A student in the Clinical Laboratory Science program at the Medical College of Georgia is expected to meet the following requirements.

OBSERVATION REQUIREMENTS

■ Observe laboratory demonstrations in which biologicals (e.g., body fluids, culture materials, tissue sections, and cellular specimens) are tested for their biochemical, hematological, microbiological, and immunologic components;
■ Characterize the color, odor, clarity, and viscosity of biologicals, reagents, or chemical reaction products;
■ Employ a clinical grade binocular microscope to discriminate among fine structural differences of microscopic specimens;
■ Read and comprehend text, numbers, and graphs displayed in print and on a video monitor.

MOVEMENT REQUIREMENTS

■ Move freely and safely about a laboratory;
■ Reach laboratory benchtops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds or patient seated in specimen collection furniture;
■ Travel to numerous clinical laboratory sites for practical experience;
■ Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting, over several hours;
■ Maneuver phlebotomy and culture acquisition equipment to safely collect valid laboratory specimens from patients;
■ Control laboratory equipment (e.g. pipettes, inoculating loops, test tubes) and adjust instruments to perform laboratory procedures;
■ Use an electronic keyboard to operate laboratory instruments and to calculate record, evaluate, and transmit laboratory information.

COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS

■ Read and comprehend technical and professional materials (e.g. textbooks, magazines, journal articles, handbooks, and instruction manuals);
■ Follow verbal and written instructions in order to correctly and independently perform laboratory test procedures;
■ Clearly instruct patients prior to specimen collection;
■ Effectively, confidentially, and sensitively converse with patients regarding laboratory tests;
■ Evaluate the performance of fellow students, staff, and health care professionals verbally and in a recorded format (writing, typing, graphics, or telecommunications);
■ Use computer software (word processor, spreadsheet, database, information systems), the Internet, and the World Wide Web for communication, education, and professional purposes;
■ Independently prepare papers, prepare laboratory reports, and take paper, computer, and laboratory practical examinations.

INTELLECTUAL REQUIREMENTS

■ Possess these intellectual skills; comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and criticism;
■ Ability to solve problems and think critically;
■ Exercise sufficient judgment to recognize and correct performance deviations;
■ Critically evaluate her or his own performance, accept constructive criticism, and look forward to improve (e.g. participate in enriched educational activities).

BEHAVIOR REQUIREMENTS

■ Dress to project a neat, well-groomed, professional appearance;
■ Behave in a professional manner toward fellow students, faculty, and patients;
■ Manage the use of time and systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within realistic constraints;
■ Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively employ intellect and exercise appropriate judgments;
■ Provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty (e.g. ambiguous test ordering, ambivalent test interpretation), emergent demands (e.g. “stat” test orders), and a distracting environment (e.g. high noise levels, crowding, complex visual stimuli);
■ Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change;
■ Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and proceed safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self, and nearby individuals;
■ Adapt to working with potentially offensive specimens, chemicals, biologicals;
■ Support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals;
■ Help foster a team approach to learning, task completion, problem solving, and patient care;
■ Be honest, compassionate, ethical, and responsible;
■ Forthright about errors or uncertainty.

Adapted from: Fritsma, G.A., Fiorella B. J., and Murphey, M. Essential Requirements for Clinical Laboratory Science. CLS 1996. Vol. 9, pp 40-43.