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The medical technology program applies biology and chemistry to the world of medicine and clinical science; medical technologists devise, conduct, and measure laboratory tests while coordinating with other health care professionals. Medical technologists work in chemistry, microbiology, blood banking, hematology, molecular biology, and immunology. While the majority of medical technologists work in a private laboratory or hospital setting, many also find employment in pharmaceutical companies, fertility centers, and education.  Many also pursue advanced degrees in medicine, dentistry, and other health professions. Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology are eligible to sit for the national certification examination by the American Society for Clinical Pathology or National Certification Agency, in order to become a Clinical Laboratory Scientist/Medical Technologist. Stevenson University also offers the 13 month categorical training program for students who already have a degree in either chemistry or biology.

Because of a national staffing shortage in laboratory science, medical technologists are in great demand; indeed, the United States graduates only about a 1/3 of the medical technologists needed to fulfill the demand for laboratory services. Because of this staffing shortage, there are ample financial aid opportunities intended to facilitate participation in this program. In addition to Stevenson’s merit-based transfer scholarships, medical technology students are eligible for private grants and scholarships through the American Society for Clinical Pathology, American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, and Maryland Hospital Association.

The medical technology program is the only one in the state to feature a management practicum in the senior year of study. Indeed, medical technology is a “3+1″ program, because students complete three years of study at Stevenson, and later complete a one year practicum at Sinai Hospital. In the first two years of study, students take several prerequisite courses consisting of basic sciences and liberal arts requirements. In order to progress to the junior year, students must maintain a 2.8 cumulative GPA and apply for full-admission into the medical technology program. Students must demonstrate several non-academic qualities as well; check our web page for a complete list of admission requirements.  Only ten students are selected by the Medical Technology Admissions Committee to continue into the junior year. Once admitted into the junior year of study, students continue taking liberal arts classes and begin introductory courses in laboratory medicine. The academic standards of the medical technology program are designed to simulate real-world responsibilities of medical technologists; because mistakes are too critical in a lab setting, students are trained to be as meticulous as possible in their academics.

The practicum rotation at Sinai Hospital is designed to expose students to chemistry, hematology, and blood banking; students are matched up with hospital management, and learn to appreciate the administrative side of hospital work. Stevenson University’s medical technology program is the only one in the state to feature a managerial practicum in the senior year. Students maintain inspections of labs and meet with hospital management in order to develop an understanding of how hospitals are organized.

Sinai Hospital has its own mini-campus, which includes a student lab, lecture rooms, and a medical library. Pathologists and medical technologists serving as adjunct faculty instruct students with the most current medical procedures in the field. Because of the staffing shortage of certified medical technologists, the one-year practicum at Sinai facilitates excellent job placement for medical technology graduates at Stevenson. Indeed, while 96% of all students at Stevenson have found a job or gone on to grad school within six months of graduation for the past five years, 100% of medical technology graduates have landed a job or gone onto graduate school. For students interested in applying to dental or medical school, medical technology features a premedical track, which incorporates required courses into the medical technology curriculum. Students work closely with a health professions adviser, as well as their academic adviser to map out courses that will further prepare them for graduate programs.

Like other programs at Stevenson, medical technology students have participated in the Learning Beyond initiative through various one credit option opportunities. In one service learning opportunity, medical technology students met with state government legislators to discuss medical technology bills which affect health care. Given the occasion, students spent an entire day drilling one another, as they prepared to articulate the right questions and research the right issues pertaining to the meeting. This opportunity showed students that as a profession, medical technology is very much affected by outside forces at the national level. As future medical technologists, students who participated learned to be self-informed, and to value activism as a means to promote efficiency in their occupation.

It is a work in progress, folks; more articles to follow soon!

The biology program at Stevenson University offers an extensive foundation in the biological sciences, including cellular, organismal, molecular, and environmental biology. Students complete coursework in all of these fields, and select a focus according to their personal and professional interests. Because of this versatile background, students studying biology often progress to graduate, medical, dental, veterinary, physical therapy, and other health profession schools following graduation from Stevenson. Some 150 students currently comprise the biology program.

Biology faculty are trained professionals who bring personal experience to the classroom; faculty members include physicians, medical assistants, and research faculty from other institutions. According to Dr. Meredith Durmowicz, department chair of the biology department,  each faculty member “incorporates elements of research at all levels” because of their experience outside of the classroom.  It is this professionalism that further prepares biology students seeking advanced degrees.

Indeed, a mandatory research or internship capstone experience in the senior year of study facilitates school or job placement following graduation. Research is done both on and off campus; students have conducted research projects at University of Maryland School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins, and the National Institutes of Health – the federal government’s primary medical research agency, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Internships have placed biology students in clinical, educational, governmental, and legal positions. One recent internship opportunity involved conducting field studies for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources; the DNR is responsible for wildlife conservation and enhancement.

Biology students have entered a variety of graduate schools to receive advanced degrees in their fields of interest. For a complete list of graduate schools which biology students have been accepted into, visit our webpage.

In addition to research opportunities and internships, the biology program offers some exciting one credit options (OCO’s) . As part of a one credit option assignment, one student gave an ecological presentation to a panel of researchers from Soldiers Delight, a natural environment area based in Owings Mills. Students have also traveled to participate in the American Society for Microbiology Conference, held annually at various locations in the United States. Some students have also traveled to attend the Southeastern Deer Research Conference, to present findings on Lime Disease and its relationship with the deer population in Maryland. Because the Deer Tick can carry Lime Disease, the students tracked movements of deer and assessed population management techniques in certain areas of Maryland for presentation at the conference.

Up next: Biotechnology and Medical Technology.

Chemistry students are problem-solvers by nature; they are not only excited to discover the meaning behind a mathematical concept or puzzle, but they learn to become independent thinkers. Students learn how to keep meticulous notes in a laboratory setting, develop analytical skills, and learn to become assertive through their presentation of scientific data. Approximately 100 students currently study in the chemistry program, and sixteen students graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry.

Because Stevenson University is a small campus comprised of just over 3,400 students, the chemistry program is the beneficiary of an attentive administration that both purchases and updates lab equipment for the student body. Frequent training rotation enables all students within the chemistry program to become very comfortable with the lab equipment, which includes everything from a 200MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to a  UV-vis spectrophotometer (try saying that ten times over!).  You can read more about the equipment on our webpage, underneath Academics.

Faculty members have strong experience in chemistry, and have served in various capacities in addition to being educators; environmental chemists, forensic scientists, dentists, and teachers comprise the chemistry faculty.

The program is very research-oriented; beginning in the sophomore year, students begin research assignments with faculty while completing a variety of chemistry courses. Depending on the individual student’s needs, the chemistry program curriculum may be customized to emphasize personal  interests and professional goals.  In their senior year, students select a capstone course that consists of either an internship or independent research experience.  The capstone experience is the culmination of a student’s classroom instruction, and placement depends on the student’s background; “I think every student is different,” notes department chair Ellen Roskes, a thirteen year faculty member at Stevenson University.  Indeed, students have found internships in a variety of chemical/pharmaceutical companies in the Baltimore area, and have completed research opportunities at area medical schools. For students interested in either medical or dental school, the capstone experience can be a potential “foot in the door” for admission into a graduate program.  Several students have completed their capstone research assignment at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where only 15% of Maryland residents who apply are admitted each year. One Stevenson University chemistry student was recently admitted into the School of Medicine, which testifies to the excellent preparation woven into the academic curriculum and to the dedication of the chemistry faculty. Other students have completed their capstone research assignment and have subsequently been admitted into graduate programs at Johns Hopkins University and UMBC. By coordinating with their adviser,  it is possible for students to complete research at other schools where students anticipate receiving advanced degrees. Check out the Chemistry Department’s blog, which offers a closer look at the variety of capstone experiences available to students in the chemistry program.

Just as students may customize the program to match their professional goals, there is also a pre-pharmacy track in the chemistry program specifically designed for students interested in pursuing a career in pharmaceuticals. The pre-pharmacy track enables students to complete three years of study here at Stevenson University, and a fourth year of study at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. The first year at University of Maryland School of Pharmacy articulates as Stevenson University’s fourth year, as per the pre-pharmacy track in the chemistry program at SU. The senior capstone is a 300 credit hour experience in which students assume a managerial position in a pharmacy (CVS Pharmacy); students learn about management, employee relations, and organization while applying classroom instruction in a professional atmosphere.

One track that has recently attracted many chemistry students at Stevenson University is the BS/MS track, which enables students to complete both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in as little as five years. Chemistry students typically complete their Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and pursue a Master of Science in Forensic Science. Stevenson University Chemistry students who select this track must first complete 60 undergraduate credits, attain a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and receive permission from the graduate and undergraduate department chairs. Eligible students begin taking six graduate courses (18 credits) in their junior and senior years, while paying the same tuition and receiving the same financial aid and scholarship awards as before.  The Forensic Science Program at Stevenson University is closely affiliated with the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, and offers training from some of the MSP’s top experts in forensics. Students receive field placements in forensics laboratories utilized by Maryland law enforcement, and apply classroom instruction to hands-on experience.

The chemistry program has even taken the student’s learning experience outside of the classroom, far away in San Diego, California. One faculty member had received a summer grant and conducted research with a small group of students. The professor and students planned to fly out to San Diego to present their findings at a Biochemistry Convention there. Although the professor managed to leave Baltimore on time, the students missed their flight (although their baggage somehow wound up on the plane bound for San Diego)! The professor managed to secure the students’ bags, and was rewarded with several curious looks for claiming a dozen suitcases. Several hours later, the students and professor were reunited, and they successfully presented their findings in San Diego.

Stay tuned for more information about Stevenson University’s other exciting programs! You can learn more by visiting www.stevenson.edu and reviewing our twenty two undergraduate programs listed underneath “Academics.” You can also start the application process by clicking “Apply Now.”