Medical Technology

 Instructor: Wendi Butler

   2005 – 06

Course Description:

Medical Technology is a rigorous laboratory science course that applies the knowledge learned in physiology to real life skills and procedures. Students will be focusing on the physiological and structural details of different body systems and then learning and practicing specific lab procedures or physical skills that would be used in a medical facility or clinical lab. Medical terminology, the language of medical science, will be integrated into the course as each body system is studied. Students will achieve competency in many patient care and laboratory skills in order to prepare for internships in professional facilities. Students will become proficient in First Aid, CPR, several medical lab skills, and basic patient care.

Course Objectives:

• Students will increase their understanding of the human body and diseases associated with it and will demonstrate their ability to solve problems by utilizing acquired knowledge in order to effectively complete challenging medical case studies.   

• Students will demonstrate their ability to accurately conduct laboratory and medical procedures that involve the collection of data or conduction of chemical analyses in order to form accurate conclusions about the condition of the test subject or specimen.

• Students will demonstrate the ability to understand and use scientific and medical terminology in the appropriate context whether it be in a lab report, analysis of a case study, practicum exam or class discussion.

• Students will increase their knowledge about significant scientific developments in the history of medical science and will demonstrate that knowledge via a research paper.

• Students will demonstrate both their ability to understand the specific workings of a human disorder and their ability to conduct effective research utilizing medical journals, medical reference texts and online medical resources.

• Students will demonstrate their ability to communicate effectively through oral presentation, collaborative teamwork, discussion, and research and laboratory reports.

Organization of Course:

In general, the topics in this course will parallel and complement the units taught in Physiology Honors. These two courses are partners and will illuminate and amplify each other. Students will be required to apply the knowledge from Physiology to the skills and processes practiced in Medical Technology. In addition, there is a very significant section of this course dedicated to the study of Medical Terminology – the language of medicine. In many programs, this is a semester course to itself. Med terms will be worked on and tested exclusively on Mondays with students working individually and in groups to master vast numbers of terms. These terms will greatly improve your knowledge and confidence both in professional facilities and in Physiology class.

Units of Study

• History of Medicine

• First Aid

• Care of wounds.

• Injuries to bones and muscle.

• Splinting of extremities.

• Recognizing and dealing with shock and sudden illness

• Chest, abdominal, head and neck injuries

• CPR

• Recognizing and dealing with insect, snake bites, poisoning

• Heat and cold related injuries

• Some wilderness first aid.

• Dealing with emergency situations.

• Legal and Ethical Requirements of Medical Facilities:

• HIPPA and OSHA requirements as well as patient confidentiality

• General ethical issues

• Safety and Infection Control

• Asepsis

• Sterilization of surfaces, equipment, Standard Precautions.

• Bacteria and Viruses

• Basic microbiology work: isolating pure cultures, streaking plates, Gram’s Stain, antibiotic resistance, identification of different strains, analyzing growth rates.

• Patient Care

• Communication skills

• Needs of individuals in different age groups and ethnicities.

• Basic direct patient care.

• Patient movement, transfer, ambulation.

• Collecting and charting patient vital signs.

• Basic assessment and triage.

• Collecting and general interpretation of ECG information.

• Clinical Lab Testing

• Blood work: differential blood counts, staining and identification of lymphocytes, typing blood, calculating hemoglobin, hematocytometer.

• Urinalysis – testing for various factors in urine, specific gravity

• Basic histopathology

• Preparation and staining of tissues

• Job Shadows

Student Expectations:

• This is a course that will require attendance in order to learn and practice skills. Often students will be working in groups and may at times be also testing in groups, pairs or alone.

• Students will often be working with a partner on different skill sets or med terms lists. You will be required to meet certain time deadlines in order to receive credit. Every skill, procedure and term must be mastered and students must be able to demonstrate throughout the year – and most likely at a professional facility at some point.

• This course is in development, students must be flexible as methods or procedures are tried and changed.

Grading Methods:

• Medical Terms – studied throughout the year – scores on tests and homework will comprise approximately 30-40% of the grade.

• Case Studies – these are major projects worked on with a group. Formal writeups demonstrating your reasoning and knowledge will be submitted and defended in Socratic seminars.

• Skills Competencies – every procedure will have a set of steps that must be followed correctly in order to demonstrate competencies. Students will have to achieve competencies in each skill by certain dates in order to earn full credit for each skill.

• Exams – both written and practicum

• Lab Reports – formal scientific write ups will be assigned for the clinical labs that are performed throughout the course.

Necessary Materials:

• Binder for storage of handouts and completed work. You will need three dividers: Med Terms, Reference and Finished work.

• Spiral binder or composition book for lab data, pre lab, and lecture notes.

• Large supply of 3x5 or 4x6 index cards with a small index card file box.

• Colored pencils, highlighters, pens, pencils….

• You may find that a clipboard is helpful as we move into lab work…. to be determined.

Special Notes:

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I am confident that this course will be one of the most unique experiences of your high school career – and one of the most practical. You are pioneers, once again, and I thank you for the fact that I know that we will all work together to figure out how to make this an amazing year – together. Please continue your amazing attendance, fabulous enthusiasm, and consistent effort – that is what makes this Academy experience so incredible.

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