The purpose of the clinical laboratory science programs is to provide educational experiences resulting in clinical laboratory professionals with the theoretical knowledge and the technical skills necessary to provide quality laboratory services in accordance with nationally accepted standards. The programs provide quality educational experiences to students throughout the state of Arkansas and the lower Mississippi Delta area with respect to both the delivery systems utilized and the content prescribed.
The programs provide fully integrated associate and baccalaureate programs that allow students to enter and exit two levels with a minimum of repetition. The associate degree level provides educational experiences resulting in the basic theoretical knowledge and technical skills necessary to function as clinical laboratory technicians. The baccalaureate degree level builds upon the foundations provided by the associate degree level to provide comprehensive and in-depth educational experiences necessary for the decision making and problem solving required to function as clinical laboratory scientists.
In accordance with the mission of the university, educational experiences include opportunities for critical thinking, effective and logical communication, and use of current technology and other resources to allow students to expand and utilize their knowledge.
Clinical laboratory personnel must have certain characteristics in order to be functional health professionals, aids to society, and fulfilled human beings. Clinical laboratory professionals must have the theoretical knowledge and the technical skills necessary to provide quality care consistent with nationally accepted standards. Embodied in this expertise is the ability to adjust to changes required by medical advances, newly developed technologies, and changing needs of society. Additionally, clinical laboratory professionals must be capable of communicating with colleagues, other health care professionals, patients and their families, and society in general.
Clinical laboratory professionals should be cognizant that good health care is the right of every individual. Pursuant to this, clinical laboratory professional must strive for continuing competence and integrity in all endeavors. As an integral part of society, they should also be willing to lend their expertise to those groups, professional and public, striving to improve the quality of health services for all.
In addition to professional activities, each individual clinical laboratory professional should be encouraged to maximize personal potential and social awareness. Complete and balanced personalities are based on the development of knowledge and participation in activities consistent with one's individual interests and talents. Likewise, as citizens, all persons should be concerned with the needs and potential of the communities in which they live and of the world in general.
Finally, individuality and competence combine to enhance one's sense of self-worth and self-confidence, which are desirable traits both personally and professionally. Individuality is also a desirable adjunct to professional competence by enabling clinical laboratory professional to approach problems creatively. The competencies developed by this program embody this philosophy and should help the students to develop professional competence while avoiding restriction of their obligation for personal development and social awareness.
In order to develop clinical laboratory professionals possessing these qualities and competence, the faculty is committed to an educational process which is conducive to learning yet challenging to the individual in accordance with his own abilities.
Such a process is characterized by faculty who clearly defines their expectations of students; who provide appropriate guidance, direction and resources to enable students to meet and even go beyond these expectations; and who fairly measure and evaluate students progress. Additionally, the faculty recognizes and accepts responsibility to serve as effective role models so that the precepts of the profession will have meaning and relevance from students as well as others. Such precepts include the recognition that obligations to patients may supersede obligations to self and others, a commitment to continuing self-improvement and realistic view of the limits of their discipline as well as themselves.
Students, as adults and partners in the educational process, must accept responsibility for their own learning, recognizing that their teachers may only facilitate this process and that each is a resource to the other. Student professionals must also recognize that every course of action, professional or personal, has a consequence for which responsibility must be accepted; while others such as faculty may assist in identifying alternatives, the individuals must ultimately make the choice for himself.
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