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Clinical Laboratory Science (ClI)
College of Science and Allied Health
Department of Microbiology
Program Director: Diane Sewell
3011 Cowley Hall, (608)785-8255
e-mail: sewell.dian@uwlax.edu 
www.uwlax.edu/clinlabsci  

Clinical laboratory scientists perform complex biological, microbiological, and chemical tests on patient samples.  They also use, maintain, and troubleshoot sophisticated laboratory equipment that is used to perform diagnostic tests.  Clinical laboratory scientists analyze these test results and discuss them with the medical staff.  They also possess the skills required for molecular diagnostic tests based on DNA and RNA technologies. In addition, they find opportunities in test development, experimental design, administration, and education.

The curriculum requires a minimum of six semesters and a summer session on campus to complete the preprofessional and pre-clinical courses.  Students spend an additional nine months of clinical education in a hospital-sponsored, accredited program during their senior year.  A bachelor of science degree is awarded at the satisfactory completion of all required course work.

Admission to the clinical laboratory science major is on a competitive basis.  Students apply for admission early in the spring semester of the academic year just prior to the beginning of their professional studies, typically in the sophomore year.  Formal acceptance into the major, effective at the beginning of the fall semester, is based on the submission of an application for admission to the major, personal recommendations, review of academic performance, and an interview with the program admission committee. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75, as well as in science and mathematics courses, is strongly recommended. The application process for the clinical year in the hospital-sponsored program is similar to the process required for acceptance to the clinical laboratory science major.  Acceptance into the hospital program is not guaranteed by the university.  The hospital programs affiliated with UW-L are accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). 

During the clinical component, in an accredited hospital program, students will register for 31 UW-L credits. The clinical phase routinely begins in late August with anticipated graduation the following spring.  Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for certification examinations offered by national certification agencies.

NAACLS accredited hospital affiliates of UW-L

B7   Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minn.

B7   Saint Joseph’s Hospital/Marshfield Laboratories, Marshfield, Wis.

B7   Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire, Wis.

B7   Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau, Wis.

B7   Affinity Health, Appleton, Wis.

UW-L is affiliated with the University of North Dakota, an accredited program, which provides access to many other hospital affiliates throughout the upper Midwest.  

Core courses in the pre-professional curriculum must be completed with a grade of “C” or above. Students must meet all university graduation requirements including those for General Education, grade point, university residency and total credits. Students who complete this major satisfy the Science and Allied Health College core requirements. 

Clinical Laboratory Science Major —(Science and Allied Health)  

Pre-professional Curriculum (38-46 credits)— 
All pre-CLS majors are strongly encouraged to take CLI 120, Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science.
A.  Biology Core (16 credits): BIO 105*, 306, 312, 313
B.  Chemistry Core (15-18 credits): CHM 103, 104, 300 (or 303, 304 and 305).
C.  Microbiology Core (4 credits): MIC 230
D.  Mathematics Core (3-8 credits): MTH 145 (or MTH 250) and MTH 150 or placement above MTH 150.

Pre-CLS students must have completed substantial portion of these requirements in the semester that they apply for formal admission to the CLS major. 

Professional curriculum (54-59 credits):
Preclinical phase — (22-27 credits on campus) CLI  395, 410, 420, 440 (or BIO 406), 461; MIC 406, 407; CHM 325 (or 417 & 418).
Clinical phase — (31 credits at an accredited hospital): CLI 450, 455, 460, 465, 470, 480. 

The following courses are recommended to complement the clinical laboratory science major: BIO 413, 424, 435, 436, 466; MIC 416, 420, 421, 454; CLI 495, 496; ECO 110; PHL 201. 

Note:  The clinical laboratory science major fulfills the College of Science and Allied Health core requirement for a major and a minor.  

*BIO 103 may be substituted for BIO 105. 

The clinical laboratory science program incorporates a significant amount of writing throughout the required courses instead of identifying particular courses as writing emphasis courses. Students who complete the major will fulfill the university writing emphasis requirement through this writing-in-the-major program.

CLI      120  Cr. 1
Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science
An introductory course designed for students who are interested in a profession in clinical laboratory science. The course will introduce the students to the technical and clinical functions of the profession as well as to the professional aspects of clinical laboratory science. An introduction to the profession, basic laboratory math, medical terminology, and diagnostic tests evaluated in the clinical laboratory will be discussed. Students will develop an understanding for the critical role clinical laboratory scientists play in the health care arena. Seven-week course. Offered Sem. II. 

CLI      395  Cr. 2
Urinalysis and Body Fluids
This course introduces the formation, distribution, and function of urine and other nonblood body fluids. Instruction in the handling and analysis of these fluids will be given based on their chemical, physical, and cellular composition in health and disease. The laboratory focuses on performing and interpreting results from the clinical laboratory procedures performed in the lab. Lect. 1, Lab. 2. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program. 
Offered Sem. I. 

CLI      410  Cr. 3
Clinical Hematology
Introductory course in hematology which examines normal hematologic physiology, cellular development, and hemostasis in the human. Introduction to pathophysiology, with emphasis on clinical and laboratory evaluation of hematologic status. Theory and background of laboratory procedures used in the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic and other diseases are included. Emphasis is on perpherial blood cell morphology, hematopoiesis, maturation, and kinetics. Pathophysiology of hematologic disorders, including anemias and hematologic malignancies are explored. Manual laboratory techniques as well as instrumentation will be included in the laboratory portion. Complete blood counts, correlation of automated and manual differentials and routine coagulation testing also will be performed. Lect. 2, Lab. 2. Prerequisite: Admission to CLS program. Offered Sem. I. 

CLI      420  Cr. 3
Immunohematology 
Course covers the general aspects of the Blood Group System, red cell types and group systems, antibody screening, compatibility testing, blood donor service, selection of donors, blood drawing, storage, and preservation, components, records, and regulations for blood banks.  The laboratory section includes performance of blood bank procedures, donor processing, compatibility testing, component preparation, antibody screening, and antibody identification. Lect. 4, Lab. 6. Prerequisite: Admission to CLS program. Offered summer session. 

CLI      440/540             Cr. 1
Clinical Parasitology
Course covers important parasites of humans including zoonoses, emerging parasitic diseases. Life cycles, clinical features, infective diagnostic stages will be included in the lecture component. The laboratory will include demonstrations and diagnostic procedures. This course will provide the necessary pre-clinical competencies required for advancement to the clinical education component of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program or the clinical microbiology MS program; MIC 230. Offered summer session. Not open to students who have earned credit in BIO 406/506. 

CLI      450  Cr. 6
Clinical Chemistry
This course focuses on chemical analysis performed in the clinical laboratory. The correlation between the organ systems, the clinical laboratory procedures, and human disease states is presented. Discussion of areas unique to clinical chemistry laboratory related to evaluation and validity of test results is emphasized. Laboratory rotation applies the principles of clinical chemistry and their relationship to the performance of analytical procedures and management of the clinical chemistry laboratory. Six-week rotation. Prerequisite: Admission into the CLS program, and acceptance to a hospital NAACLS accredited CLS program.  

CLI      455  Cr. 6
Clinical Hematology/Hemostasis
Course extends concepts and skills learned in CLI 395 and 410. Advanced theory in hematology to include abnormal and malignant processes, applications of flow cytometry and special stains, the diagnosis of classification of leukemias, troubleshooting instrumentation and interpretation of scatterplots. Hemostasis concepts, selection of appropriate tests and interpretation of results and diagnosis of coagulation disorder as well as advanced body fluid morphology will be covered. Students will gain experience processing and analyzing patient specimens with a wide variety of complex procedures as well as instrumentation. Students will also expand their identification and diagnostic skills on microscopic analysis of hematology and body fluid specimens. Six-week rotation. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program; CLI 395, 410; acceptance to a hospital NAACLS accredited CLS program. 

CLI      460  Cr. 6
Clinical Immunohematology
Course extends concepts and skills acquired in CLI 420. Performance and interpretative skills in ABO and Rh typing, antibody detection and identification techniques, hemolytic disease problems, quality assurance management, solving patient’s blood compatibility problems, histocompatibility techniques and selection of appropriate blood products for various bleeding disorders will be expanded. Six-week rotation. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program; CLI 420; acceptance into a hospital NAACLS accredited CLS program. 

CLI      461  Cr. 1
Capstone in Clinical Laboratory Science
The course covers topics of current interest in the field such as emerging infectious diseases and testing, new concepts in instrumentation, and evolution of new tests from basic research to clinical application. Students also will learn and practice basic skills such as resume and cover letter writing. Students will participate in curriculum selection for part of this class to help them prepare for pre-clinical competency exams at their hospital sites. Prerequisite: Acceptance to an internship site, senior standing and CLS major. Offered summer session. 

CLI      465  Cr. 2
Clinical Immunology
Course in the application of immunologic and serologic techniques used for the specific diagnosis of immunodeficiency diseases, malignancies of the immune system, autoimmune disorders, hypersensitivity states and infection by specific microbial pathogens. Laboratory rotation applies concepts from lecture. Experience is gained in clinical immunological techniques, methods, and management of antigen-antibody reactions and identification of the relationship to disease states. The rotation also includes the fundamentals of HLA testing and Flow Cytometry techniques with interpretation of results. Two-week rotation. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program and acceptance into a hospital NAACLS accredited CLS program. 

CLI      470  Cr. 8
Diagnostic Microbiology
Course provides an in depth study of the major groups of pathogenic bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses and their relationship to human disease. Topics include clinical signs and symptoms of these diseases, proper method of collecting, transporting, and processing appropriate clinical specimens, modes of transmission, and state-of-the-art laboratory methods used for the identification of these pathogens and diagnosis of the diseases they cause. Principles of theory will be applied in rotation. Rotation provides students with opportunities to process a variety of patient specimens and gain experience with a wide variety of state-of-the-art procedures and equipment for the isolation and identification of pathogenic bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminthes, and viruses. Molecular diagnostic procedures will also be employed. Eight-week rotation. Prerequisite:  admission to CLS program; CLI 440; acceptance into a hospital NAACLS accredited CLS program. 

CLI      480  Cr. 3
Laboratory Management and Education
A course designed to introduce senior students to skills and knowledge required to manage a clinical laboratory and educate future clinical laboratory scientists. Students will participate with lab managers in activities such as ordering supplies, quality control, quality management and quality improvement. They will be introduced to human resource management, financial management, scheduling issues, instrument selection for profitability and the processes involved in preparing for laboratory inspections and maintaining JCAHO and CAP laboratory accreditation.  Prerequisite: admission to CLS program and acceptance to a hospital NCCLS accredited internship site. 

CLI      495 Cr. 1-3
Independent Study in Clinical Laboratory Science
Individual reading or research under the guidance of a CLS instructor. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program and approval of program director and instructor. Repeatable for credit — maximum 6. 

CLI      496 Cr. 1-3
Special Topics in Clinical Laboratory Science
Workshop or seminar on selected topics in the practice of clinical laboratory science.  Student may select seminar based upon objectives and needs. Prerequisite: admission to CLS program and approval of program director. Repeatable for credit — maximum 6. 

CLI      499 Cr. 1-3
Advanced Clinical Studies
An opportunity to pursue individual research topics under the direction of a faculty member. Depending on the nature of the research project, study is expected to involve substantial laboratory or theoretical work in addition to literature review and instruction. Students are expected to develop research skills related to clinical laboratory science. In addition to a written report to the supervising faculty member, expected outcomes may include: laboratory notebooks, experimental devices, software, papers and presentations to department and regional meetings. Prerequisite: Admission by instructor consent and department approval. Repeatable for credit — maximum 6.

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