Medical Technology
Medical technology combines the challenges and rewards of medicine and science.
What is medical technology?
Medical technology is a clinical discipline in which laboratory scientists perform tests on blood, body fluids and tissues. The results of these tests are used by physicians in diagnosing and treating disease, maintaining health, drug monitoring, organ transplantation, forensic medicine and more.
Medical technologists are vital members of the health care team. They must work accurately and quickly to detect the changes in biologic specimens that determine the absence, presence, extent and cause of disease. They study the immune system and how it reacts to various organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi; the body chemistry; the hematological system; and many other subjects.
Careers in the medical technology field are varied. Hospital clinical laboratories employ many medical technologists. Other career opportunities exist for technologists in physicians' office labs, clinics, commercial reference laboratories, food processing plants, research facilities, public health centers, veterinary labs, higher education, industrial labs, the Armed Forces and the Peace Corp. Individuals trained as medical technologists can enter pharmaceutical and medical equipment sales and marketing. Law enforcement agencies, airlines, cruise ships, and insurance companies employ medical technologists. Individuals who receive clinical training as medical technologists can often later "cross-train" in-house at hospitals for positions such as pathologist assistant and histotechnologist. Many technologists pursue opportunities in health care administration, health law, medicine, dentistry, public policy development, and medical writing.
What is the med tech curriculum?
The medical technology program at Shippensburg University is referred to as a "4+1" program. During the first four years of college, students are either Biology/Medical Technology majors or Chemistry/Medical Technology majors. With advisement from faculty in their respective major (biology or chemistry), students work toward completion of their four year baccalaureate degree taking coursework required by the major AND coursework that is required by medical technology clinical programs. At the end of four years, the med tech student earns the biology or chemistry degree and, if still interested in medical technology, matriculates to a clinical one-year hospital-based program. Application to clinical year programs should be done the summer prior to the student's senior year. Following completion of the clinical year, credits are transferred to Shippensburg University from the hospital and the student earns a SECOND undergraduate degree: a B.S. in Medical Technology.
During the clinical year, medical technology students can expect to take courses in clinical microbiology, urinalysis, blood coagulation, hematology, clinical chemistry, immunohematology, serology and seminar topics such as laboratory safety, phlebotomy, and laboratory information systems. After completion of the clinical year, the student sits for the national certification exam in order to be a clinically certified medical technologist in addition to earning their B.S. in Medical Technology from Shippensburg University.
What does it take to be a successful med tech?
Successful medical technology students have a strong interest and aptitude for scientific laboratory work. Good manual dexterity and fine motor skills are necessary to manipulate small objects. Communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential in order to effectively convey information obtained from laboratory tests to supervisors and clinicians. Students must be able to successfully complete an undergraduate science curriculum that at a minimum includes introductory biology, microbiology, genetics, immunology, introductory and organic chemistry, college-level math, introductory physics and statistics. All medical technology programs require a grade-point average of at least 2.5 (both cumulative and science) for admission into the clinical year.
Is Shippensburg University affiliated with any medical technology programs?
Shippensburg University has enjoyed a long history (over 30 years!) of affiliation with various hospitals across Pennsylvania and some in Virginia. Unfortunately, over the past decade, numerous hospital-based programs closed due to rising costs of maintaining educational programs at the hospitals. At this time, Shippensburg University is affiliated with seven medical technology programs at which biology or chemistry med tech majors can complete their clinical year, transfer credits back to Shippensburg University, and receive their second undergraduate degree, a B.S. in Medical Technology.
These programs are:
- Altoona Hospital, Altoona, PA
- Augusta Medical Center, Fishersville, VA
- Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster, PA
- Reading Medical Center, Reading, PA
- Saint Vincent Health Center, Erie, PA
- Thomas Jefferson University College of Health Professions, Philadelphia, PA
- Williamsport Hospital, Williamsport, PA
- York Hospital, York, PA
What is the placement rate for SU med tech students?
Grade-point qualifications required to enter any medical technology program are a minimum of a 2.5 GPA in the sciences and overall. In the over 30 years Shippensburg University has had students applying to medical technology programs, EVERY qualified student has been accepted! Shippensburg University students have proven they are among the best prepared students entering clinical programs. At one clinical site, the "Outstanding Med Tech of the Year Award" went to a Shippensburg student thirteen of the fifteen years the award was given. At other sites, Shippensburg students have "broken GPA records" and have been lauded as "leaders" in the clinical class. Some of this success is a result of the added year of maturity a 4+1 student has over a 3+1 student coming from another college when they enter the clinical year, and some has to do with the variety and caliber of preparatory courses Shippensburg University med tech students take at Shippensburg, such as Pathogenic Microbiology, Hematology, Immunology, Parasitology, Biochemistry, and Human Physiology. Certainly the success of our medical technology students, both in their acceptance to med tech programs and in their performance once in their clinical year, is an honor for Shippensburg University.
Why attend Shippensburg University as a medical technology major?
Science classes are small at Shippensburg University, usually having no more than 16 students per laboratory section. Lectures and labs are taught by seasoned professors; not by graduate students. State-of-the-art laboratory equipment is available to students, giving them hands-on experience with current techniques. Faculty-directed undergraduate research is highly encouraged at Shippensburg. Each year between 6 and 12 undergraduate science students present results of their research at regional, state, or national conferences.
These experiences contribute to the excellent quality of education available at Shippensburg. As a result, Shippensburg University has a perfect record of placing qualified students into medical technology clinical programs. We make sure our med tech students receive accurate, current, and comprehensive information by keeping our med tech advisors well informed. Medical technology advisors visit clinical programs during the summer months to stay current with admissions procedures and standards. They attend conferences for health professions advisors where they meet colleagues from other universities and share ideas on counseling. Practicing professionals and clinical program directors are routinely invited to speak to the Health Sciences Club. Finally, students who lose interest in the medical technology field will find a wide range of health professional interests and opportunities available at Shippensburg University.