A Model for Educational Enrichment and Employment Recruitment for Clinical Laboratory Science Students

Extract

An educational partnership was initiated between a pharmaceutical company and a university-based clinical laboratory science program to achieve mutually beneficial objectives. This external enrichment site provides a unique educational experience for the students that cannot be duplicated any where else in the community. The framework for the educational experience was established with a full day's schedule of visits and presentations guided by a list of twenty learning objectives. Clinical laboratory science students interact with laboratory professionals who are employed by the pharmaceutical company and assigned to a variety of traditional and non-traditional roles. During the visit, pharmaceutical company employees observe student interactions in small group settings and assess the learners' interest in the work environment and specimen testing process. Employee feedback may be applied to future employment decision making. This article describes how employer outreach goals and initiatives and educational enrichment objectives can be met through cooperative team work.

The constant emphasis on cost efficiency combined with the shortage of qualified laboratory personnel in today's hospital laboratories presents a challenge to laboratory science education program administrators in securing adequate clinical education sites. Cearlock and others described a major curriculum revision effort motivated by the need for additional clinical sites.¹ While the most desired clinical education sites are well-equipped hospital laboratories with some diversity in their patient populations, programs frequently pursue educational opportunities that are outside the routine laboratory testing environment to facilitate and augment student learning. External educational sites that fit into this latter category include molecular diagnostics laboratories, newborn…

ABBREVIATIONS: GLPs = good laboratory practices; RIA = radioimmunoassay.