Clinical Laboratory Sciences (M.S.) Degree Offered: M.S. Directors: Dr. Janelle Chiasera, interim (CLS) Dr. Vivian Pijuan-Thompson (Cytology) Phone: (205) 975-3111 (Chiasera) (205) 934-3378 (Pijuan-Thompson) Email: jchiasera@uab.edu pijuan@uab.edu Web sites: http://www.uab.edu/cds/academic/graduate/cls (CLS) http://www.uab.edu/cds/academic/graduate/ct (Cytology) Faculty and Staff Janelle M. Chiasera, Professor and Department Chair (CLS); Clinical Chemistry Pat Greenup, Associate Professor (CLS); Laboratory Management, Health and Safety Management, Instrumentation and Automation, Advanced Technology Assessment Linda H. Jeff, Associate Professor (CLS); Clinical Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Clinical Correlations Michelle Brown, Assistant Professor and Clinical Education Coordinator (CLS); Body Fluid Analysis, Immunohematology, Molecular Diagnostics, Phlebotomy. Vivian Pijuan-Thompson, Associate Professor and Program Director (Cytology) Joanne Brock, Assistant Professor (Cytology) Brianna Miller, Teacher (CLS); Laboratory Techniques Jeffery Miller, Teacher (CLS)
Program Information General Information The Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences (M.S.) is pleased to offer two tracks for degree completion: Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) and Cytology. Clinical Laboratory Scientists perform a full array of complex test in five major areas of the laboratory including hematology, chemistry, transfusion medicine, microbiology, and molecular diagnostics. The results generated are provided to physicians and other healthcare providers to aid in making a clinical diagnosis, adjusting treatment, and developing management plans for those in need. Whether uncovering diseases such as diabetes and cancer, typing patients and blood products for transfusion, or determining what bacteria is causing a patient s infection and which antibiotic will be most effective, clinical laboratory scientists provide critical information in all areas of health and medicine. The practice of modern medicine would be close to impossible without the valuable information provided by these professionals. The Clinical Laboratory Science track is designed for students who hold a Bachelor of Science in biology, chemistry, or a related major, and who are not certified medical technologists/medical laboratory scientists, but desire a career in clinical laboratory science. Such students, upon completion, will be eligible to take the national examination for certification as a Medical Laboratory Scientist. The Clinical Laboratory Science track requires 24 months as a full-time student for completion of the degree requirements. Cytotechnologists work closely with pathologists to diagnose and manage infectious, pre-malignant, and malignant diseases by microscopically evaluating cells obtained from all body sites. Automated screening systems and new technologies are emerging and expanding the scope fo practice for cytotechnologists. Graduates of the Cytology program receive a M.S. in Clinical Laboratory Sciences (MSCLS) with a certificate in Cytotechnology. Our graduate program prepares students to provide the service expected of an entry level cytotechnologist by providing excellent didactic instruction and clinical experiences at numerous hospitals and private clinical laboratories. In addition, the program provides advanced clinical practice and didactic instruction in the performance and interpretation of ancillary diagnostic tests, new technologies used in clinical and research labs, applied research, and laboratory management. Graduates will be prepared to assume leadership positions in private and hospital laboratories,
government and industrial facilities, and in academia. The program prepares graduates for a career that greatly benefits the practice of pathology and the patients it serves. M.S. Admission Requirements In addition to the general Graduate School admission requirements, applicants to the M.S. program must: have a biology, chemistry, or a related major from an accredited college or university if applying for the Clinical Laboratory Science Program, have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (A = 4.0), computed from all undergraduate credits or from the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate course credit, have taken the GRE General test If foreign-educated, have a score of at least 550 for paper version (or 80 for Internet version; or 213 for computer version) on the TOEFL and submit a transcript evaluation from World Education Services (WES) at www.wes.org provide a written statement of career goals document a visit to a Cytology laboratory (Cytology track only) complete an interview with the program admissions committee (Cytology track only) If accepted, students must complete the UAB medical history questionnaire and physical, provide proof of required immunizations, and receive satisfactory screening by the UAB Medical Center Student Health Service before enrollment. Persons with a Bachelor of Science degree may be eligible to register for courses as non-degree seeking graduate students before acceptance into the M.S. program. If a non-degree seeking graduate student meets the M.S. program admission requirements, up to 12 semester hours of approved non-degree graduate coursework may be accepted for the M.S. degree. Admission of a student to any course as a non-degree student does not constitute admission to the M.S. degree program. Essential Requirements Fundamental tasks, behaviors, and abilities necessary to successfully complete the requirements of the Program are available upon request from the CLS program office. If you have a disability, but have not contacted Disability Support Services (DSS), please call 934-4205 or visit DSS at 516 Hill University Center or http://students.uab.edu/dss. Additional Information:
Entry Term: Fall semester Deadline for All Application Materials to be in the Graduate School Office: July 1 Number of Evaluation Forms Required: None Entrance Tests GRE and for international applicants from non- English speaking countries, scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Written English(TWE) Comments Financial aid (fellowship, stipend or assistantship) is not available from the program; scholarship availability is limited; transcript evaluation by WES is required for applicants with foreign university degrees Contact Information For detailed information, contact the Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Clinical Laboratory Sciences Program, UAB School of Health Professions, SHPB 430, 1705 University Blvd., Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1212. Telephone 205-934-3209. E-mail AskCDS@uab.edu Course Descriptions Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS) Clinical Laboratory Science Courses * Courses may be repeated for credit with defined stipulations ** Courses not open to non-degree graduate students *** Upon Approval CLS 500. Health and Safety Management. Online Course. Review of infection control principles focused on bloodborne, airborne, drug-resistant and opportunistic pathogens, and general health and safety guidelines and standards. Prerequisites: Open to all graduate students. 1 hour.
CLS 503. Body Fluids. Diagnosis and monitoring of renal and systemic disease through the physical, biochemical, and microscopic analysis of urine. Diagnosis of central nervous system and systemic disease through cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Diagnosis of metabolic and infectious disease through analysis of peritoneal fluid and synovial fluid. 1 hour. CLS 504. Body Fluids Laboratory. Diagnosis and monitoring renal and systemic disease through the physical, biochemical, and microscopic analysis of urine and feces. Diagnosis of central nervous system and systemic disease through cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Diagnosis of metabolic and infectious disease through analysis of peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid. 1 hour. CLS 505. Laboratory Management. Roles and functions of clinical laboratories and practitioners; professionalism and ethics; educational methodology and training; professional and interpersonal communication; behavioral aspects of management; leadership styles and management theory; teambuilding; legal issues related to employment; recruitment, interview and selection of personnel; organizational culture and behavioral change; laboratory operations; safety, governmental regulations, standards and compliance; marketing, outreach, and business plan; budget, cost analysis, reimbursement; critical pathways, decision-making, test utilization; performance improvement, quality assessment; risk management, evidence-based laboratory medicine. 3 hours. CLS 506. Laboratory Techniques. Overview of issues and skills surrounding working in the modern laboratory environment; includes safety, collection of specimens, equipment, mathematics, measurements, microscopy, dilutions, quality assurance, basic spectrophotometry, phlebotomy, automation of laboratory testing and lab computers. 2 hours. CLS 518. Immunology. Physiology of immune responses to infectious agents, tumors, transplants; abnormal responses: hypersensitivity, autoimmunity, immunoproliferative disorders, and immunodeficiencies; antigen-antibody reactions; complement; applications of immunology tests. 4 hours. CLS 519. Immunology Lab. Specimen requirements, principle, procedure, clinical significance, and sources of error of common clinical immunology tests; performance and interpretation of tests; application of results to clinical situations. 1 hour. CLS 523. Clinical Microbiology. Reservoirs, modes of transmission, disease associations, and morphological and biochemical characteristics of microorganisms commonly isolated in the clinical laboratory; methods used to isolate and identify bacteria, parasites, and fungi. 3 hours.
CLS 524. Clinical Microbiology Lab. Performance of techniques and tests used in the isolation and identification of bacteria, fungi, and parasites commonly seen in a clinical microbiology laboratory. 1 hour. CLS 526. Instrumentation and Automation. This course includes the study of the theory and principles of automation and instrumentation used in laboratories. An emphasis will be placed on quality control, quality assurance, instrumentation principles, basic statistics, and the regulatory, and economic issues encountered in laboratories including, clinical labs, health labs, government labs, private labs and other laboratories. 2 hours. CLS 527. Instrumentation and Automation Lab. This course includes the practical application of automation and instrumentation used in laboratories. An emphasis will be placed on quality control, quality assurance, instrumentation principles, basic statistics, and the regulatory, and economic issues encountered in laboratories including, clinical labs, health labs, government labs, private labs and other laboratories. 1 hour. CLS 528. Hematology I.--Systematic examination of blood cells: normal function; recognizing their microscopic appearance; blood cell disorders; standard and special clinical hematology laboratory procedures; validation of laboratory data; interpretation of results, quality assurance. 4 hours. ***CLS 530. Immunohematology. This course covers blood group antigen-antibody reactions; donor blood collection and testing; serological characteristics and immunogenetics of the major blood group systems; pretransfusion testing, basic and advanced techniques of antibody identification and problemsolving; transfusion therapy; laboratory evaluation of hemolytic disease of the newborn; and the investigation of immune coating of red cells in vivo, including autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Application of theory and problem-solving skills is emphasized. 4 hours. ***CLS 531. Immunohematology Lab. This course includes the study of red cell phenotyping, antibody detection and identification, pretransfusion testing, and laboratory investigation of hemolytic anemias. 1 hour. ***CLS 532. Hematology II. Structure and function of hematopoietic and lymphatic tissue. Stem cell differentiation, hematopoiesis, erythrocyte and leukocyte kinetics. Laboratory diagnosis and case management of anemia, lymphoma, myeloma, acute and chronic leukemia, myeloproliferative disorders, and myelodysplastic syndromes. Application of cell morphology, cell population scatter plots and histograms, cytochemistry, immunophenotyping, molecular methods, and cytogenetics. Hematology laboratory problem solving. 4 hours.
***CLS 537. Infectious Diseases. Pathogenic mechanisms of infectious diseases; normal flora and pathogens of various body sites; methods for collection, transport, and culturing different types of clinical specimens; interpretation of cultures. 3 hours. ***CLS 538. Infectious Diseases Lab. Performance and interpretation of direct gram stains; culturing various types of clinical specimens for isolation of bacteria; performing and interpreting tests used in the identification of potential pathogens; reporting culture results; antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance testing. 2 hours. CLS 542. Molecular Diagnostics. Overview of nucleic acid structure, gene expression and genetic disease. Principle and performance of DNA and RNA isolation, amplification, hybridization, and analysis. Applications in microbiology, prenatal diagnosis, cancer management, transplantation, paternity testing, thrombosis risk testing and forensic medicine. 3 hours. CLS 543. Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. Performance of molecular methods including, but not limited to nucleic acid isolation and purification, polymerase chain reaction, agarose gel electrophoresis, enzymatic manipulation of nucleic acids and metaphase chromosome spreads. 1 hour. ***CLS 551. Clinical Chemistry. --Principles and methods of analysis of biochemical metabolites used in medical laboratories; problem solving; quality control and quality assurance. Metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, heme, lipids and enzymes, and correlation of laboratory data. Case studies of common diseases and specimen problems. 4 hours. ***CLS 552, Clinical Chemistry Lab. Performance of techniques and tests used in a clinical chemistry lab to diagnose, treat and monitor human diseases. Application of quality control to commonly measured analytes. 1 hour. **/***CLS 560. Clinical Correlations. Correlate clinical, technical and analytical proficiencies that comprise clinical laboratory science practice. Analyze and interpret case studies through selection, application, and interpretation of clinical laboratory protocols. Prerequisites: CLS 518, 523, 528, 530, 537, 542, 551 or concurrent enrollment. 3 hours. **CLS 570. Professional Development. Review of medical technology/ clinical laboratory science body of knowledge with required comprehensive trial certification final examination using self-directed online materials. Experience with the development of a personal certification maintenance plan to meet requirements defined by national certification agencies in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. 1 hour.
**CLS 595. Clinical Practice. Directed clinical practice in Immunohematology, Hematology, Microbiology, and Chemistry; laboratory procedures and methods, problem-solving, quality assurance, preventive maintenance, and safety. Prerequisite: Admission to the CLS program. 1-12 hours. CLS 610. Advanced Technology Assessment.--Analysis of technology assessment information for test methods and instruments utilized in diagnostic laboratory medicine services; experience with determining and evaluating performance characteristics and clinical utility information for specific diagnostic test procedures; application of quality management practices to establish the diagnostic accuracy of products sold and to establish process quality for services delivered; application of critical thinking skills to evaluate methodological and substantive validity of correlation and evaluation studies relevant to laboratory medicine practices. Prerequisites: Biostatistics, CLS 693 or concurrent enrollment. *CLS 686. Special Topics in Clinical Laboratory Sciences.--Selected advanced topics of current scientific, clinical, and professional importance; specific topics designed to meet student need and interest. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1-4 hours. */**CLS 698. Master's Level Non-Thesis Research. Project completion. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1-6 hours. */**CLS 699. Master's Level Thesis Research.--Implementation of research. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. 1-6 hours. Cytology Courses * Courses may be repeated for credit with defined stipulations ** Courses not open to non-degree graduate students *** Upon Approval CT 501. Gynecologic Cytopathology. Study of the anatomy, physiology, histology, cytology and pathophysiology of the female genital tract and corresponding sellular manifestations which provide diagnostic information. Normal biologic variations, atypical changes, premalignancy, and types of malignancy are studied. Patient management and follow-up based on cytologic findings is addressed. 6 hours. CT 521. Gynecologic Cytopathology Laboratory. Application of diagnostic criteria to develop practical analytical expertise to microscopically evaluate genecologic specimens with sufficient competence to issue the final report for a negative interpretation and prepare preliminary reports for all other cases, for review by the pathologist. Concurrent with CT 521. 6 hours.
CT 611. Non-Gynecologic Cytopathology. Study of the anatomy, histology, cytology and pathophysiology of the respiratory tract, body cavities, nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, and breast. The course will include fine needle aspiration cytology of these body sites and organs commonly sampled with a fine needle (thyroid, salivary glands, lymph nodes, liver, pancreas, kidney) as well as bone, soft tissue and other organs accessible by fine needle aspiration. 4 hours. CT 624. Non-Gynecologic Laboratory. Application of diafnostic criteria to develop practical analytical expertise to microscopically evaluate cytologic specimens from all non-gynecologic body sites. Cell morphology, clinical history, and immunocytochemsitry will be used to differentiate between inflammatory, benign and malignant disease processes. Students will provide a differential diagnosis based on the synthesis of appropriate data. Concurrent with CT 611. Prerequisite: CT 521. 6 hours. *CT 680. Gynecologic Cytology Practice. Microscopic evaluation and interpretaiton of gynecologic class slide specimens in a clinical laboratory setting. Students will evaluate gynecologic specimens with sufficient competence to issue the final report for a negative interpretation and prepare preliminary reports for all other cases, for review by the pathologist. Prerequisite: CT 521. 1 hour. CT 690. Professional Practice. Clinical internships in a variety of cytopathology laboratories. Students gain proficiency in evaluating and interpreting gynecologic and non-gynecologic specimens, and processing cytology specimens. Students participate in all phases of diagnostic service work and laboratory functions that may include continuing educaiton activities, adjunct diagnostic technologies and seminar attendance. Prerequisite: CT 680. 3-9 hours. Students must complete 9 hours of CT 690. CT 693. Advanced Diagnostic Cytopathology. Students will have the opportunity to select and design a clinical experience to gain more knowledge and skills in a specific area. 2 hours. CT 694. Clinical Molecular Pathology. Online course. Molecular basis of disease processes, analysis of current assays used in the clinical laboratory, impact on patient management, and ethical considerations. 2 hours. CT 695. Certification Examination Review. Review of cytotechnology or molecular biology body of knowledge with required comprehensive trial certification finale examination. 1-3 hours. Prerequisite: CT 690 or permission of instructor; available for qualified non-degree seeking students desiring to prepare for the certification examinations. CT 610. Research Design and Statistics. Introduction to clinical research methods and review of concepts involved in descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics covered include: overview of the
research process, literature review, research hypothesis, research designs, sample selection, measurement methods, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics. 3 hours. CLS 500. Health and Safety Management. - Online course. Review of infection control principles focused on bloodborne, airborne, drug-resistant and opportunistic pathogens, and general health and safety guidelines and standards. Prerequisites: Open to all graduate students. 1 hour. CLS 505. Laboratory Management. Roles and functions of clinical laboratories and practitioners; professionalism and ethics; educaitonal methodology and training; professional and interpersonal communicaiton; behavioral aspects of management; leadership styles and management theory; teambuilding; legal issues related to employment; recruitment, interview and selection of personnel; organizational culture and behavioral change; laboratory operations; safety, governmental regulations, standards and compliance; marketing, outreach, and business plan; budget, cost analysis, reimbursement; critical pathways, decision-making, test utilization; performance improvement, quality assessment; risk management, evidence-based laboratory medicine. 3 hours. CLS 506. Laboratory Techniques. Overview of issues and skills surrounding working in the modern laboratory environment; includes safety, collection of specimens, equipment, mathematics, measurements, microscopy, dilutions, quality assurance, basic spectrophotometry, phlebotomy, automation of laboratory testing and lab computers. 2 hours. CLS 542. Molecular Diagnostics. Overview of nucleic acid structure, gene expression and genetic disease. Principle and performance of DNA and RNA isolation, amplification, hybridization, and analyses. Applications in microbiology, prenatal diagnosis, cancer management, transplantation, paternity testing, thrombosis risk testing and forensic medicine. 3 hours. CLS 543. Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. Performance of molecular methods including, but not limited to nucleic acid isolation and purification, polymerase chain reaction, agarose gel electrophoresis, enzymatic manipulation of nucleic acids and metaphase chromosome spreads. 1 hour. */**CLS 698. Master's Level Non-Thesis Research.--Project completion. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructore. 1-6 hours.