Medical Technology Program Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Thu, 10/21/2010 - 11:02am | By: Van Arnold
Job placement remains the hallmark of the Medical Technology program which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary during homecoming festivities at The University of Southern Mississippi.
The Department of Medical Technology was founded during the 1970-71 academic year as a direct response to the expressed need from area hospitals for qualified baccalaureate medical technologists (now called medical laboratory scientists).
“It is very exciting to have the department reaching this milestone in its history,” said department Chair Dr. Jane Hudson. “Looking back, the program has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of laboratory services in the region and especially in South Mississippi by providing qualified professionals to work in the laboratories.”
Hudson noted that Medical Technology graduates remain in high demand as evidenced by the 100 percent job placement rate. Currently, there are 120 students (freshmen-graduate level) enrolled in the Southern Miss program.
Medical laboratory scientists are vital health care detectives who uncover and provide laboratory information from analyses that assist physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment, as well as in disease monitoring or prevention. Approximately 70 percent of the medical decisions made by physicians are impacted by laboratory data generated by medical laboratory scientists.
These professionals use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and technology, computers and other methods to perform laboratory testing and generate accurate data that is needed in detecting cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, infectious mononucleosis, bacterial-parasitic-fungal-virus infections, drugs of abuse and other medical conditions.
“With the demands placed on the healthcare system by healthcare reform, the increase in new types of laboratory tests, the present manpower shortage and the retirements anticipated in the healthcare industry in the near future, the demand for our students is expected to continue,” said Hudson.
For more information about the Medical Technology program at Southern Miss call 601.266.4908 or visit www.usm.edu/medtech/