The medical technologist supervises or performs laboratory tests that aid the physician in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient's disease. The majority of medical technologists work in clinical laboratories, research, industry, or public health agencies in this country and abroad. Growth in the number of public and private medical facilities, the increased importance of laboratory tests in medical diagnosis, and the initiation of new government healthcare programs have created a need for more medical technologists. The medical technology program is a two-year professional program based on the completion of two years of prerequisite study. The freshman and sophomore years, which are taken at any accredited college or university, afford the fundamentals of a liberal arts education.
Entry is in the fall quarter at the junior-year level.
After satisfactory completion of the program, the student is awarded a bachelor of science degree and is eligible to take the state and national board examinations and to become a registered clinical laboratory technologist or medical technologist. The junior year is a nine-month program of lecture and laboratory. Emphasis is on the basic clinical science courses necessary to medical technology. The senior year is a nine-month clinical rotation that provides professional clinical experience in the hospital laboratory environment. Emphasis is on technical proficiency, organization, and the laboratory's relationship to patient care.