Welcome to the Med Tech Student Blog

I am writing this blog to help inform Medical Technology or Clinical Laboratory Science students about what to expect during their year of clinical training. I want to start the blog with a question and answer format and then expand to other topics as the blog evolves. I plan on posting once a week and I will take my topics from the questions that have been presented.


About the Author



Chemistry Analyzer

My name is Julie and I am a Medical Technologist at a mid-sized hospital in Pennsylvania that currently has a school of Medical Technology. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, and a Master’s in Education in Business/Workforce Development. I have been a Medical Technologist for 22 years. I perform phlebotomy on patients of all ages and I perform chemistry and urinalysis testing. I also teach the Medical Technology students in the clinical laboratory.
 

Venipuncture

 



Calcium Oxalate Crystals in Urine
(Square crystals with an X in the middle)



Educational Requirements for the School of Medical Technology

To attend a school of Medical Technology, students must have a bachelor’s degree with the chemistry, biology, and math requirements or be enrolled in a 3 plus 1 program with an affiliated college. In the 3 plus 1 program you attend a college for three years and your final year is at the school of Medical Technology. When you are finished you will have a bachelor’s degree and a degree from the school of Medical Technology.

Clinical Training

The clinical training will be one of the most challenging years of your education. In some schools the students spend the first 6 months in the classroom learning theory and then they spend the next 6 months in the clinical laboratory for hands on training. Other schools have a student laboratory, where students learn about the tests before they enter the laboratory. The students will also learn to perform phlebotomy procedures on patients.  Other schools may vary in structure and I am not sure if all schools teach phlebotomy.  If you find anything different please post in the comment section.      

ASCP Certification

In Pennsylvania you are required to be certified by ASCP or the American Society of Clinical Pathology. If you are certified after January 1, 2004, then you are required to participate in the International Certification Maintenance Program every three years in order to retain your certification. This is a continuing education program that will help you to excel in your career. Take a look at this link for more detailed information.  http://www.ascp.org/

Comment Policy

I encourage you to leave comments. I will review all comments before they are posted. I'll reply to all questions within a week, and errors in the posts will be acknowledged in the comment area. Feel free to disagree with my points if there is need for disagreement, but keep in mind that all off-topic comments, disparaging comments, comments with more than one link, and comments that include profanity will be deleted.