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The Program
The WCA Hospital School of Medical Technology is an accredited, 45-week, internship program offering intensive study and experience in clinical laboratory science as the final year of a Bachelor's degree or post-graduate program. The classroom-based and hands-on clinical education is designed to develop a responsible and competent laboratory professional who will be prepared to pass an examination required for national certification as a Medical Technologist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist.
A student engaged in the 3 + 1 plan (or 4+1), spends the first three (or four) years of undergraduate study enrolled in a Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science curriculum at an accredited college or university. All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to entrance into the clinical program and the student must be eligible for graduation upon completion of the clinical training.
Students desiring to work in a clinical laboratory in New York State upon completion of their education must be licensed by the NYS Education Department Office of the Professions. Students who will be completing their internship year after September 1, 2013 must remain enrolled in their university (or re-enroll) when they attend the internship year so all earned credits are recorded on the students’ university transcript. Requirements for this license and additional information can be found at www.op.nysed.gov/clp.htm.
Upon successful completion of the WCA Hospital School of Medical Technology program, students are awarded a certificate of completion and are able to apply and sit for a national registry examination.
Our mission at WCA Hospital School of Medical Technology is to provide a challenging program for assisting students in acquiring the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes, and values to gain the level of excellence required for the profession of Medical Technology and Clinical Laboratory Science.
Program Structure
The program is divided into two major divisions, "Rotation I: Didactic" and "Rotation II: Clinical".
All classes and clinical rotations are held at WCA Hospital, Jamestown, NY.
ROTATION I: DIDACTIC (August - January)
Rotation I: Didactic consists of the formal lecture series with corresponding student laboratory activities in all the major laboratory disciplines, Clinical Chemistry, Immunochemistry, Hematology, Blood Bank, and Microbiology. A brief orientation period is incorporated into this first phase of the program in order to aid the student in the transition from the academic classroom to the new professional clinical environment. Phlebotomy and Pathology/Histology are also included in this rotation.
A typical day consists of two lecture presentations in the morning with a mid-morning break. A discussion period or audiovisual presentation may also be scheduled. The afternoon is spent in the supervised student laboratory performing laboratory exercises related to the morning lecture content. Student competency is evaluated on both academic and practical performance. During this rotation, students will experience approximately 300 hours of clinical laboratory experience in a controlled, supervised Student Laboratory.
ROTATION II: CLINICAL (February - July)
The clinical or rotation II phase emphasizes the practical application of the theory and practice learned in Rotation I and serves as a bridge between the student's role as trainee and that of a professional Medical Technologist.
Students are assigned four-week rotation periods in each of the five major clinical departments: Clinical Chemistry, Immunochemistry, Hematology, Blood Bank, and Microbiology. Students are evaluated on their practical performance and cumulative knowledge during this time. Under direct supervision of the teaching supervisors, students perform and report actual patient test results, further developing and demonstrating the techniques and skills necessary to function in the capacity of a professional, entry-level, Medical Technologist.
Etcetera Program, a series of special-topic lectures, will also be presented to the student during the final phase of the clinical year. The student is additionally assigned clinical experience in phlebotomy.
Students will experience over 600 hours of clinical laboratory experience during this rotation.
Direct clinical experience in phlebotomy occurs in this rotation, with a week of supervised skill-building in phlebotomy technique and patient communication in both in-patient and out-patient settings.
Etcetera Program, a series of special-topic lectures, including management, will be presented to the student during this final phase of the clinical year. To complete requirements for this section, students will prepare and present a primary-literature research seminar and complete a set of self-study projects related to management, quality assurance/improvement, procedures, instrumentation and more.
