Coordinator:

• Jessica Brzyski, Ph.D.

A student may prepare for the profession of clinical laboratory science in either a 3 + 1 or a 4 + 1 program.

In the 3 + 1 program in clinical laboratory science the student earns a Bachelor of Science degree. After three successful years of study, each student devotes 12 months to clinical education at one of the approved schools of clinical laboratory science to which she/he gains admission on a competitive basis. Clinical school spaces are limited, standards for admission are high, and admission to the clinical laboratory science program of the University does not guarantee admission to the clinical school year. Seton Hill University grants 32 credits for this year of education. After completing the fourth year of the program, the student graduates in August.

In the 4 + 1 program in clinical laboratory science the student studies for four years at Seton Hill, earning a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with a major in chemistry or biology including at least 16 credits in biology (microbiology with laboratory is required) and 16 credits in chemistry. After graduation she/he studies one year of clinical education in an approved hospital school. This program takes longer, but allows the student to obtain a broader and deeper education that is well suited to later specialization in chemistry or microbiology.

After graduation and the clinical year of study, a student is eligible to take any of several national examinations that certify the student as a professional clinical laboratory scientist.

Affiliating hospital schools of medical technology are UPMC Altoona; Memorial Medical Center, Conemaugh Health System; and Saint Vincent Health Center (Erie). These schools are accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). Students may choose another accredited hospital school of clinical laboratory science with permission of the coordinator of clinical laboratory science.

Learning Objectives: Clinical Laboratory Science

1. Demonstrate the proper use of the language of biological science in oral and written communications.
2. Utilize the Internet as an information and communication resource in the practice of biological science.
3. Summarize and Interpret data through the use of graphs, charts, and tables.
4. Communicate to others knowledge of key biological concepts.
5. Address the unity of life at the cellular, organism, and population levels.
6. Identify key concepts of biological science, including those from the disciplines of anatomy, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, and physiology.
7. Discuss the relationships between biology and disciplines of chemistry, mathematics, and physics.
8. Apply a scientific approach to problem solving.
9. Access, read, and analyze the scientific literature.
10. Identify and gain experience with the tools of biological research, including those associated with the laboratory, field studies, and computers.
11. Delineate the influence that biological ideas and discoveries have had on the development of culture and society.
12. Evaluate ethical considerations associated with applications of biotechnology, especially in the fields of ecology and genetics, and express one’s own position on such issues.
13. Be prepared to take the official exam(s) to become certified as a clinical laboratory scientist.

All candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in clinical laboratory science must complete the Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements, the capstone assessment requirement, and the required courses for the major.

The biology program employs a senior comprehensive exam and a series of assignments in SBL 300  (4 + 1 program) to assess the extent to which students have mastered the twelve major biological themes and integrated them with the learning objectives for the major and the University. For the 3 + 1 program, the capstone assessment takes place during the completion of SBL 402  and SBL 403 .

A minimum of 120 credits is required.