Washburn program should address hospital personnel shortages
Special to the Gazette
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
TOPEKA — A new medical technologist program at Washburn University is part of an effort by a coalition of regional hospitals to address the shortage of personnel in hospital labs. The Health Innovations Network of Kansas includes Morris County Hospital in Council Grove and Coffey County Hospital in Burlington.
The announcement came after nearly two years of planning by HINK officials and Washburn University’s School of Applied Studies and the awarding of a grant from the Topeka Community Foundation.
In January 2008, HINK officials, faced with a critical workforce shortage of medical technologists in their hospital labs, determined their number one goal was to establish and support a medical technologist program at Washburn University. HINK leaders and Willie Dunlap, dean of Washburn University’s School of Applied Studies, began exploring what it would take to create a program. A short time later, Dunlap, Vickie Kelly, and Washburn University faculty members, presented medical technologist program alternatives to HINK leaders. The group chose to collaborate with Washburn University on a University of Nebraska-Omaha Medical Center Program.
The program is not limited by geography and curriculum will be delivered online for many classes. Students from across the state of Kansas would be eligible to enroll in the program after completion of 86 hours of college credit. Students then complete 39 hours of clinical laboratory courses to finish their bachelor’s degree, and become ASCP board eligible. The program also will provide a career ladder from associate degree medical lab technician to medical technologist.
In addition, the program will tie HINK and Washburn University into a five-state initiative to alleviate workforce shortages. The curriculum is already developed and in place at the University of Nebraska, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Iowa and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. By using these structures and partnerships, the graduation of the first class will take place in May 2010.