Medical Laboratory Technology

Medical laboratory technicians perform tests that help physicians diagnose, monitor and treat disease.

• They can determine the cause of an infection and use sophisticated equipment to analyze blood's chemical components, such as glucose and cholesterol.
• They know how to use a microscope to identify normal and abnormal blood cells and determine a patient's blood type.
• They supply the health care team with a wealth of critical information, both diagnostic and therapeutic.

The Medical Laboratory Technology program at Wake Tech offers the education and training necessary to become a highly qualified and successful lab technician. The curriculum prepares students to perform clinical laboratory procedures in chemistry, hematology, microbiology and immunohematology.

Coursework emphasizes the following:

• Mathematical and scientific concepts behind specimen collection and laboratory testing
• Quality assurance
• Reporting, recording and interpreting of findings involving tissues, blood and body fluids

Students must successfully complete all first- and second-semester courses to register for clinical courses (MLT-254, -266 and -276). Admission into clinical courses is also dependent on a criminal background check and a urinalysis drug screen. The clinical affiliate reviews the background check and drug screen to determine whether a student can attend the site.

Clinical experience allows students to practice the skills and techniques learned in classroom courses. Accompanied by a clinical instructor or clinical facility preceptor, students apply their new-found knowledge at the clinical site. The clinical experience encompasses all disciplines, as well as phlebotomy.

The program has clinical site locations across the Triangle area and beyond:

• WakeMed
• North Carolina Department of Public Health
• Duke University Medical Center
• Duke Regional Hospital
• Duke Raleigh Hospital
• Duke Primary Care
• Maria Parham Hospital
• UNC/Rex Health
• UNC Hospitals: Hillsborough
• Chatham Hospital
• UNC Johnston Health (Smithfield and Clayton locations)
• Granville Medical Center
• Betsy Johnson Hospital
• Central Harnett Hospital
• LabCorp
• Randolph Medical Center
• Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham
• Wilson Medical Center
• Central Carolina Hospital
• The Blood Connection

NOTE: The student is responsible for providing his or her own transportation to the assigned clinical site, which could be up to 40 miles from the Perry Health Sciences Campus. The program cannot accommodate special requests for clinical site placements.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be eligible to take the examination given by the ASCP Board of Certification.

The Medical Laboratory Technology program at Wake Tech is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. The agency can be contacted at 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018-5119 or by calling 773-714-8880.

Professional licensure

Wake Tech academic programs (credit and non-credit) that are designed to lead to professional licenses are tied to North Carolina or national certifications. If you intend to pursue professional licenses outside North Carolina once you have completed your academic program at Wake Tech, please refer to the Professional Licensure section of the college's distance education authorization page for additional information.