Medical Laboratory Technician Program

A Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) performs routine, moderate level complexity testing on human blood and body fluids. The results generated provide scientific information needed in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diseases. MLT's utilize sophisticated instrumentation to perform testing, which includes qualitative and quantitative chemical and biological analyses of human body specimens. MLT's are mid-level practitioners that are supervised by Clinical Laboratory Scientists (CLS).

MLT's are an integral part of the healthcare team. All scientific data generated by the laboratory provides information for 70% of all medical decisions. Without a laboratory scientist, the doctor is just guessing!

Explore a Career in Laboratory Science!

These Medical Laboratory Technician students are performing a lab with their instructor learning about Immunohematology. Immunohematology is also known as Blood Banking, and the laboratorians that work in this department can determine a patient's blood type and crossmatch compatible units for transfusion.

Photo of MLT Student Performing Lab Testing

This Medical Laboratory Technician student is practicing his Immunohematology lab skills, which will allow him to save lives when he is working in the field.

Photo of Medical Laboratory Technician Student Performing Lab Testing

Medical Laboratory Technician students spend many hours developing and practicing their skill set.

Southwestern College's MLT program trains students for a career in laboratory medicine. The program is a California state approved program as well as nationally accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). Graduates of the MLT program are eligible to take a nationally recognized certification exam administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Certification from ASCP is considered to be the Gold Standard certification in the laboratory industry. Possession of the certification allows an individual to perform laboratory science functions in every state.

NAACLS standards require keeping track of and reporting graduation rates, ASCP certification exam pass rates, and placement/employment rates. Southwestern College MLT program prides itself on the success of its students. Below are the most recent three years of data.

Year	Graduation rates	ASCP certification exam pass rates	Placement/Employment rates (based upon graduate responses received)
2021	100%	88%	83%
2022	100%	100%	100%
2023	100%	100%	79% at 6 months; resurvey 12/2024

The accreditation award for the MLT program at Southwestern College following the changes that NAACLS requires is linked below.

NAACLS
5600 N. River Road, Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
Phone: (773) 714-8880; Email: info@naacls.org

NAACLS Accreditation Award

The MLT program is 18 months in length, not including time required for completion of the required prerequisites. A new cohort of students begins each fall semester.

Lecture and laboratory classes are offered primarily Monday through Friday in the evening at the Higher Education Center, National City campus. Clinical experiences completed at an affiliated clinical laboratory require attendance during the day.

Upon completion, graduates will have earned an Associate of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Technology. Graduates of the MLT program are eligible to take a nationally recognized certification exam administered by the American Society For Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

The MLT Student Handbook (PDF) describes all aspects of the program in detail.
Students must apply for admittance to the MLT program.

The MLT program has specific prerequisite requirements that must be completed before a student can apply. Prerequisites include:
- *BIOL 260 (Human Anatomy), *BIOL 261 (Human Physiology), *BIOL 265 (General Microbiology), *CHEM 100 (Introduction to General Chemistry), *CHEM 110 (Elementary Organic and Biological Chemistry), ENGL 115, and COMM 103 or 174 or 176. Math requirement: Math 60 and Math 72 will be accepted for the 2024 Application Period. Moving foward the Math requirement is Math 119, PSYCH/SOC 270 or more advanced course work.
- *Science GPA must be a minimum of 2.70
- All general education courses required for an associate degree completed
- Possession of a California Certified Phlebotomy Technician I or II (CPT I or II) license
- American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
Attention MLT Applicants: Apply Now!

Please send your application to the address provided on the application using USPS regular mail. DO NOT send your application certified mail, FedEx, UPS, etc. If you have sent your application any way other than USPS regular mail, please complete another application and send it correctly.

Applications are accepted from April 1 through June 25 of any given year.

Find the MLT Application here.

Download the Essential Functions Statement here.

Download the MLT Student Handbook Acknowledgement form here.

Download the MLT Student Patient Confidentiality and Privacy Acknowledgement form here.
MLT's can work in a variety of places, such as:
- Hospital laboratories
- Reference laboratories
- Physician office laboratories
- Research
- Education
Medical laboratory technology is a great career, supports a living wage and offers endless possibilities.

The MLT falls in a typical career ladder. That ladder starts with:
- Phlebotomist - requires training and CA licensure
- Laboratory Assistant/Technician - requires training and are typically licensed phlebotomists
- MLT - requires an associates degree, certification and licensure
- CLS - requires a bachelor's degree, certification and licensure
The laboratory science career offers master's degrees as well as doctorates. Typically managers have a master's degree while those with a doctorate are mostly employed in education or research.

Get In Touch

Questions About the MLT Program?

Medical Laboratory Technician Program

Explore a Career in Laboratory Science!

Attention MLT Applicants: Apply Now!

Get In Touch

For General Questions

Martha Martinez-Tribolet

Deanna Reinacher

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