Medical technology is the profession responsible for testing blood and bodily fluids. 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 technology combines the challenges and rewards of medicine and science. Medical
technologists, or med techs as often referred, 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 causes of disease. They study the immune
system and how it reacts to various organisms such as bacteria, virus, fungus; the body
chemistry; the hematological system; and many other subjects.
In the early days of clinical laboratory science, pathologists, who were just beginning to
receive recognition as necessary and important medical specialists in their own right,
performed their own laboratory tests. As the field of laboratory medicine developed and
broadened, pathologists found it necessary to train assistants to help perform the simpler
tests. The profession of medical technology thus came into being in the early part of this
century. In those days, high school graduates interested in medical technology became
apprentices in medical laboratories. Gradually schools began to develop programs to
officially train students in the field of medical technology. The American Society for
Medical Technology (ASMT) was organized in 1933 and is the professional association for
medical technology. The ASMT currently boasts membership of approximately 22, 000.
The majority of medical technologist work in hospital laboratories. Other career
opportunities exist for them in physicians' office labs, clinics, commercial firms,
research facilities, public health centers, veterinary clinics, higher education,
industrial labs, the Armed Forces, and the Peace Corps. Many technologists pursue
opportunities in health care administration, health law, medicine, dentistry, and medical
writing. The clinical laboratory scientist curriculum is the most versatile of all the
allied health programs in regard to career branching.
The University of Central Arkansas offers a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology. The program is offered in conjunction with Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock. Prerequisite coursework is offered on the UCA campus and completed in the hospital-associated teaching laboratories.
Beginning Medical Technologist may start at an average salary of 28,000 - 36,000. Medical
technologists may find a variation in starting salaries depending on the geographical
area, size of the community, and availability of registered Medical Technologists. Medical
Technologists salaries in general are comparable to those offered to similarly educated
allied health professionals.
Students are encouraged to contact the following UCA affiliating program for further
information regarding application to a program that offers instruction in Medical
Technology.
Mrs. Sandy Ackerman, Program Director
School of Medical Technology
Baptist Schools of Nursing and Allied Health
BMC Clinical Laboratory
11900 Colonel Glenn Road
Little Rock, AR 72210-2820
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