Program Quality – UPMC Medical Laboratory Science Program

The UPMC Chautauqua Medical Laboratory Science Program and the UPMC Chautauqua Laboratory are committed to student learning and the promotion of excellence in the profession. Graduates of our program are highly successful individuals, many of whom remain in the hospital laboratory environment serving patients and directly applying their internship program-learned skills and knowledge. Some of our graduates have continued on to diverse careers as physicians, physician assistants, laboratory instrumentation technical representatives, computer laboratory information system analysts, educators and more. The solid academic- and personal-excellence foundation provided by our program has a proven record of producing successful individuals.

History of the Program

The UPMC Chautauqua Medical Laboratory Science Program held its first class in the fall of 1979 under the founding direction of Mary Kathryn “Katie” C. Kutschke, MA, MT(ASCP), Program Director, and Donald J. Furman, MD, program Medical Director. The development of a program stemmed from the desire to train quality professionals and continued under the leadership of Barbara Davis, MS, MT(ASCP) and Katie Kutschke, Program Directors.

Prior to the establishment of program accreditations, the laboratory trained technologists in an on-the-job format under the direction of pathologist William J. Tracy, Jr., MD, with graduates in 1962, 1966, and 1967, many of whom became the supervisors and teachers in the 1979-founded program.

The history of excellence continues to this day under the direction of William A. Geary, MD, PhD, pathologist, and Michele G. Harms, MS, MLS(ASCP), Program Director.

Outcome
Measures

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Certification Exam
Pass Rate^*

100%

86%

100%

Graduation
Rate^**

100%

Attrition
Rate^***

12.5% (1/8)

Employment
Rate^****

100%

*Certification rate: The results for each class consistently exceed the national average!

**Graduation rate: Our historical completion rate is >99%!

***Attrition rate: Our education and laboratory staff invest in each student, helping each to complete the program with excellence.

****Employment rate: Defined by our accrediting agency as employment in a laboratory-related field within 6 months of graduating, the vast majority of our students interview and are offered employment positions prior to the completion of the program year!

“[Your graduate] is knowledgeable in all areas of the laboratory and she quickly adapted to our procedures and instrumentation. She understands the reasons for our policies and the relationship our results have to the patients we serve. She currently is working the night shift as part of a team of 4 to cover the entire Lab. She is efficient, capable of multi-tasking and calm under pressure. Sometimes she is the only one trained in one or multiple areas.”

“[Your graduate] has quickly become a valuable asset to this laboratory. She is a well-rounded, technically sound generalist that has obviously been indoctrinated through a complete comprehensive program. Additionally, she has demonstrated an exceptional work ethic and a highly intuitive sense of customer service. We, at [our] Hospital are blessed to have her as a member of our clinical team.”

I could not be more pleased with [your graduate’s] performance to date in our lab. She started in November 2015 and has been an absolute pleasure to work with and train in our lab. She is an astute and quick learner and rarely needs more than a single explanation or demonstration for any task she has been shown. More importantly however, is her ability to evaluate independently and with very good insight.

I would more than welcome any other candidates that you train that are like her in the future. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you happen to know of any that are seeking a position.

The Faculty

The UPMC Chautauqua Medical Laboratory Science Program boasts two full-time faculty, the Program Director and Program Coordinator. It is the job of these individuals to make sure the program provides the best quality education UPMC Chautauqua has to offer. Pathologists and department managers also act as primary faculty, bringing years of experience and vast knowledge into lectures and one-on-one clinical training. Additional instructors in the lecture and bench instruction of the program are Medical Technologists and Medical Technicians who bring with them a wide base of experiential knowledge along with a desire to share their knowledge and love of laboratory science.

Laboratory Bench Instruction

The clinical rotation allows a student to learn and practice their skills alongside and under the careful supervision of a professional Medical Technologist. The student works alongside a technologist, performing laboratory tests on actual clinical samples under direct supervision. This direct sharing of time in teaching and observing provides a highly successful learning environment.

The Classroom & Student Laboratory

A dedicated classroom is equipped with a 12-foot glass white board and a 75 inch H.D. TV for digital presentations. Each student has their own 3-foot square table and access to a small kitchenette.

A large student laboratory is utilized by during the didactic phase of the program prior to entering the clinical rotation. Students are taught laboratory skills utilizing real patient specimens in a controlled environment in which results are not reported but used for learning. Many procedures are performed manually in order to understand the principle and procedure of each assay, and to cement the theory of disease and the diagnostic process. Each student is assigned a work area and sufficient drawer and cabinet space to store their laboratory supplies and assigned equipment.

Accredited by

The UPMC Chautauqua Medical Laboratory Science Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). The Program meets and often exceeds the Standards established by NAACLS in education quality and outcome measures.

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 N River Rd, Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018
773-714-8880
www.naacls.org

The Clinical Laboratory

The clinical laboratory of UPMC Chautauqua is located on the third floor of the Imaging and Medical Building (building “D”) and is attached to the main hospital facility by enclosed walkways. The laboratory encompasses approximately 12,000 square feet of space and follows an open lab concept providing an environment in which the laboratory personnel easily interact. A vast array of state-of-the-art instrumentation, interfaced with the laboratory information system, depicts the latest in modern technology.

The laboratory includes the main office, phlebotomy/specimen processing station, clinical chemistry, immunochemistry (serology), hematology/coagulation, immunohematology (blood bank) and microbiology, and specialty areas including cytology, histology, pathology and the Medical Laboratory Science Program.

Under the direction of the Vice President Administration, Laboratory Services Director and Pathologists, the laboratory employs technical, clerical and administrative personnel. The personnel staff three work shifts (7-3, 3-11 and 11-7) and many join in the lecture and on-bench training of the students.

The UPMC Chautauqua Laboratory performs over 1.5 million tests per year, allowing students a wide range of experience in normal and abnormal clinical testing and analysis of results. The open-lab environment permits unique patient samples and results to be seen and experienced by all students in a timely manner, no matter which area of the laboratory the student is currently studying. The department of Pathology, also housed within the laboratory, provides additional experiential support in the clinical picture of disease.