Urinalysis and Body Fluids Syllabus for 2023-2024
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Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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Course

MLAB-1211-001 Urinalysis and Body Fluids

Prerequisites

Course Description

An introduction to the study of urine and body fluid  analysis. Includes the anatomy and physiology of the kidney, physical, chemical and microscopic examination of urine, cerebrospinal fluid and other body fluids as well as quality control, quality assurance and safety.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(2 sem hrs; 1 lec, 4 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Urinalysis and Body Fluids, 7th edition, Strasinger and Di Lorenzo, ISBN: 978-0-8036-7582-7

Supplies

The supplies include the following:

• Textbook(s) and lab manual
• Computer or Tablet with Respondus Lockdown browser installed
• Internet access and storage capacity for lecture notes
• Disposable lab coats
• Medical grade disposable gloves, latex-free
• Sharpies
• Pens/pencils/paper

Student Performance

Student Performance

Students are expected to complete all reading assignments, written assignments, quizzes and exams.  All assignments, as well as their due dates are noted on the course calendar.  It is the student’s responsibility to check the course calendar regularly, and complete al assignments by their due date.  If a student knows that he or she is going to be absent when an assignment is due, he/she needs to contact the course instructor to turn in the assignment early.  Laboratory assignments cannot be made up.  If a student misses a lab session, he/she needs to review that lab sessions and complete any questions that accompany the assignment.

Course Learning Objectives

Cognitive Objectives

After attending lecture, reading the assigned materials, and completing all assignments and activities for this course, the student will be able to do the following:

1. Apply safety measures in the Urinalysis/Body fluid laboratory, including standard precautions and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
2. Explain the role of quality management (QM), including the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical components of QM in the urinalysis laboratory.
3. Describe the types of urine/body fluid specimens, how to preserve them, and the routine laboratory tests performed on each type of specimen.
4. Identify components of the nephron, kidney, and excretory system and describe the process of glomerular ultrafiltration.
5. Recognize normal and abnormal urine/body fluid appearance.
6. Correlate physical and chemical urinalysis results.
7. Examine the pathophysiology and laboratory tests used to diagnose disorders involving the urinary system.  
8. Explain abnormal accumulation of metabolites in the urine in terms of overflow and renal disorders.
9. Calculate total cell counts when given the number of cells seen, amount of specimen dilution, and squares counted in the Neubauer chamber.
10. State the reference values for CSF/other body fluids, and determine the significance of abnormal values.
11. Assess whether a suspected case of meningitis is of bacterial, viral, fungal, or tubercular origin when presented with pertinent laboratory data.
12. Differentiate between transudates and exudates using laboratory data.
13. Describe the specimen-handling and processing procedures for testing amniotic fluid for bilirubin, fetal lung maturity (FLM), and cytogenetic analysis.
14. Collaborate and analyze case studies in Urinalysis/Body fluids with classmates.

Affective Objectives:

During this section, the students will exhibit the following professional behaviors, as evaluated in the Work Ethics component of this course:

1. The student will attend all lecture and laboratory sessions.
2. The student will perform all reading assignments, take his/her exams/quizzes, and complete all assigned didactic and laboratory activities independently, unless asked to work with a partner.
3. The student will demonstrate the honesty and integrity to perform these tasks, as expected, with emphasis on quality and timeliness.
4. The student will participate in discussions regarding honesty, integrity and responsibility, as they relate to legal and ethical issues in the clinical laboratory.
5. The student will demonstrate respect for his/her classmates, instructor, and all other students regardless of their race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion or disability.

Psychomotor Objectives:

After attending lecture and laboratory sessions and reading the assigned materials, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the vocabulary utilized in this/these section(s) by completing all study questions and other assigned learning activities.
2. Collaborate on classroom discussions and question/answer sessions.
3. Resolve case studies based on the information presented.
4. Complete all laboratory activities and answers questions pertinent to the completed laboratory exercises and assess for appropriate diagnosis based on findings.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

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If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty shall constitute a violation of the college rules and regulations and is punishable as prescribed by Amarillo College Board policies. Academic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to, cheating on a test/quiz/assignment, plagiarism, and collusion. Cheating shall include:

• Copying from another student's test/assignment paper.

• Using test materials not authorized by the person administering the test/assignment (ex: notes, books, etc).

• Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test/assignment without permission from the test/assignment administrator/instructor.

• Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, or soliciting, in whole or in part, the contents of an administered/unadministered test/assignment.

• The unauthorized transporting or removal, in whole or in part, of the contents of the administered/unadministered test/assignment.

• Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for one's self, to take a test/assignment.

• Bribing another person to obtain an administered/unadministered test/assignment or information about an administered/unadministered test/assignment.

Plagiarism shall be defined as the appropriating, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another's work and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of it in one's own written work.

Collusion shall be defined as the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing written work for fulfillment of course requirements.

Students may not use books, computer websites, or collaborate with another individual when completing quizzes, exams, or assignments in this course unless specifically directed to do so by their instructor.

WORK ETHICS

Amarillo College and the Medical Laboratory Technology program are committed to developing knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors in students so that they can obtain entry-level employment and advance in their chosen profession. Great measures are taken to ensure that the curriculum is updated and that equipment is purchased and kept at industry level, as much as possible. Program Advisory committees meet annually to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of the local medical community as well as the program's national accrediting agency.

We are committed to providing these things to ensure that a graduate has the skills and knowledge to obtain and advance in their chosen profession. Therefore, professional education must address more than academic and skills training in order to meet this challenge. Business and industry state that their greatest need is for employees who possess strong work ethics. Therefore, we accept the challenge of providing not only academic and hands-on training but also work ethics training to students. The work ethics program is important because it provides the link between academic knowledge, skills training and successful employment in the workforce. The program focuses on those behaviors expected in a professional environment.

The following work ethics have been identified as being most important to professional employers, and will be covered and evaluated on a weekly basis, each semester, throughout the program:

• Attendance

• Character

• Teamwork

• Appearance

• Attitude

• Productivity

• Organization

• Communication

• Cooperation

• Respect

NOTE: If a student is absent during a scheduled lecture/lab period, he/she cannot be awarded points for work ethics during that missed lecture/lab period.

Phones and Smartwatches

Phones and smartwatches are disruptive during lecture and lab sessions. Phones and smartwatches should be turned-off during class time, or set on vibrate during class time. If the student anticipates an emergency during class time, they should leave the number for the Student Services Office with their contact. The number is 371-5300

Text/Instant Messaging is NOT permitted when lectures and labs are in session.  It is disruptive and disrespectful to fellow students and the course instructor. Students who are caught engaging in either of these will be subject to disciplinary action including, but not limited to:

1. Being asked to leave class for the remainder of the day

2. Mandatory conference with the Dean of Health Sciences

3. Conference with the Vice President of Student Affairs and a permanent entry in the student's official

program record

The ONLY exception that will be made is if the student has discussed the situation with their instructor beforehand, and ONLY for emergency purposes.

Grading Criteria

The course components of this course will be weighted as follows:

Lecture = 60% of the total grade 

• Exams
• Quizzes. Quizzes for each chapter will be given at the beginning of class on the day the chapter is covered.
• Notebook 
• Assignments

Lab = 10% of the total grade

• Lab Experiments/Study Questions 
• Please note that if the lab has study questions associated with it, they will be due at the beginning of class/lab. Study questions are to prepare the student for the laboratory exercise. The student will not be permitted to participate in lab if they have not completed the study questions.      
• Lab Practical – 100 points

Work Ethics = 10% of the total grade

•  0-10 points possible per week, as evaluated by their instructor. Points awarded will be based on ALL areas defined in the Work Ethics component of this course including: Attendance, Character, Teamwork, Appearance, Attitude, Productivity, Organization, Communication, Cooperation, and Respect. Failure to demonstrate positive work ethics in any of these components will result in points being deducted from the student’s work ethics grade. If the student is disruptive to the class or lab, they will be asked to leave for the remainder of the day, and will not be awarded points for work ethics.

• Work Ethics Online Assignments

Final Exam = 20% of the total grade

The grading scale used for this course is as follows:

A = 90.0% - 100.0% of the total points possible for the course

B = 80.0% - 89.9% of the total points possible for the course

C = 70.0% - 79.9% of the total points possible for the course

F = 69.9% or less of the total points possible for the course

NOTE: A grade of 'D' is not possible

Examinations and quizzes may not be made up. Students are not allowed to make up the labs. The study questions for each lab are due the day the lab is performed.

Major examinations will be given over the lecture and reading material. A comprehensive final will be given at the end of this course in class. Quizzes may be given, announced or unannounced, at any time, so the student is advised to complete all assignments in a timely manner in order to be successful on quizzes.

Late Assignment Policy

Students are required to observe and abide by all assignment due dates. Assignments turned in after the specified date will only be accepted at the discretion of the instructor. Assignments that are time-sensitive, or are required prior to completing other tasks (ex. Pre-lab assignments), may not be accepted.

Zero credit or reduced credit (maximum grade given will be equivalent to a reduction in 2 letter grades) will be given for assignments turned in after the specified date. This is at the discretion of the instructor. It is essential that students be aware of all assignment due dates.

Mandatory Tutoring

If a student makes a grade below a 75% on any given quiz or exam they will be required to attend and show proof of a minimum of 1 hour of tutoring as directed by the instructor. Tutoring will need to be completed prior to the next exam. If there are scheduling conflicts, the instructor must be notified immediately in order to provide alternative skill-building assignments.

INCOMPLETE

Incompletes are granted only for emergency situations such as hospitalization of the student just prior to the final exam, serious injury to the student on the day of the final exam, etc. Incompletes will not be granted for situations involving vacation plans, transportation difficulties, appointments, etc. Students who need to request an incomplete must do so prior to the scheduled time of the final exam with appropriate documentation given to the instructor.

DROPPING/WITHDRAWING FROM CLASSES

No administrative drops/withdrawals will be initiated by program officials.  It is the responsibility of each student to drop or withdraw from a course. Students can drop a course via ACconnect, and must do so prior to the last day to drop/withdraw as posted on the Amarillo College Master Calendar. Students should be aware that failure to attend class does NOT result in being automatically dropped from a course, and WILL result in a grade of “F”.

Students should be advised that they may repeat a MLAB course only one time, and may repeat no more than two courses while enrolled in the program. The term “repeat” shall be interpreted to mean re-enrollment following withdrawal, drop or an unsatisfactory grade from a class. Students who are forced to completely withdraw from the college during a given semester may re-apply for admission to the program. Once the student has actually begun the program, he/she must complete all MLAB major courses within 36 months.

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE  

If a student is having a problem with the course policies or the instructor, he or she should first try and resolve any such problems through the instructor. If the problem is not resolved, the student may proceed to the Program Director, the Associate Dean of Health Sciences (Kim Boyd) the Dean of Health Sciences (Kim Crowley), Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs (Becky Burton), Vice President of Academic Affairs(Dr Tamara Clunis), and the College President (Dr Russel Lowery-Hart), IN THAT ORDER.

Attendance

Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to attend class. Attendance is included in the Work Ethic grade throughout the course which is a component of the overall grade for this course. Attendance includes arriving for class late and leaving early.  Less than 90% attendance in a course may result in failure of the course.  Students are required to notify faculty in advance of class absence.

Calendar

Additional Information