May 09, 2025  
2025-2026 College Catalog 
    
2025-2026 College Catalog

MLT 285IN - Clinical Chemistry

6 Contact Hours, 4 Credits
3 lecture periods 3 lab periods


Fundamentals of chemistry including theoretical application and performance in a clinical setting. Includes chemical substances, instruments, laboratory procedures, blood and urine chemistry abnormalities, and laboratory instrument computers and information systems.

Prerequisite(s): With a grade of B or better: BIO 205IN , and MAT 151  or assessment into MAT 189 .
Information: Students must be admitted to the Medical Laboratory Technician program and obtain consent of instructor before enrolling in this course. MLT285IN is equivalent to MLT285 and MLT285LB.
Button linking to AZ Transfer course equivalency guide    button image Prior Learning and link to PLA webpage

Course Learning Outcomes
  1. Define metabolic pathways basic to the physiology of the human body.
  2. Describe the general principles of electrophoresis and its role in disease diagnosis.
  3. Describe the theory behind commonly performed tests in clinical chemical laboratory procedures.
  4. Correlate results with disease states and clinical significance for a variety of biochemical substances such as electrolytes, enzymes, tumor markers, and pharmaceuticals.
  5. Analyze quality control data to determine reliability of clinical chemistry assays in the chemistry laboratory (Westgard Rules).
  6. Differentiate between the interface between laboratory instrument computers and the laboratory information system. 
  7. Explain how to perform dilutions, titers, conversions, and other mathematical calculations for chemistry.
  8. Operate standardized procedures for chemistry instrumentation and maintenance.
  9. Correlate results of laboratory tests performed with disease states and clinical significance for a variety of biochemical substances such as electrolytes, enzymes, tumor markers, and      pharmaceuticals.
  10. Perform dilutions, titers, conversions, and other mathematical calculations for chemistry.
  11. Improve critical thinking and organizational skills by active engagement in class activities and problem-solving discussions.

Outline:
  1. Chemical Substances and Correlation to Abnormalities or Disease States 
  2. Laboratory Instrumentation, Validation, Quality Control, Troubleshooting, and Reagents
  3. Requirements for and Preparation of Laboratory Procedures Reports
    1. Principles of the procedure
    2. Function of each reagent used
    3. Clinical significance of the test
    4. Results
    5. Conclusions
  4. Criteria for Evaluation of Results of Blood and Urine Samples and Correlation to Disease States
    1. Altered acid base balance
    2. Kidney disease
    3. Liver disease
    4. Heart disease
    5. Neurological system disorders
    6. Endocrine and reproductive system disorders
    7. Bone and muscle disease
    8. Neoplasms
    9. Nutritional status
    10. Fetal abnormalities
    11. Pediatrics and geriatrics
    12. Therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse
  5. Requirements for Instrument Computers and Laboratory Information Systems
  6. Calculation of Lab Math Values
    1. Molar solutions
    2. Unit conversions
    3. Dilutions
    4. Serial dilutions
    5. Molarity and normality
    6. pH
  7. Measurement of Chemical Substances and Ions
    1. Na
    2. K
    3. Cl
    4. Glucose
    5. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
    6. Creatinine
    7. Proteins and amino acids
    8. Uric acid
    9. Alkaline phosphatase
    10. Electrolytes
    11. Cardiac markers
    12. Blood gases
    13. Enzymes
    14. Bilirubin
    15. Hormones
    16. Minerals
    17. Lipids
  8. Quality Control / Statistics
    1. Westgard Rules
    2. Accuracy
    3. Precision
    4. Mean
    5. Calibration Curve
    6. Standard Deviation
    7. Calibrators
    8. Standards
    9. Controls
    10. Reagent stability
  9. Operation and Evaluation of Instrumentation
    1. Troubleshooting
    2. Instrument maintenance
    3. Method validation
    4. Analytical measurement range (AMR)
    5. Lot to lot variation
  10. Use of Chemistry Instrumentation to Obtain Accurate Results
    1. Glassware
    2. Transfer pipettes
    3. Volumetric pipettes
    4. Spectrophotometry
    5. Chemiluminescence
    6. Spectrophotometers
    7. On board dilutors
    8. Electrophoresis equipment
    9. Pointe 180 (Westgard Rules)
    10. Centrifuge
    11. Balances
    12. Chromatography
  11. Interpretation and Correlation of Blood and Urine Chemistry Abnormalities
    1. Metabolic acidosis/alkalosis
    2. Respiratory acidosis/alkalosis
    3. Creatinine clearance
    4. Calcium homeostasis
    5. Liver disease
    6. Heart disease
    7. Neurological system disorders
    8. Endocrine and reproductive system disorders
    9. Neoplasms
    10. Nutritional status
    11. Fetal abnormalities
    12. Pediatrics and geriatrics
    13. Therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse