The Clinical Laboratory Science profession is an exciting and rewarding health career. Clinical laboratory scientists provide rapid access to laboratory test results that are critical for the diagnostic and treatment decisions necessary for the delivery of quality healthcare.

Our Mission

The Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences believes that quality healthcare is an individual right. We seek to produce compassionate healthcare professionals who will maintain professional competence, excel as leaders, and promote health education for the United States as well as the global community. Therefore, the mission of the department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at Howard University is to educate highly skilled and proficient laboratory scientists committed to providing quality health care. Special emphasis is placed on developing and empowering promising African-American students.

Our Vision

The goals of the Department of Clinical Laboratory Science are to:

  1. Prepare laboratory scientists capable of contributing to the delivery of quality healthcare by their ability to understand and interpret new technologies and protocols as they embark on the ever-advancing field of laboratory sciences.
  2. Instill in our students a sense of responsibility, compassion, and professionalism towards those they serve and with the ability to work successfully among a diverse group of individuals as participating team members.
  3. Develop active laboratory professionals who seek to expand their horizons and contribute to the development of the profession through lifelong learning and participation in professional organizations and continuing education programs.
  4. Become nationally recognized as a leading academic center in the biomedical laboratory sciences whose graduates are equipped to serve in healthcare delivery, informatics, and advanced scientific areas.

Objectives

A graduate of the Clinical Laboratory Sciences program should be proficient in the following entry level competencies:

  • Effective communication with peers, supervisors, other health professionals and consumers
  • Professional consultation with other laboratory and technical support personnel
  • Mastery of appropriate procedures for collecting, processing and analyzing biological specimens for analysis
  • Accurate performance of standard, complex, and specialized analytical tests on biological specimens
  • Recognition, interpretation and correlation of abnormal laboratory data with disease states
  • Evaluation, validation, and implementation of new laboratory procedures and instrumentation in compliance with regulatory agencies
  • Investigation and verification of quality control and quality assurance measures, and the introduction of appropriate corrective procedures to achieve accuracy and precision
  • Management and application of the principles of laboratory information systems
  • Establishment and maintenance of effective laboratory safety protocols in accordance with regulatory standards
  • Pursuit of continuing education activities that enhance professional growth and competence
  • Evaluation and provision of effective educational and technical instruction in laboratory practice to students, laboratory personnel, other health professionals and consumers
  • Comprehension and application of the principles of personnel, fiscal, and administrative management
  • Critical evaluation and analysis of information, and the application of problem solving skills to real world challenges
  • Modeling and reinforcing the ethical standards of professional conduct