Concordia College Medical Technology

Catalog Contents

Return to:

Medical Technology

See also Health Professions

To become a registered medical technologist, a student must (1) complete three years of the pre-professional curriculum at Concordia College, (2) complete 12 months of clinical training in an accredited school of medical technology and (3) pass a national certification examination. Upon successful completion of (1) and (2) above, the student is awarded the bachelor of arts degree in medical technology from Concordia College. Students also have the option of completing four years of study at Concordia as a science major before entering the clinical training experience, provided all medical technology program requirements are met.

Adviser
Ellen L. Aho, Program director (on leave 1997-98 academic year)

Adjunct Faculty
Fargo (N.D.) Clinic - MeritCare Medical Center
Sandra Matthey, M.T., M.S., Clinical Program director

Entering the Program

Any student who desires to enter medical technology must inform the program director. Application for the clinical training segment of the program must be completed by October of the year preceding the training.
Transfer students may be admitted to the program, but the medical technology director should be consulted to arrange program details. Transfer students must spend at least one academic year at Concordia to be eligible to apply for clinical training.

Medical Technology Pre-Professional Curriculum

Completion of the courses listed in the model program below will qualify a student to apply to one of the affiliated schools of medical technology:

FRESHMAN YEAR
First semester	Second semester
Discourse	Discourse
Chemistry 127	Chemistry 128
Mathematics 110, 121 or Computer Science 104	Biology 121
Distribution C requirement	Principia
Physical Education 111	Physical Education 112

SOPHOMORE YEAR
First semester	Second semester
Biology 407	Biology 352
Chemistry 341	Chemistry 342
Distribution C requirement	Distribution requirement
Religion	Elective

JUNIOR YEAR
First semester	Second semester
Chemistry 373*	Biology 306
Physics 111	Distribution requirement
Religion	Integration requirement
Distribution requirement	Elective

SENIOR YEAR

Clinical training at an affiliated hospital.

*Not required, but strongly recommended

Other strongly recommended courses are Biology 415, Physics 112, and Chemistry 231 and 432. Electives in hematology and pathogen microbiology are available through the Tri-College University. Courses in management, statistics and small-group communication are recommended by hospital supervisors.

Clinical Training

Admission: Admission is based on the student's grade point average (generally 3.0 or better for admission), letters of recommendation and a personal interview. Admission is competitive, and students are not guaranteed an internship upon completion of the pre-professional curriculum. Concordia students have been very successful, however, in obtaining such positions.

Students must apply to affiliated hospitals for clinical training by October 1 of the junior (or senior) year and are notified of a decision by December 1. An on-site interview is a mandatory part of the application process. Clinical training begins in June, July or August, depending on the hospital.

Affiliations: Concordia College is affiliated with the school of medical technology at the hospital listed under Adjunct Faculty.

Clinical curriculum: Courses taken during the clinical training year vary somewhat in length and content from hospital to hospital, but in general follow a pattern similar to the following:

Internship Course Descriptions (MeritCare Medical Center, Fargo)	Course Equivalent
495A. Clinical Chemistry. Lecture and laboratory instruction in medically oriented biochemistry as applied to normal and abnormal physiology and analysis of body constituents. Also includes instruction in instrumentation.	2
495B. Immunohematology. Lecture and laboratory instruction in theory and practice of immunohematology as applied to blood transfusions, component therapy, immunologic diagnostic procedure and blood bank administration.	1
495C. Clinical Hematology. Lecture and laboratory instruction in the analysis of the cellular elements of the blood and bone marrow, both normal and abnormal.	11/2
495D. Clinical Microbiology. Lecture and laboratory instruction in the isolation and identification of pathogenic organisms and of their susceptibility to therapeutic agents. Includes bacteriology, parasitology, mycology and virology.	2
495E. Clinical Immunology. Lecture and laboratory instruction applying the principles of immunology to serologic diagnosis.	1/2
495F. Clinical Microscopy. Lecture and laboratory instruction in anatomy and physiology of the kidney, methodology and clinical significance in examination of the physical and chemical composition of urine.	1/2
495G. Professional Topics. Instruction in management and education topics.	1/2 ________
Total courses	8

Students spend 6-10 hours per week in lectures, workshops and seminars, with the balance of the 40-hour week devoted to structured practical experience, assignments, written tests and practical examinations to assess student progress.
The candidate for a B.A. in medical technology must present 31.5 courses for graduation. Of this total, clinical training is assigned a weight of eight courses and becomes the student's major. The candidate must have earned at least 63 grade points in the 31.5 courses presented for graduation.