|
Partnership
Opens Doors For Medical Laboratory Training To More Students
The aging baby-boomer
generation is creating a greater demand for medical testing than ever
before. The increased volume of laboratory tests and the development of
new types of tests have created a need for trained medical laboratory
technicians. Madison Area Technical College (MATC) has joined in partnership
with Southwest Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (SW AHEC), and Southwest
Wisconsin Technical College (SWTC) to provide greater opportunities for
individuals to receive training in this field.
According to the St. Louis Post @ Dispatch, medical laboratory technicians
are becoming the arteries of diagnostic medicine in health-care facilities
nationwide. Technicians may prepare specimens and operate automatic analyzers
or perform manual tests following detailed instructions. They may work
in several areas of the clinical laboratory or specialize in just one.
This partnership has identified the need to provide more accessible education
opportunities to rural areas of the state. Through these efforts, individuals
in those communities will be able to more easily enter and complete the
Medical Laboratory Technician Program at MATC.
To ensure the success of the program, the partnership of MATC, SW AHEC,
and SWTC has been assisted by the Wisconsin Health and Hospital Association
(WHA); hospital and laboratory administrators affiliated with the Rural
Wisconsin Health Cooperative; the WHA Council on Rural Health; the MATC
Foundation; MATC's Health, Human and Protective Services Division; and
the Perkins Program Improvement Plan.
To achieve this goal, a number of initiatives have been implemented. By
providing first semester lecture courses online in the fall of 2001, students
in other parts of the state will be able to participate in the program.
While laboratory sessions will remain on-site at the MATC-Truax Campus,
consolidation of the laboratory schedule has reduced the number of days
required onsite.
In addition, the program curriculum has been revamped into a "modular"
format, where longer courses have been broken down into multiple courses
that are worth fewer credits and are completed over a shorter period of
time. Students take the courses on a sequential basis throughout the school
year.
The modular design allows students to gain employment as a phlebotomist
after eight weeks in the program. Those individuals with laboratory experience
as a phlebotomist may be able to gain advanced standing for two or three
credits of the program.
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (SWTC) does not have its own Medical
Laboratory Technician (MLT) program. However, SWTC students can take general
courses at their own campus and enroll in MLT courses at MATC. Each fall
semester, three program spots are reserved for students from SWTC along
with four program spots for students from Blackhawk Technical College.
MATC offers an associate degree for medical laboratory technicians. Aptitudes
and interests in scientific, technical and mathematical work are helpful
to students in the field. MATC is one of the largest of the Wisconsin
Technical College System's 16 colleges. It provides a comprehensive curriculum
of technical, liberal arts and science, adult basic education and life
enrichment studies and activities, as well as customized employee training.
MATC provides training in more than 100 career programs. It awards associate
degrees, vocational diplomas and certificates, and offers non-degree courses.
The college serves all or parts of 12 counties located in southcentral
Wisconsin and offers instruction through five campuses and various other
locations throughout the district.
###
Last
Modified:
February 8, 2002
top
|
