Southwest Georgia Technical College Will Celebrate National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

The Clinical Laboratory Technology program at Southwest Georgia Technical College will celebrate National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week April 20-26, 2008. The CLT program under the direction of Dr. Richard Miller will use the week to draw attention to the program by having current students wear T-shirts advertising their future profession to each of their clinical sites. The students will also assist clinicians with laboratory tours at each site, and decorate each laboratory department. A new CLT class will begin April 1, 2008 and applications to the program are currently being accepted.

The Clinical Laboratory Technology field is enjoying a faster than average employment growth and excellent job opportunities are projected for the next several years. “We want to attract even more people into the program,” said Miller. “There is a high demand for trained laboratory technicians and the more students we have in our program, the more skilled technicians we can provide to meet that demand.”

Clinical laboratory testing plays a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Clinical Laboratory technicians, often referred to as medical technicians or medical laboratory technicians, perform most of these tests and physicians rely on them to provide information necessary in diagnosing illness and in applying proper treatment. In fact, 70% of the medical decisions, diagnosis and treatment of a patient depend on clinical laboratory results generated by clinical laboratory professionals.

"Laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids and cells,” said Miller. “They are like medical detectives who look for bacteria, parasites, and other micro-organisms. They also test for drug levels in the blood that show how a patient is responding to treatment.”

Laboratory technicians are also trained to recognize factors that affect procedures and results as well as how to take appropriate actions within prescribed limits. “Clinical laboratory technicians evaluate test results, develop and modify procedures, and establish and monitor programs, to ensure accuracy of tests,” Miller said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor statistics, there were 319,000 people employed as clinical laboratory technologists and technicians in 2007. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that approximately 15,000 medical laboratory professionals will be needed each year through 2014, fewer than 5,000 individuals are graduating each year from accredited training programs. The job opportunities within the field are predicted to exceed the amount of job seekers, making it an attractive career choice.  A medical technologist can expect to earn a starting wage of $20 per hour, according to Occupational Employment Statistics.

The CLT program at SWGTC is an associate degree program requiring successful completion of a core curriculum as part of the enrollment process. More information may be obtained by calling Dr. Richard Miller at 229-225-5203.