Clinical Lab Assistant students Kenneth McKee and Nicole Paresi have been honored for their academic achievements and community involvement. The two Clackamas Community College students have received National Student Honor Awards from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). They are the only Oregon students to receive the award this year.
The ASCP honor awards recognize students in the laboratory profession who demonstrate academic excellence and a commitment to community service and leadership activities. The ASCP oversees board certification for laboratory personnel.
Over the past year, McKee worked with college staff on high school outreach to encourage young men to pursue careers in health science. He graduated from CCC in June and is going on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in laboratory science. Paresi supported outreach to bring students pursuing their GED into the laboratory field. She graduated from the Clinical Lab Assistant (CLA) program and is working in the field.
The CLA program at CCC is the only one of its kind on the West Coast. It prepares students for work in a laboratory or clinical setting, an area where workers are in demand. Students are often employed before they complete the program.
Clinical laboratory assistants are trained in all aspects of the medical laboratory including phlebotomy, specimen processing and quality control, and work with a variety of laboratory personnel, physicians and often patients. In hospitals or research institutes, clinical lab assistants provide support for specialized labs like hematology or microbiology
For information about the CLA program at CCC, contact program director Helen Wand at 503-594-0694.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
