Accreditation agency gives thumbs up to LCC program

For more than 30 years, Laredo Community College's two-year Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) program has churned out certified lab technicians to help meet the needs of Laredo and surrounding community.

Late last month, the program received official accreditation for seven years from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

"This is great news for LCC and the Laredo community because we are the only accredited MLT program in the area," said Adriana Nunemaker, LCC's MLT program coordinator and instructor.

NAACLS is a non-profit organization that independently accredits clinical laboratory science education programs. An accreditation is a process of external peer reviews which grants public recognition to a program that meets qualifications and educational standards.

Although MLT personnel are critical to hospitals, the field is largely an unknown one.

Laredo's largest two hospitals, Laredo Medical Center and Doctors Hospital, employ approximately 20 medical laboratory personnel that prepare, examine and analyze body fluids from patients.

MLT personnel never see or speak to hospital patients. But, they play a vital role in determining diseases or diagnose illnesses and determine treatment for patients.

"We're kind of like a detective trying to find out why a patient is sick," Nunemaker said. "As MLTs, we analyze blood, urine, and other body fluids and tissues for diseases."

To diagnose a suspected heart attack, for example, an MLT will measure substances that signal cardiac stress or damage, and they also count the number and types of blood cells to determine if the patient has leukemia, anemia, or other blood disorders.

Marlene Espinoza, an LCC sophomore, is in her second year in LCC's MLT program.

"I'm extremely happy in the program," Espinoza said. "I love everything about laboratory work because I love solving puzzles. This program is a stepping stone to what I want to be: a forensics lab technician to find out, for example, how someone died."

The LCC MLT program was the first accredited health program in the Laredo area when it was first established in the early 1970s.

"The job outlook for medical laboratory technicians is excellent," Nunemaker added.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for clinical laboratory workers is expected to grow by 14 percent between 2008 and 2018.

Advising and late registration, and the first day of summer session one classes begins Monday, May 31.

For more information on the MLT program, contact Adriana Nunemaker at 721-5261 or e-mail at adriana.nunemaker@laredo.edu.