CONTACT:  DEBORAH BROCK, dbrock5@tctc.edu or 646-1351

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           7/15/2019

                                                                                                (By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- Tri-County Technical College’s Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) graduates report a perfect pass rate on a national certification exam.

The 10 graduates who received their MLT degrees in May continue their 100 percent pass record on the National American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) exam, said MLT Program Director Deborah Brock.  Only twice since 2008 has a graduating class not achieved a 100 percent pass rate. Tri-County’s program average score is 608 and the national average score is 545.

The exam is a computerized, competency-based exam.  Students are tested on seven areas: chemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunohematology, urinalysis and other body fluids, immunology and laboratory operations.  There are 100 multiple-choice questions to cover these seven major areas of clinical laboratory science.   Medical laboratory technicians analyze blood and other bodily fluids for disease processes in hospitals and doctors’ offices.

“Our success rate is the result of a collaborative effort between students, Tri-County faculty, both full-time and adjunct, and our clinical faculty,” said Brock. 

“These graduates were a positive, cohesive, hard-working group.  I am pleased to report they performed well on the exam and am excited to see they are finding employment at hospitals within the surrounding area.  All but one of this year’s graduates were hired before graduation or immediately after by area hospitals, and one student is waiting until the fall to seek employment,” she said. 

Tri-County’s seven hospital affiliates are AnMed Health, Bon Secours Saint Francis, Self Regional Health Care, Baptist Easley Hospital and Oconee Memorial Hospital (Prisma), Stephens County Hospital and St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital.      

Tri-County’s MLT program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).  In 2017 the program’s accreditation was extended for another 10 years following a successful self-study and site visit.  The program had no deficiencies or recommendations. The next self-study is due in 2026, followed by another site visit in 2027.

-30-