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Pierce College District 11 Catalog, Program listing for 2003–2005

List of changes since catalog printing | Jump to table of contents | Go to list of courses
This information dates from the 2003 - 2005 catalog. Not all information is completely up-to-date. If you have questions, contact us.

Health Science

Faculty (Fort Lewis): Camille Bennett
  (Fort Steilacoom): Mary Bath-Balogh, Steven Crain, Robert Johnson, Ron May, Leslie Watts
  (Puyallup): Dr. Dale Blum, Sandy Lewis
Degrees: Associate in Arts & Sciences (AAS);AAS Option B
Associate of Science (AS) - Track 1

Coursework in the health sciences can be combined with courses in other disciplines for students who plan to transfer to four-year institutions for study in such allied health areas as dental hygiene, health education, physician's assistant, fitness/wellness, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, medical technology, or pre-professional degrees for medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, pharmacy, or veterinary medicine. Health science sources offer a basic scientific approach to solving individual and societal problems.

Students considering a health career program need to be aware that licensure and hiring may be affected if the graduate has practiced substance abuse and/or child abuse behaviors, or has been convicted of a gross misdemeanor or felony.

Students planning to transfer should complete the AS, AAS or AAS Option B requirements and MUST check with the transfer institution to clarify specific requirements and transferable credits.

See Catalog pg. 53-55

Emergency Medical Technician

Pierce College offers a certification for Emergency Medical Technician–Basic; this is an 8-credit course (Health Science 278) offered at Fort Lewis. Applicants must have current CPR certification as either HEALTHCARE PROVIDER or PROFESSIONAL RESCUER. For more information call (253) 964-3139.

Associate In Medical Laboratory Technician

This is a two-year associate degree program which requires one year of college-level academic coursework, plus one year of applied academics and hospital/clinical internship. Students rotate through all clinical laboratory departments. After successful completion of the program, students may challenge several National Registry Exams. Due to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988 (CLIA), only technicians in the lab with associate degrees or higher may perform more complex testing and work independently within departments in a hospital clinical laboratory or in outpatient clinics.

Upon completion of the program, students earn the Associate in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT-AD) and are eligible to take the national registry examination through the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. All coursework must be completed within five years.

Students pursing the associate degree have three options:

  1. Students who successfully complete the entire one-year applied academic/clinical portion at Clover Park Technical College can transfer to Pierce College. Pierce will grant 45 credits for the applied academic/clinical portion completed at Clover Park upon successful completion at Pierce of the 48 shown below as Required Courses.
  2. Students who successfully complete the 48 credits listed below as required courses at Pierce College may apply for admission to the year-long applied academic/clinical portion at Clover Park. Upon successful completion of the entire applied academic/clinical training, the student can apply to Pierce College for the Associate in Medical Laboratory Technician degree. Pierce College's standard graduation requirement that 25 of the last 45 credits earned must be earned at Pierce will be waived.
  3. 3. Students who have successfully completed the applied academic/clinical portion at Clover Park and who have complete coursework equivalent to the Required Courses listed below at another accredited college with a minimum of 25 credits being completed at Pierce College can apply to Pierce College for the MLT associate degree.

Applied academic/clinical training credits will be granted only to students from Clover Park Technical College. Completion of other clinical laboratory training programs will not substitute for the CPTC program. Students with MLT-C or equivalent certification from other training programs are advised to complete Pierce's Associate in Arts & Science degree.

Required Courses (46-48 credits)*

Total Quarter Credits 46-48

*All students must be computer literate or take appropriate coursework. Also, students should be advised that they may need to complete prerequisite courses if they do not meet minimum standards for admission into the required program courses.

**Courses must be taken at Pierce College or student must demonstrate coursework competency as evaluated by the MLT program coordinator.

*may require prerequisites

Applied Clinical Requirements (1570 clock hours) (85 credits)

The clinical and applied academic portion of the program will be offered through Clover Park Technical College.

Nursing (Pre-)

Nursing Assistant Training

For students who wish immediate job placement in a nursing-related position, Nursing Assistant Training is available at Pierce College Puyallup. Check quarterly Class Bulletins for exact schedule. Completion of the class (Health Science 111) qualifies students to take the State Board exam and, upon passing, become licensed as a NAC (Nursing Assistant Certified). Must meet placement test requirement – READ 75.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) (Pre-)

Students planning to become LPNs should check with local technical colleges for application procedures, ASSET score minimums, and program availability (there is usually a 6-12 month waiting list). Related instruction in ENGL 101, math and psychology is advisable but not required. Many students start taking pre-RN courses while they are on the waiting list.

Registered Nursing (RN) (Pre-)

Pierce College does not currently have a nursing program/school but does offer all course prerequisites necessary for application elsewhere.

Pre-RN students can prepare for either an ADN (2-year Associate Degree in Nursing) or BSN (4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing) by taking their prerequisites at Pierce. Experienced RNs planning to finish their BSN at UW-Tacoma or PLU must also complete certain requirements. Students must work closely with advisors at Pierce as well as the school of nursing selected. All transfer institutions require either a 2.0 minimum course grade or a 2.75 overall GPA; however, most admissions into nursing programs are grade competitive. Many programs require completion of an AAS degree prior to transfer; others only ask for basic pre-nursing courses.

The prerequisites listed below are common to most schools of nursing. Be sure to check the specific requirements of the school to which you plan to transfer. Most of these courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.

*NOTE: CHEM 102 and MATH 281 only required by BSN programs.

Other courses required by many nursing schools may include:

Occupational Therapy (Pre-)

In Washington, University of Washington and University of Puget Sound offer the Master's in Occupational Therapy (MOT). It is critical to coordinate with the transfer institution regarding their specific general degree requirements. Acceptance is VERY grade competitive (the average GPA of students accepted is 3.5+) but admission is also based on character, personality, maturity and recommendations from work or volunteer experience in an occupational therapy practice setting (minimum 40 hours experience). Applicants must have basic computer literacy. UW requires applicants to take the AHPAT (Allied Health Professions Admissions Test). Both universities require completion of a bachelor's degree prior to acceptance and coursework must include the following (taken within five years):

*NOTE: These courses are required only by the program at UW; Physics and Chemistry both have math prerequisites.
UPS also requires additional behavioral science coursework – listed in UPS Transfer Guide.

Physical Therapy (Pre-)

In Washington, University of Washington, UPS and EWU offer a Master of Science in Physical Therapy. Acceptance to all programs is very competitive and is dependent on not only a high GPA (minimum 3.0 for each course) but also essays describing job experience within the physical therapy profession. A completed AAS or AS – Track 1 degree is recommended before transferring to a university. Some programs combine the senior year with the first year of the Master in Physical Therapy (MPT). When planning your courses, check with the transfer institution to clarify exact requirements.

The following prerequisites are common to the programs in Washington. Out-of-state programs may differ slightly. All programs require completion of a Bachelor's degree prior to acceptance and science coursework should not be more than five years old.

NOTE: Courses marked with * are required by UPS; those marked with a are required for EWU.

Pre-Professional

Chiropractic (Pre-)

Although most applicants have completed a four-year degree, outstanding students are eligible to apply after three years of coursework. The closest schools of chiropractic are located in Oregon and California. Like all professional schools, admission is grade competitive. Suggested coursework is outlined under the Associate of Science – Track 1. All of these courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.

Dentistry (Pre-), Medicine (Pre-), Veterinary Medicine (Pre-)

The majority of applicants have bachelor degrees; this is NOT an actual major. Professional schools are looking for a broad liberal arts background. The University of Washington has the only Schools of Dentistry and Medicine; Washington State University has the School of Veterinary Medicine. Admission tests are taken at the end of the junior year. Be sure you get current information from the school of your choice early in your program and gain as much exposure to the profession as possible by working or volunteering. The Associate of Science – Track 1 outlines the courses generally required; however, an AAS can also be tailored to include part of the required sciences. Check with a science advisor for exceptions or additions suggested by specific professional schools.

Medical Technology (Pre-)

University of Washington and Central Washington University offer Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology (BSMT) degrees and have affiliated clinical internship sites. Check to see if the college you choose requires taking the AHPAT (Allied Health Professions Admission Test) prior to applying. Students can transfer to either of these institutions with an AAS but should try to include as many of the following as possible. All of these courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.

Note: Most of the suggested courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.

Pharmacy (Pre-)

Schools of pharmacy are located at the University of Washington and Washington State University (must also include WSU General Education Requirements). Both are five-year Pharmacy Doctoral (Pharm.D.) programs. Check schools of Pharmacy for application criteria and deadlines. Admissions are made on the basis of GPA and PCAT scores. Coursework to be completed within the AAS degree should include:

Note: Most of the suggested courses have prerequisites that must be included in academic planning.

Physician's Assistant/MEDEX (Pre-)

The only Physician's Assistant program currently available in Washington is the MEDEX program offered through the University of Washington's School of Medicine in Seattle. This is a two-year certificate granting program (eight quarters) with an optional degree available (Bachelor of Clinical Health Services). Admission is VERY competitive since many applicants already hold degrees and have many years of experience in the health field. Minimal admission requirements are:

Refer to the UW Medex Web site for specific criteria.