?
A: No. All theory is delivered online and clinical affiliates are
provided with the complete clinical curriculum. Your staff’s responsibility
will be to demonstrate laboratory procedures and to supervise the students
as they learn to perform them.
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Q: How much paperwork would my staff have to do?
A: The clinical instructors will be asked to communicate with the
college instructors by email to provide regular updates on student progress,
to sign the students’ time reports, and complete an evaluation form at the
completion of each clinical experience course.
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Q: Will we need to have an education coordinator or a dedicated
instructor?
A: In almost all of our affiliated laboratories, instruction is delivered
by the testing personnel.
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Q: How many hours of clinical instruction are required in the program?
A: There are 878 hours of clinical work. Once the student begins the
courses in the major, there are clinical assignments each semester.
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Q: How many hours a week are required for clinical work?
A: That varies from semester to semester. The last column of the
Planning Guide shows the clinical hours for each course.
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Q: What days and hours must the clinical work be completed?
A: The college provides the student with a weekly assignment that is
usually due at midnight on Sunday. The days and times for completion of the
work are flexible and are determined by the clinical supervisor in the
affiliated laboratory.
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Q: We’re used to working with students from another program. Can we just
follow that program’s curriculum?
A: No. Students in the SPC program must complete the SPC curriculum.
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Q: Can students do any of their clinical hours on company time?
A: That is up to each individual employer to decide.
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Q: How long would it take for my employees to complete the program?
A: The program takes two years for students who can attend full time.
Students who are working full time should plan to take the part-time track.
Most part-time students complete the program in about three years.
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Q: What is the tuition for the program?
A: Click here for the schedule of fees:
http://www.spcollege.edu/webcentral/catalog/Current/fees.htm
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Q: We have a tuition reimbursement plan and only pay if the student earns
a "B" or higher. Can our students pay their tuition after they complete each
course?
A: No, tuition payment is required before classes start.
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Q: We want to pay our students’ tuition up front. How can we do that?
A: You can call the SPC Business Office and pay with a corporate credit
card.
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Q: Our laboratory is not in Florida. Will our students have to pay
out-of-state tuition?
A: Yes.
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Q: There is just one employee that we want to sponsor in the program. Can
we limit the affiliation agreement to that one person?
A: The college is seeking long-term partnerships with clinical
laboratories. Because of the time and effort required for application
approval, contract negotiations, and orientation of clinical personnel, in
most cases, an affiliation for the purpose of educating just one
individual will not be approved.
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Q: If we sign an affiliation agreement with SPC, are we obligated to take
students who are not employees?
A: You would be asked to do so if the college received an application
from a qualified individual in your area; however, it is always the
laboratory’s prerogative to decline.
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Q: We have a lab assistant who already has a BS in Biology. Since the SPC
program is an AS program, could this person apply?
A: Yes. Many students who enter the program already have bachelor’s
degrees and some even have master’s degrees. All previous course work from
regionally-accredited colleges or universities will transfer to SPC. These
individuals are only required to take the 45 credits in the major.
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Q: We have a phlebotomist who is interested in the program. Would she
have to take the two phlebotomy courses?
A: No, she can apply for credit for the phlebotomy courses through the
SPC Experiential Learning Program. The program director will provide details
once the employee is accepted to the program.
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Q: We have a lab assistant who started an MLT program in our area but
didn’t complete it. Would she receive credit for the work that she did in
that program?
A: It would depend on whether the program was accredited, how long ago
the courses were taken, and whether the course descriptions match those in
the SPC MLT Program.
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Q: My employees are fast learners. Can they complete the program at their
own pace?
A: No, although the program provides a lot of flexibility, it follows the
regular academic calendar and courses are only offered once a year. The
program is not self paced, nor is it a self study. All of the courses are led by
instructors who are online five days a week to lead discussions and answer
questions.
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Q: How often do you admit a class?
A: Once a year, in August.
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Q: Do you have selective admissions?
A: Students are admitted on a first-qualified, first-accepted basis and
an interview is not required. A 2.0 GPA is required.
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Q: When should my employees apply for admission?
A: They may submit the
College
Application at any time but the
Application to Health Programs should not be submitted until the
pre-entry requirements are met. Class size is limited, so early application
is encouraged.
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Q: What are the entry requirements?
A: The pre-entry requirements are outlined on the
Program Plan.
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Q: Do my employees have to take all of the credits through SPC?
A: No. All credits other than those with the MLT prefix may be earned at
any regionally-accredited college or university and transferred to SPC.
Out-of-state students may find it is more economical to take the general
education and support courses at their local college.
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Q: How can I receive more information about the program?
A: You can contact the program director at
Polansky.Valerie@spcollege.edu
or 727-341-3714.
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