Dear Laboratory Clinical Educator,
Thank you for providing the opportunity for our students to complete their clinical experience at your laboratory. Clinical experience is an important part of medical laboratory education and preceptors play a vital role in its success. Our regional clinical coordinators and the student rotating at your facility will be in contact with you regarding the schedule and other rotation-related matters.
BLS Clinical Education Team Contact Info
- Dr. Olga Terekhina – Clinical Coordinator for the Continental Region, including U.S. Territories and International
- Sachi Imbuldeniya – Clinical Coordinator for the Atlantic Region, including Washington D.C. and West Virginia
- Allison Cannon – BLS Contract Coordinator
Clinical Semester
You may encounter students from various clinical programs, each of which has specific rotation requirements. The clinical semester typically takes place near the end of the program of study, which can range between the 3rd and 7th semesters after admission.
Rotations for MLS programs include clinical experience in blood bank, clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, hematology, coagulation, and urinalysis.
Categorical programs (Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, and Molecular Diagnostics) require a program-specific rotation.
This information will be provided to you by the regional clinical coordinator. It is also available in our clinical rotation management platform, Typhon Group.
Affiliation Agreement
An Affiliation agreement is required prior to the start of rotations. Students are not permitted to participate in rotations without an executed agreement. Our clinical team will reach out to the clinical site directly to initiate the agreement if one does not exist already.
Clinical Affiliates
Our program works with an extensive network of diagnostic, research and other laboratories in the National Capital Region and throughout the United States and U.S. Territories. All affiliated clinical sites have been approved to provide appropriate clinical experience that meets degree requirements.
Primary Affiliates in the National Capital Region:
- George Washington University Hospital, DC
- Children’s National Medical Center, DC
- Doctors Community Hospital, MD
- Sibley Memorial Hospital, DC
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center, DC
- Washington DC VA Medical Center, DC
- Quest Diagnostic Laboratories, Chantilly, VA
- Virginia Hospital Center, Arlington, VA
- Fairfax County Health Department, VA
- INOVA HealthPlex, Springfield, VA
- INOVA Hospital, Alexandria, VA
- Holy Cross Health, Silver Spring, MD
- Holy Cross Health, Germantown, MD
- Suburban Hospital, MD
- Dimensions Health, MD
- Anne Arundel Medical Center, MD
- Patient First, VA & MD
If your laboratory facility is interested in hosting a GW laboratory science student, please contact mlsclinicals@gwu.edu.
Preceptor Orientation
The BLS department offers a variety of resources for clinical preceptors. These include preceptor orientation, preceptor clinical guide, clinical objectives, and other support options. To access these resources, please reach out to mlsclinicals@gwu.edu.
Clinical Tasks to be completed by Preceptors in Typhon
The BLS department uses Typhon Group as the clinical rotation management platform. As a clinical preceptor, you will have a Typhon account, where you will be able to access various rotation-related information. During student rotations, you will be expected to review and approve student case logs, time logs and complete end-of-rotation evaluation(s) electronically.
Preceptor Development Resources
BLS P.A.C.E. Program: Our webinar series offers up to 10 CEUs annually. You can join the sessions live or view the recordings of past sessions.
SMHS Center for Faculty Excellence: As a laboratory preceptor you are invited to take part in additional self-paced and synchronous training opportunities. Registration is required to access the training. The account is free and can be set up using the non-GW email address. The training is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education to physicians.
We hope that training our students will be a positive and rewarding experience for you. Should you have any questions about the clinical part of the program, please contact our BLS clinical team at mlsclinicals@gwu.edu.