Joint Venture with Mountain Gateway

Virginia Western Community College delivers the AAS Medical Laboratory Technology program on the Roanoke campus as well as to Mountain Gateway Community College via distance learning. Students are admitted to the distance site annually.

The program is designed to instill in graduates a strong understanding of  the concepts and clinical aspects of laboratory medicine. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take a national board certification examination leading to ASCP Certification as a Medical Lab Technician MLT (ASCP).

How does the distance program operate?

The Joint Venture program is a distance satellite of Virginia Western’s accredited MLT program. Students enroll in the same classes and have clinical experiences identical to students on the Roanoke campus.

The MLT classroom environment consists of various modalities. Courses originate from the main campus at Virginia Western and are delivered through Canvas, Collaborate, and in the classroom. The MLT lecture is delivered live to the other classroom site by HyFlex format; students can see and talk to the classroom instructor and to students at the Roanoke site.

Preclinical, clinic, and laboratory courses will take place at the clinical facility developed by the Joint Venture site. MGCC students meet at MGCC and Alleghany Regional Hospital. Students may complete general support courses in the curriculum (Ethics, Developmental Psychology, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, etc.) at MGCC.

How do MGCC students communicate with faculty who teach distance courses?

Students can speak with the instructor during class sessions using the compressed video. In addition, weekly conference time will be provided for students at the joint venture site for faculty-student communication. Students will have individual email accounts. Other communication can be done by phone or fax. A Clinical Coordinator is employed by Virginia Western and will handle all the scheduling of MGCC students in the program.

How can I learn more about the student experience at the joint venture site?

For MGCC specific information, you may visit the MGCC website.

For specific questions about the distance classroom and clinical experiences of the students at the Joint Venture site, you may contact Leisa Snidow at Virginia Western at 540-857-6073 or lsnidow@virginiawestern.edu.

To apply for admission, refer to the Apply Now page.

The Program Advisor for MLT is Rhonda Perdue (rperdue@virginiawetern.edu) and you can reach out to her for course suggestions and career planning.

Ann Courtney is the contact advisor at Mountain Gateway Community College and can assist you in course selections at MGCC. Not all courses required in the Advanced Healthcare Certificate need to be completed to prepare for entry into MLT at Virginia Western. Ann Courtney can be reached at acourtney@mgcc.edu or 540-863-2825.