The program is 41 weeks long (40 weeks + 1 week of vacation). Students begin the year with 1 week of orientation. Lectures are given over the next eight weeks (Monday – Friday from 0700-1530). The next twenty-two weeks are spent in their first rotations:
Phlebotomy: 1 week
Chemistry: 4 weeks
Hematology: 4 weeks (including coagulation)
Urinalysis: 2 weeks
Microbiology: 6 weeks (including molecular testing)
Blood Bank: 4 weeks
Pueblo West Lab: 1 Week
The order that a student progresses through each department varies. A schedule of the rotation order for each student is developed at the beginning of the year, but is subject to change. Once a student has progressed through all first rotations, the student completes a second rotation in each department:
Chemistry: 2 weeks
Hematology: 2 weeks
Microbiology: 2 weeks
Blood Bank: 2 weeks
The program concludes with 1 week of review in all subjects.
In addition to practical work in these departments, students receive weekly units of instruction on subjects pertinent to the theory for that department. Each week, the student is given a set of objectives over a particular subject. An exam is then given the following Monday over the material in the objectives for that week. The exam may also contain review information from previous weeks’ objectives and/or math.
Lectures that were not given during the beginning of the year, may be given on Monday’s throughout the first rotation. The material covered in lecture may not match the material that the student is covering in their departmental weekly objectives.
In addition to practical work in the departments, students receive weekly units of instruction on subjects pertinent to the theory for that department. A unit of instruction includes a set of objectives, reading assignment, homework assignment, and test on a particular topic. Homework is typically due on Wednesdays and the test is on the following Monday. The reading and homework are completed at home and may take anywhere from 10-20 hours of time per week.
In order for the student to obtain a better understanding of the theory for certain topics, eight-weeks of lectures are given at the beginning of the program (after one week of orientation). During the eight-weeks, most lectures are available virtually utilizing a learning management system. Some lectures may require students to come in to the lab and will be scheduled during the week (Monday – Friday) between 7:00 am – 3:30 pm. The lecture schedule is subject to change and may vary.
