Helping patients from the lab
Medical laboratory technician program, Blackhawk Technical College
Even though they are usually working in the background of busy hospitals and clinics, medical laboratory technicians play a front-and-center role in assisting doctors in diagnosing and treating patients through accurate testing.
“We are the people who run the tests, but more importantly, we are the people who can tell you what tests you should be running and why,” said Kathi Winker, director of the medical laboratory technician associate degree program at Blackhawk Technical College.
Some students can get a head start on this career in high school by taking class-es in medical terminology, phlebotomy and certified nursing assistant training. The entire fourth semester of the associate degree is devoted to a clinical experience, working 32 hours per week in a hospital laboratory.
“It’s a very complete degree,” Winker said, with rotations through clinical chemistry, testing for diabetes and cholesterol levels, as well as coagulation, blood bank, microbiology, serology, urinalysis and phlebotomy. At the end of the program, students qualify for certification that opens the door to working in laboratories and, she said, about 50% of students have job offers before graduation.
It is not unusual for some students in the program to have already completed a four-year college degree in biology, toxicology or chemistry, said Winker, “and they can’t find jobs.” That’s why she suggests that students consider earning the medical laboratory technician associate degree first and go to work at a hospital, where the need for lab technicians keeps growing as baby boomers retire.
Medical laboratory technicians are in such demand that some hospitals are now offering $10,000 sign-on bonuses, Winker said, and many employers encourage their lab technicians to go on to earn a four-year college degree by offering tuition reimbursements.
There are opportunities to move ahead as well. One of the students who graduated two years ago is now a blood bank supervisor, and another recent graduate is an assistant manager in point-of-care testing (done at the patient’s bedside.) Another graduate is on a team that is developing microbiological testing.
Cost of the medical laboratory technician program is $11,747 and the average wage for medical laboratory technicians in the Madison area is about $45,000 per year.
Fixing Farmers’ Equipment
Agricultural Equipment Technology, Madison Area Technical College
At one time, when a farmer’s tractor broke down in the field, he could tinker around with his hand tools and solve the problem. Those days are long gone, though, and now when a tractor, combine or baler needs attention, an agricultural equipment service technician gets the call.
That’s why Madison College offers an associate degree in agricultural equipment technology. The program, taught by instructors with a combined 40 years of experience in the industry, features hands-on training on repairing and maintain-ing equipment operated with sophisticated electronic controls.
“One of the newer tractors has 40-plus controllers on it, so that’s 40-plus computers and they all have to communicate with each other,” said Nick Lindloff, one of the program’s instructors. To be successful as an agricultural equipment technology student “you have to want to learn electronics,” he added.
Students learn how to troubleshoot problems, in class and at internships, and develop expertise in electronic controls, as well as hydraulics, fuel systems, heating, air conditioning and engine service.
Good communication and customer service skills are an important part of the program, because technicians will be working on equipment that costs from $200,000 to $500,000. Because many of the machines are too huge for owners to bring in for repairs, about 50% of the work is in the field – a plus for those who enjoy working outdoors.
There is a “good, solid job market” in the Madison area for those with the two-year associate degree, said Lindloff. Median starting salaries in Wisconsin are about $42,000.
Graduates of the program are not all service technicians; they are also working in equipment sales, parts departments and as managers at dealerships. Management skills learned in class will “get you through the door in management,” Lindloff said, and dealers will typically pay for additional training for those who want to move up the ladder.
The estimated cost of the program is $11,654. A new, one-year version of the program is expected to be offered in the fall 2021 semester.