The Medical Laboratory Technician program prepares students for employment as an MLT working in a clinical medical laboratory. Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLT) perform a wide variety of routine laboratory procedures and work in both public and private laboratories serving the health care sector.
The MLT program is a two-year curriculum leading to the Associates in Science degree in Medical Laboratory Technician. Completion of pre-requisite courses will be required prior to entering the program. The program course of study is a combination of instruction in principles of laboratory theory and techniques as well as clinical experience at affiliated medical laboratories. Students learn to perform routine laboratory procedures in phlebotomy, microbiology, clinical chemistry, hematology, coagulation, immunology, and urinalysis. They also will learn to operate and maintain clinical laboratory equipment.
Graduates of the program qualify for state licensure examination administered by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) Board of Certification to become state licensed medical laboratory technicians.
APPLYING TO THE MEDICAL LAB TECH PROGRAM
Application dates and procedures TBA. Please check back.
- MLT Roadmap (must be taken in sequence)- Revised April 2021
Qualified candidates are accepted on a first come first service basis with enrollment limitations related to the number of available sites.
MLT INFORMATION SESSIONS
Our next information session will be held on:
| Date: | Time: | Registration |
| Wednesday, April 21st | 10:30am | Click here to register |
For more information, please email Lori Hefter.
RESOURCES
PACKET FOR CLINICAL PRACTICUM TRAINING
All MLT students will be required to complete/obtain the following PRIOR to going to their clinical sites:
- Mandatory Health Assessment Requirements
- Physical Advisory Statement and Instructions
- Back Ground Check / Drug Screening order instructions
- Professional Behaviors Release
- Liability Insurance - HPSO
- Basic Life Support (BLS) Card: Must be through the American Heart Association (No other Providers). We offer the class at Saddleback College titled HSC 222- Basic Life Support/CPR for Health Care Providers. You may also take it at a 3rd party site. We suggest http://www.lifelinecpr.com/.*Please submit a copy of your BLS card to Lori Hefter.
STUDENTS WITH FOREIGN TRANSCRIPTS / CLASSES
You will need to have your transcripts evaluated and translated by NACES (http://www.naces.org/members.html) and then you should make an appointment with a Saddleback Counselor who will help determine if your classes fulfill the prerequisites for the MLT Program. All official NACES- evaluated transcripts must be submitted to the Saddleback College Office of Admissions and Records upon application.
SALARY
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings of medical laboratory technicians were $52,330 per year 2018. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,280 and $40,180. A 2012 survey by Salary.com reported a median annual salary of $47,176 with the lowest 25 percent earning $38,544 and the highest 25 percent earning $57,103.
FACULTY & STAFF
Hency Chu, PhD, MLS 
Program Director
Asmita Bhakta
Associate Faculty
Jeffrey Donovan
Associate Faculty
Sanja Apodac, MLT, CPT1
MLT Lab Assistant
Shraddha Shah, CLS
Associate Faculty
Lori Hefter
MLT Program Assistant
949-582-4731