MLT Department Receives Maximum Accreditation,
Perfect Score from Accrediting Agency

CONTACT: DALLAS JONES, EXT. 1351

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/31/2003
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Tri-County Technical College's Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) department received a maximum seven-year accreditation with no recommendations for improvement following a national accrediting agency's two-day evaluation held earlier this year.

Members of The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences evaluated the program on 21 standards that it has to abide by as an accredited program. Those standards include sponsorship, curriculum, resources, students, operational policies, program evaluations, maintenance and administrative accreditation. This is the second time in the department's history that it received a perfect score with no recommendations.

"Naturally we are thrilled," said Dallas Jones, who has led the department since its inception in 1970. "Following a year-long self-study and on-site inspection, the team gave us a list of our strengths and noted that we had no weaknesses. It's quite a compliment." The self-study shows how the program abides by the standards and supplies documentation, she added.

Inspectors commented on the strong support of the College's administration and advisory committee and noted Jones' and instructor Polly Kay's "exceptional abilities in organizational skills and in instruction."

The team also complimented the department's strong support from the four hospital affiliates: Anderson Area Medical Center, Oconee Memorial Hospital, Palmetto Baptist Medical Easley and Self Regional Healthcare.

Accreditation for the program is important for faculty and students, said Jones. "Students cannot take the national registry exam unless they graduate from an accredited program. It's the pathway to the national registry which gives the graduate the credentials to work in any lab in the world," she said.

The College's MLT department abides by the standards set by The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science, which is under the American Medical Association (AMA).

Recent Tri-County graduates report a 92 percent passing score on the National Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The MLT (ASCP) is the most prestigious credential a medical laboratory technician can place after his or her name.

The department has always had 100 percent job placement, Jones said. "The difference today is that graduates can be more selective about their jobs. They can pick a job suited to their personal needs. And because we are accredited, the graduates are accepted everywhere they go," she said.

The MLT department became fully accredited by the AMA in 1974 and, at that time, became the second fully-accredited program of its kind in South Carolina.
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