Clinical Training Placement Process
This course is designed in a hybrid format. This means that didactic materials including review lectures, assignments, and mock exams will be conducted online. Laboratory activities will be completed in the clinical setting, at an approved clinical affiliate or in the simulation laboratory at Northwestern Health Sciences University. Students will be given individualized schedules detailing their rotation experiences and requirements, and they are expected to follow these provided schedules.
Clinical Training Placement Process
A.S. Medical Laboratory Science students who complete all prerequisite in-residence course-work with a minimum GPA of 2.0 and have current financial status with NWHSU will receive an appropriate clinical training placement. The assignment process takes place during the term preceding the clinical training experience.
Placement in a clinical training facility will take place as soon as possible after completion of all prerequisites but will be dependent on facility availability. If immediate placement is not possible, students will be placed in order of their availability. If several students have completed all prerequisites simultaneously, GPA and professional behaviors (as assessed by the Professional Rubric in all lab courses) will be factored into the criteria to determine the order of placement.
To ensure selection of quality clinical training sites, placement is made only in facilities approved by the program. NWHSU has many affiliated clinical training sites that make their facilities available for training. The appropriate clinical training site for each student will be chosen by NWHSU. Students who are employed in an affiliated clinical site facility may be able to complete their competencies at that location, but it is NOT guaranteed. Students may NOT contact facilities directly, even if they are employed at that location.
Every effort will be made to place students in facilities that can provide the student with the best possible experience. Students may be placed in a clinical training facility outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area including possible out-of-state locations. All students should prepare for the possibility of an out-of-state placement. Students who refuse a clinical training placement assignment due to its location may be terminated from NWHSU.
During clinical training the student will be evaluated based on entry-level standard competencies in all required areas. The student will receive NWHSU credits for clinical training. Clinical training for the MLT program is focuses on achievement of competency in each major lab department and is designed to be completed within the 15-week trimester. Students will spend 3-4 weeks in each major department, depending upon the availability and distribution of testing in each clinical facility. Please note that the length of time in each department may vary, but the overall internship experience will be scheduled over the full 15-week period, and all students are expected to reach the same baseline competency level.
Typical Clinical Training Rotation Schedule
Although the clinical training rotation schedule will vary with each facility and student, the following may be used as a general guide:
- 1 week – Orientation, Specimen Processing, Phlebotomy
- 3 weeks – Hematology, Coagulation
- 3 weeks – Chemistry, Urinalysis
- 4 weeks – Immunohematology
- 4 weeks – Microbiology
Phlebotomy and/or Specimen Processing may continue throughout the entire program.
Students may be retained in a department if they are not satisfactorily competent or efficient in that area, or to gain further proficiency. The students may be allowed out of an area early if they demonstrate appropriate competency and efficiency.
Student Financial Aid
Clinical training experiences are designed to begin the first week of the corresponding academic trimester whenever possible. However, there are occasionally delays due to clinical site availability and preferences. Student financial aid begins at the beginning of the trimester. Delayed starts will not delay financial aid disbursement. The student accepts all financial and medical responsibility during their clinical training.