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| Southwestern Community College student Mandy Revis of Sylva works on a project in the recently renovated Medical Laboratory Technology classroom at SCC’s Jackson Campus. The MLT program will feature its remodeled facility during an open house on Tuesday, Nov. 19. |
In recent weeks, the Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) classroom has undergone an extensive renovation at Southwestern Community College.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the results of that remodel will be unveiled to the public.
The MLT open house will be held from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in Room 244 of the Balsam Center, which is the first building you reach upon entering the college’s Jackson Campus.
Correction Enterprises remodeled the lab at a cost of $21,574.18. SCC maintenance provided new paint and additional electrical work.
“I have to say the Correction Enterprises was the easiest, most polite and customer-centered vendor I have ever dealt with,” said Mitch Fischer, dean of health sciences at SCC.
The design team from Correction Enterprises developed a layout for individual student workstations to include a cubby, drawer, slide-out desk and a slide-out, book-bag hanger.
Each station includes a front cabinet for storing lab equipment such as test tube racks and microscopes.
Also added were an instructor workstation, computer/audio-visual cabinet and two large storage cabinets. New countertops were also added.
“It was a very positive experience using their services from the design plan to final completion,” said Andrea Kennedy, MLT program coordinator at SCC. “The inmates that were a part of the installation team were very professional and efficient. They did a fabulous job.”
The MLT program prepares students for work in a number of environments, including hospital laboratories, private clinics, research labs, forensic studies and public health facilities.
According to statistics from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median annual wage for medical laboratory technicians was $39,340 in 2012.
"SCC's MLT program is a hybrid program, allowing students the flexibility of online coursework along with two days a week on campus for labs,” Kennedy said. “This allows students to balance their commitment to family, work and school."
The MLT program recently underwent a re-accreditation site visit from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), which reported all 22 standards were met with zero violations or recommendations at this time.
The NAACLS Board will meet in April to document the final accreditation status.
“For me the MLT program has been a life changing experience, a good one at that,” said Mandy Revis, a second-year student from Sylva. “I now have a very broad knowledge of how the body truly works, normally or in a diseased state. I have experienced this program not only with my amazing classmates, but with instructors who have helped me reach my full potential in all I do. I highly recommend these instructors and wish all students at SCC could experience instructors like mine in the MLT program.”
