Gannon University

DAWNA TORRES MUGHAL, PH.D., R.D., Program Director

Medical technologists are problem-solvers, dealing with the complexities and outcomes of medicine and science. They provide invaluable service to patient care by performing a wide range of laboratory tests, confirming the accuracy of test results, and reporting the test results to the pathologists and other physicians. Medical technologists work in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, immunology, and microbiology. They apply their solid foundation in the sciences and laboratory education to the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

Practice settings for medical technologists include hospitals, independent laboratories, clinics, public health agencies, and industries. Molecular diagnostics, molecular biotechnology companies, and other specialized laboratories offer additional career opportunities. Experienced medical technologists have opportunities to advance their career by specializing in certain areas, such as cell marker technology, bioengineering and cancer research, drug testing, therapeutic drug monitoring and biogenetics. Industry offers career opportunities in product development, marketing, sales, and quality assurance.

Currently, the demand for medical technologists far exceeds the supply of educated professionals qualified to work in such jobs. With continued population growth and medical advances, the need for laboratory science professionals is expected to increase.

The goal of the Medical Technology Program is to provide a solid program of study that qualifies students for admission to a hospital-based program for clinical or laboratory education. The mission of Gannon is inherent in this goal. The program involves three years of study at Gannon and a fourth year of clinical or laboratory education at a hospital-based medical technology program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS). Currently, through an agreement for educational purposes, Gannon is affiliated with the medical technology programs of Saint Vincent Health Center, Erie, Pennsylvania; Conemaugh Valley Hospital, Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and W.C.A. Hospital, Jamestown, New York. Students may apply to any hospital having an accredited medical technology program in the United States even though Gannon is not affiliated with that program.

Students who complete Gannon's three-year academic requirements and successfully complete their fourth year of studies (approximately 12 months) at an accredited medical technology program will be awarded the Bachelor of Science degree with a major in medical technology. Selection of students for admission to the hospital laboratory program is based primarily on grade point average (GPA) (minimum 3.0). Students with low GPA, therefore, especially in the sciences, may not be accepted by the hospitals for the laboratory portion of the program. In general, students apply for admission to hospital-based programs during fall semester of their junior year and upon acceptance, begin their clinical education the following summer. Students will have completed all their prerequisite courses prior to their clinical education. Because the programs have different calendars, it is important for students to obtain information from programs as early as possible. The program director at Gannon assists students with the application process; however, the university does not guarantee admission of students to the hospital-based programs. These programs conduct their own selection process. While students are completing their laboratory education, they are considered students of Gannon. However, they are also governed by the academic policies of their laboratory education program. Directors of affiliated medical technology programs send students' grades to Gannon to be recorded on the students' transcripts. Following a typical 3 +1 curriculum, students graduate in
summer immediately following completion of their laboratory education.

Graduates are eligible to take a national certification test given by the Board of Registry of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Those who pass the exam may use the initials, MT (ASCP) after their name, showing proficiency in the field.

The following course descriptions are for the courses offered by the hospital's Medical Technology Program.  Hospitals' programs may have different course titles.  

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

MDTC 410: Hematology and Coagulation
The course includes a study of the blood and blood forming tissues and their relation to the care of patients as they are correlated with the entire clinical condition.
6 credits

MDTC 420: Clinical Chemistry (includes instrumentation and RIA)
This course includes a brief review of analytical chemistry and qualitative analysis and stresses the chemistry of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, endocrinology, vitamins, hormones, enzymes, etc., and the physiology, metabolisms, and methodologies used in the study of these substances in relation to biologic processes as found in health and pathologic states. Clinical correlation is made with the various situations in which the substances are altered.
8 credits

MDTC 430: Immunochematology and Blood Banking
Immunochematology emphasizes the application of principles of red cell antigens which are detectable only by the reactivity of red cells with antibodies corresponding to the antigens. Topics include ABO groupings, Rh factor, and numerous other blood group systems. These are all correlated with the compatibility of transfused blood and the various procedures needed to test for this compatibility.
4 credits

MDTC 440: Urinalysis
The course considers the examination of urine and all other body fluids, such as cerebral spinal fluid, feces, gastric fluid, seminal fluid, amniotic fluid, etc. Emphasis is placed on anatomy and physiology of the kidney and urinary system, methodologies, clinical correlation, kidney function tests, microscopic examination and urinary calculi.
2 credits

MDTC 450: Microbiology (includes mycology, parasitology, virology and microbiology)
The course includes the study of the various micro-organisms, i.e. bacteria, fungi, rickettsia, parasites, and virusesrecovered in clinical material. The critical identifying characteristics of the organisms, the diseases with which they are commonly associated, and the sites from which they are commonly isolated are presented. Fluorescent microscopy and its application to identification of micro-organisms is presented.
8 credits

MDTC 460: Immunology and Serology
The course encompasses the serologic reactions employed in the diagnosis of bacterial, parasitic, rickettsial, and viral diseases. The principles of antigen-antibody reactions are developed and the various procedures including agglutination, flocculation, precipitation, and complement fixation are stressed.
4 credits

MDTC 470: Medical Technology Education
Basic principles of education to include lecture presentation and preparation, writing behavioral objectives, toxonomy levels, curriculum development, and evaluation procedures are presented. Each student is required to give one lecture to include outline, objectives, and some form of evaluation.
0 credit

MDTC 480: Management and Supervision
Principles of management techniques, budget, personnel practices, laboratory supplies, procurement of equipment. Federal and State Regulations, lab safety, medical/legal matters, and psychology of management are presented.
0 credit

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Medical Technology Curriculum

(Numerals in front of courses indicate credits)

*Recommended Electives: Statistics course (Applied Statistics/MATH 213, Psych Statistics/PSYC 211, or Statistics for the Social Sciences/SOCI 351) and Computer Information Science Course. Consult the Program Director regarding electives.

Hospital Phase (12 months):