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New degree for medical lab technicians
A new Associate Degree in Medical Laboratory Science to be offered by the University of the Sunshine Coast will be a shot in the arm for the region’s health industry workforce.
The newly-approved program will enrol its first students in 2012 for two years of full-time study that qualifies graduates for entry-level laboratory technician jobs in hospitals and private pathology services.
It is suitable for both school-leavers and mature-aged students looking for a change in career.
USC Biomedical Science Discipline Leader Dr Mark Holmes said the University would soon advertise to employ an academic with considerable industry experience to lead the new program next year.
“This associate degree has been designed in consultation with the Queensland pathology industry to ensure our students are workforce-ready when they finish,” Dr Holmes said.
“It will suit a wide range of people wanting to work in the pathology field, which deals with testing human specimens in order to assist in the medical treatment of diseases and clinical disorders.”
New specialist subjects taught at the University’s laboratories as part of the new associate degree will include histology, haematology, blood banking and clinical chemistry.
In addition to campus lectures and tutorials, students will participate in 50 days of practical industry experience in workplaces.
The associate degree also will offer undergraduate students another pathway to a medical science career, such as two years’ credit towards USC’s Bachelor of Biomedical Science.
It has received Commonwealth Government funding under the Health Workforce Australia (HWA) program.
“There’s expected to be a large pathology lab in the upcoming Sunshine Coast University Hospital at Kawana,” Dr Holmes said. “It’s another element of USC’s increasing focus on addressing regional skills shortages in the greater health industry.”
— Julie Gatehouse