Learned professional competence of medical laboratory technology graduates in two academic preparation settings and their career commitment

This study investigated the professional development of Medical Laboratory Technicians in two academic preparation settings and their career commitment. One hundred and twenty two graduates from a total graduate population of 143 students received questionnaires for the study. Forty-five graduates responded, for a response rate of 36.9 percent.;A quantitative approach was used to examine graduate participants' attitudes towards the development of three learned professional competencies: clinical laboratory basic skills, collaboration, and independent analysis in two academic settings of formal course work and clinical practicum field experience. The relationships and differences among graduate participants' attitudes in the three dimensions of professional development for the two academic preparation settings and their subsequent career commitment to the laboratory profession were investigated. Open-ended questions were used to reveal patterns, similarities, and discrepancies that the graduates expressed towards their formal course work and clinical practicum field experience.;Graduate participants reported that there were no significant differences for preparation in the two academic settings. The findings in this study indicated that their formal course work was as important in their professional development and success at work as was the clinical practicum field experience. Respondents identified a clear pathway to their career commitment through the development of collaboration in the clinical practicum (r = .381), independent analysis in the clinical practicum (r = .362), basic skills in the clinical practicum (r = .357), and collaboration in formal course work (r = .347). Items most highly related to career commitment were those dealing with team work, with their ability to function in interdisciplinary groups, and with their ability to work with different health care providers. For these respondents, the level of compensation related to salary was not as important as collaboration was to their career commitment.;Associate degree programs should emphasize collaborative skills and interdisciplinary group work in both classroom and clinical practicum experiences. Recommendations for further research include using a qualitative approach to develop additional understandings of the relationships between professional development and career commitment.