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Arkansas State University

College of Nursing & Health Professions

Medical Laboratory and Radiation Sciences Department

Clinical Practicum Handbook for the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science Programs

Updated 8/1/2025

Format of the Clinical Practicum

Each clinical practicum is a course that the student must enroll in and is overseen by an A-State MLS faculty member.  The faculty member will provide you with materials such as a pre-practicum review, a practice examination, and learning activities to complete and hand in prior to sitting for the final examination.  These materials are provided to you via Canvas, so make sure you understand how to access and navigate Canvas prior to the start of your practicum.  The final examination is administered by the faculty member on campus or online, and it is your responsibility to schedule the date and time of the examination with the faculty member.

The clinical preceptor oversees your tasks and performance at the clinical site.  They dictate the start and end times for each day, the list of tasks you are to complete each day, and your overall training schedule.  They will complete two evaluations on your performance; one on your technical skills, and one on your affective domain and professional conduct. Students should view the clinical practicum as an extended job interview: preceptors and other clinical lab staff are actively observing and noting students’ performance, attitudes, attendance, initiative, and potential employability.  The clinical lab community is small and close-knit, and poor performance during a practicum can affect your chances of getting a job at not just one clinical site, but many others.

Transportation to and from the Clinical Practicum

 As the student, you are responsible for arranging transportation to and from the clinical site each day, adhering to all the institutional policies and procedures (as if you were an employee), being on time, keeping up with the materials and learning activities assigned, staying in contact with the appropriate faculty member, and studying for the final examination.  The MLRS department cannot guarantee that public transportation to and from clinicals will be available or that a student can carpool with peers. Many of our sites are in rural Arkansas. Therefore, it is expected that the student will have (or procure) a valid driver’s license and a reliable vehicle for transportation.

It is important for MLSC students to know that A-State has a limited number of clinical sites, many of which are not in Jonesboro.  Students can expect to drive a significant distance to and from clinical sites for one or more rotations.  Clinical site placement is based upon a number of factors, including the number of students requesting rotations and clinical site availability.  If there are more students than clinical sites available, selection for site placement will be based on professional program GPA.  We will make every effort to place you at sites located near where you live or where close family or friends live, but we make no guarantees that your desired placement will always be possible.  Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation and lodging arrangements upon placement at a clinical site, and these costs should be factored into the total cost of an education.

Attendance

Each 4-credit practicum requires 168 hours of active, documented presence at the clinical site. (Note: 4 credit practicums will be phased out in the 2026-27 academic year.) Each 3-credit practicum requires 120 hours of active, documented presence at the clinical site.  Students will honestly record the start and end times for each day, in the clinical tracker software, taking into account breaks and lunch times when calculating their total number of hours for the day.  The clinical preceptor must verify the hours each day.  If you need to miss a day or a few hours due to illness, you must work with your preceptor to make up the hours at a mutually-agreed-upon time.  Failure to reach the minimum number of hours will require a repeat of the entire clinical practicum.  The attendance record is kept on our clinical software tracker (Typhon, or Platinum Ed).

Evaluation of the Clinical Site and Preceptor

Upon completion of each practicum, we ask that students complete an evaluation of the clinical site and preceptor.  These evaluations are utilized to enhance and modify clinical practicum experiences.  We ask that you offer constructive criticism and honest responses.  These evaluations are completed on our clinical software tracker (Typhon, or Platinum Ed).

Unprofessional Behavior Reports

The clinical preceptor may report unprofessional behavior to the CLS Program by either calling or emailing the clinical coordinator. Starting in the summer of 2026, an unprofessional behavior report form will be available in the clinical tracker software (Platinum Ed).

Incident Reports

Although we hope it never happens, in the event of an accident (such as a needlestick) during your clinical practicum, you need to complete an incident report for the A-State MLS Program.  There may be institution-specific forms you need to complete in the event of an accident as well; this form is in addition to institutional forms.  Please submit the incident report in the clinical tracker software and notify the Clinical Coordinator within 3 business days of the incident.

Service Work

Students are not financially compensated for clinical rotations by either Arkansas State University or the entity who operates the site and location where these clinical rotations take place. Therefore, students cannot be compelled to be responsible for direct patient and/or reportable work during scheduled educational periods.

Students may perform service work, which is the opportunity to work in the clinical laboratory at one of the clinical sites.  Service work is non-compulsory (voluntary), pays an hourly salary, takes place before or after clinical rotation hours, and cannot overlap with clinical rotation hours.

Students are never to be used as replacements for clinical staff while performing service work.

Clinical Placement Policy

In the unlikely event that we have more students requesting clinical placement than clinical placements available, we will rank the requesting students by GPA in the professional program classes.  For those students who don’t make the GPA cut-off for placement during that cycle, they will have to wait until the next clinical placement cycle, at which time they will be at the top of the list and be guaranteed a placement in that next cycle.

Phlebotomy Requirements

In the campus laboratory setting, you developed basic blood collection skills with healthy individuals.  The clinical practicum site represents an alternate experience where there are problems associated with sick and injured patients of all ages.  Here you will be given the opportunity to develop additional phlebotomy skills.

The clinical preceptor will provide direction and instruction both verbally and by example.  As a student, you will be expected to successfully collect blood specimens by the standards established at the clinical site.  Over the course of the four rotations, the student will perform a minimum of 80 satisfactory blood collections.  The objectives of “satisfactory blood collections” are:

1. Correctly identify the patient.
2. Correctly label sample containers/tubes at the bedside.
3. Position the patient and locate an appropriate blood collection site.
4. Correctly prepare equipment, patient, and puncture site.
5. Perform the blood collection according to institutional protocol.
6. Demonstrate proper hand-washing technique.
7. Deliver specimens to the laboratory according to institutional protocol.
8. Describe and/or demonstrate how to address unique situations, such as:

            - The patient becomes dizzy and/or faints.

            - The vein is missed.

            - A hematoma forms at the puncture site.

            - The patient has an IV.

            - The patient is obese.

            - The patient is allergic to the disinfecting solution.

9. Describe and/or demonstrate special collection procedures, such as:

            - Arterial blood gases

            - Capillary collection

            - Blood cultures

            - Glucose tolerance tests

Upon completion of each practicum in which satisfactory blood collections are performed, the clinical preceptor will complete a form called the “Statement of Proficiency in Phlebotomy”.  The completed form will be submitted on our clinical software tracker (Typhon, or Platinum Ed) immediately after completion of the practicum.

Clinical Sites Available for BS students

Name	Street Address	City	Heme	Chem	Micro	IH
NEA Baptist Clinic	4802 E. Johnson	Jonesboro	X	X
St. Bernard’s Medical Center	224 E. Matthews	Jonesboro	X	X	X	X
NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital	4800 E. Johnson	Jonesboro	X	X		X
White River Medical Center	1710 Harrison St.	Batesville	X	X	X	X
Great River Medical Center	1520 N. Division St.	Blytheville	X	X	X	X
Unity Health - Newport	1205 McLain St.	Newport	X	X	X	X
Arkansas Methodist Medical Center	900 W. Kingshighway	Paragould	X	X	X	X
Five Rivers Medical Center	2801 Med Center Dr.	Pocahontas	X	X	X
Unity Health - White County Medical Center	3214 E. Race St.	Searcy	X	X	X	X
Lawrence Memorial Hospital	1309 W. Main St.	Walnut Ridge	X	X
Cross Ridge Community Hospital	310 S. Falls Blvd.	Wynne	X	X
Forrest City Medical Center	1601 New Castle Rd	Forrest City	X	X		X
Fresenius Kidney Care	7318 Southcrest Pkwy.	Southaven, MS	X	X	X
Conway Regional Medical Center	2302 College Ave.	Conway	X	X	X	X
Baptist Health Medical Center- Drew County	778 Scogin Dr.	Monticello	X	X	X	X
Baptist Health Medical Center- Little Rock	9601 Baptist Health Dr.	Little Rock	X	X	X	X
SMC Regional Medical Center	611 W. Lee Ave.	Osceola	X	X
Baptist Memorial Hospital – Crittenden	2100 N. 7th St.	W. Memphis	X	X
Veteran’s Affairs – John J. Pershing Medical Center	1500 N. Westwood Blvd.	Poplar Bluff, MO	X	X	X	X
North Arkansas Regional Medical Center	620 N Main St	Harrison	X	X	X	X

 

Requirements to complete prior to starting a clinical practicum

1. Vaccination record, including completion of Hepatitis B series
2. Documented malpractice/liability insurance (must be renewed yearly)
3. Current CPR training certification (must be renewed every 1-2 years)
4. Acquire scrubs or business casual attire
5. A-State student name tag
6. Current TB skin test (must be renewed yearly)
7. TB-mask fitting (must be renewed yearly)
8. Criminal background check (done at admission to the CLS Program)
9. Annual flu vaccine (for rotations occurring October through April)
10. Drug screen (9-panel) for certain sites
11. Physical examination for certain sites
12. COVID-19 vaccination for most sites

Please note: Some clinical sites require additional tests/tasks be completed prior to practicum start date, such as urine drug screens, additional background checks, and orientations, to name a few examples.  Students will be notified of these additional requirements by the Clinical Coordinator.

Students who fail to complete the aforementioned requirements will forfeit their clinical practicum placement.

Arkansas State University

Clinical Laboratory Science Department

 

HOW TO REQUEST A CLINICAL PRACTICUM

• Complete the necessary requirements for the practicum (pre-requisite coursework, TB mask fitting, CPR, ...).
• Request a clinical rotation by filling out the Qualtrics survey sent out to the cohort, with guidance from your faculty mentor. If you are taking more than one rotation in a semester, a separate request must be made for each.
• Clear any registration hold you may have with the university. 
• The clinical coordinator will issue a permit so you may register for the practicum, and you will receive an email directly from the Registrar when the permit is issued.
• Attend the mandatory pre-clinical review session scheduled prior to the start of semester you are going on a rotation.
• Register for the clinical practicum after the permit has gone through. You are responsible for checking your registration status and registering for the practicum.  If you are not registered, you cannot begin the rotation.
• The clinical coordinator will alert you to your clinical site placement details (location, report time, etc.) two to four weeks prior to the rotation start date.
• Ensure you have completed/submitted all forms/tasks/requirements in our clinical tracker software (Typhon or Platinum Ed) by the deadline set forth by the clinical coordinator.

Requesting a rotation in:	Deadline for request and approval by the clinical coordinator:
Fall semester	June 15th
Spring	November 15th
Summer	March 15th