Good Samaritan Hospital School of Medical Technology

Description of Program

The Good Samaritan Hospital School of Medical Technology has been in continuous operation since its beginning in 1952. The school has provided well-trained medical technologists for this and other locales for over fifty years. Our excellence lies in that every student in recent years has passed a national certifying examination and most found job placements even before completing the program. 

The program is a "rotation based" clinical experience, i.e. there is not student laboratory. Students spend most of their days at the bench working alongside certified medical technologists.

Program Goals

The goals of the program are to:

• Provide a structured education program for the training of laboratory professionals.
• Provide a source of trained medical technologists for this institution, other medical facilities in our immediate and other areas of the country.
• Maintain a well-qualified education staff of medical technologists to assure the clinical relevance of the program.

The graduate medical technologist:

• will be proficient in performing the full range of clinical laboratory tests in areas such as hematology, clinical chemistry, immunohematology, microbiology, serology/immunology, coagulation, molecular biology, and other emerging diagnostics.
• will play a role in the development and evaluation of test systems and interpretive algorithms, i.e. a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps.
• will have diverse responsibilities in areas of analysis and clinical decision-making, regulatory compliance with applicable regulations, education and quality assurance/performance improvement wherever laboratory testing is researched, developed and performed.
• will possess basic knowledge, skills, and relevant experiences in:

• Communications to enable consultative interactions with members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service and patient education;
• Financial, operations, marketing, and human resource management of the clinical laboratory to enable cost-effective, high-quality, value-added laboratory services;
• Information management to enable effective, timely, accurate, and cost-effective reporting of laboratory-generated information, and;
• Research design/practice sufficient to evaluate published studies as an informed consumer.

General Requirements for Medical Technologists

The basic requirement for a Medical Technologist is thorough preliminary grounding in the basic sciences before the clinical education is started. The more extensive the previous college education has been, the better prepared the student will be to receive the clinical education.

A sound body and equable temper, self-discipline, a spirit of cooperation, and a thorough moral and intellectual integrity are indispensable in the practice of the profession. The reports that the technologists prepare are of vital importance in the results of illness, or in deciding whether a surgical operation shall be performed.

To satisfy the requirements of the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, the following requirements must be fulfilled prior to being accepted in an approved school.

College Requirements

Three years (90 semester hours) of education in a college approved by a recognized regional accrediting agency are required. Accredited collegiate training in preparation for the study of Medical Technology as for any professional career should provide a broad general education to include English, Sciences, Arts and Humanities.

The program is affiliated with the following universities: 

Blackburn College, Carlinville, IL
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
St. Joseph's College, Rensselear, IN
St. Mary of the Woods College, St. Mary of the Woods, IN
University of Evansville, Evansville, IN
University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN

A minimum GPA (grade point average) of 2.5 is required for consideration.

Chemistry

A minimum of 16 semester hours including lecture and laboratory, acceptable toward a major in chemistry is required. These hours must include one full academic year of a general college chemistry course including lecture and laboratory and an organic or biochemistry course.

The other chemistry courses to complete the requirements may be selected from: Qualitative Chemistry, Quantitative Chemistry, Physical Chemistry or other chemistry courses acceptable toward a chemistry major.

Biological Sciences

A minimum of 16 semester hours acceptable toward a major in biological science is required. These hours must include one full academic year of a general biology or zoology course including lecture and laboratory, a bacteriology or microbiology course, and immunology, either as a separate course or as part of another course, e.g. microbiology.

The remaining courses to complete the requirements may be selected from the following subjects: Physiology, Comparative Anatomy, Bacteriology, Parasitology, Histology, Histologic Technique, Genetics or other biology courses acceptable toward a biologic science major.

Mathematics

A minimum of three semester hours of college mathematics is required. It is strongly recommended that a course in physics be included in the college courses taken.

Computer and Typing Skills

The applicant must have basic computer knowledge and typing skills. This requirement may be satisfied through high school and/or college courses or through on-the-job training.

NOTE: Course work must be in agreement with the college/university's requirements leading to a Bachelor's degree in Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science upon completion of the hospital course of instruction.

Application Procedure

Before the applicant can be considered for admission into the program, the application file must be complete.

The student must:

• Complete and submit the application form.
• Schedule an interview with the student selection committee.
• Submit transcripts of all previous college courses taken.
• Secure recommendations from three college instructors. At least two of the recommendations must be from science instructors.

Download a Reference Form

Application Deadline:

August Class: The application file, including interview, must be completed by December 15th to be considered for the next August class.

February Class: The application file, including interview, must be complete by August 15th to be considered for the next February class. February classes are only offered if the previous August class does not fill.

Tuition and Fees

There is no tuition for students with a BS degree. 3 plus 1 students will pay tuition to their college/university. The program is reimbursed a percentage of that tuition. Refund policies of the college/university will apply to the students. There is no refund policy at GSH.

Notification of Acceptance or Rejection

Students must apply directly to the program. They must also participate in the matching program of the Consortium of Indiana Medical Laboratory Educators. The Consortium will notify students in January if they have been placed in a program. Students failing to gain acceptance can request that their applications be held and considered for the next class. If no request to hold application for future consideration is received within one month from notification, the application file will be destroyed.

For more information about CIMLE, please visit www.cimle.org. 

Requirements for Accepted Students

Accepted students must sign a letter of intent within one week of acceptance or the school reserves the right to rescind their acceptance. Accepted students are required to have a routine chest x-ray and a physical examination by the Staff Health Doctor prior to admission. Students with physical conditions or diseases (as determined by the Staff Health Doctor) which do not permit them to carry out all of the duties of a student medical technologist will have their acceptance into the school rescinded.

The accepted student must contact the laboratory secretary one month prior to admission into the program to schedule the physical examination, laboratory tests, and x-ray exam.

Orientation

There will be a complete orientation for new students during the first week of school. Hospital and laboratory policies will be discussed at that time. There is, however, some information that is necessary for the student prior to admission. A brief summary of these policies and information is outlined below:

Hours of Attendance

Students are to arrive at the laboratory and be ready for instruction promptly at 7:00 a.m. The class day is over at 3:30 p.m.

The Clinical Year

After the necessary college credits have been acquired, the applicant must satisfactorily complete at least twelve (12) consecutive months of instruction in all phases of Medical Technology.

The general outline of the course is a daily one-hour lecture followed by a clinical, work-gaining, practical experience. The various tests are performed under the direct guidance of a qualified technologist. This allows an abundance of time for question and answer periods. A library is provided for cooperative investigation by the student and technologists of those questions, which are not readily available.

Textbooks

Each student is required to purchase a minimum of three textbooks.

Attendance and Holidays

Classes are dismissed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Students are given a one-week vacation during the Christmas holidays.

Two weeks absence from class work due to illness or family emergency are allowed, but the assigned reading materials and laboratory projects missed during the period of absence must be completed.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Within the context of Good Samaritan Hospital's primary objective to provide the best possible health care through the application of appropriate medical techniques, it is the policy of the hospital to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, or physical or mental handicap and to ensure that all personnel actions such as recruitment, selection, placement, testing, training programs, promotion and transfer, layoff and recall, termination, disciplinary action, social and recreational programs, all employee benefits and compensations are equally applied.

Concerning the handicapped, including employees and non-employees, the Director of Human Resources is responsible for coordinating the hospital's efforts in complying with federal regulations designed to assure non-discrimination. In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 19973, Good Samaritan Hospital has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints by handicapped persons alleging any action prohibited by the regulations implementing the Act. Information concerning the grievance procedure, law and regulations may be obtained in the office of the Director of Human Resources.

Student Stipend

All students will automatically begin receiving a stipend at the beginning of the clinical year. All students are required to practice performing phlebotomies until the required level of proficiency has been achieved. Students who wish to continue doing morning phlebotomies will continue to receive the stipend. Students choosing not to continue morning phlebotomies, after achieving the required level of proficiency, must inform the director of laboratories in writing that they do not want to participate in the phlebotomy program. After receiving this notification, the student will not receive the stipend.

PROGRAM OFFICIALS

Michaele McDonald, MS, MT(ASCP), Program Director

Cathy Freeman, M.D., Medical Director

Steven A. Jones, BS, MT(ASCP), Laboratory Director

Please call 812-885-3361 or click the button above to obtain a brochure, application or for more information.
School of Medical Technology, 520 S. Seventh St., Vincennes, IN 47591