Medical technology – the undervalued occupation

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY is the study of body specimens, for example, blood, urine, faeces, semen, vaginal swabs, among others. These specimens are collected, analysed, and reported following proper quality-control protocol to guarantee accuracy and precision, which will aid in the diagnosis, therapeutic assessment, and monitoring of the recovery from a disease condition.

I have considerable concerns regarding the subject mentioned above. It is great when the sick get treated by the doctors, whether it be by a major surgery or a minor prescription. The person who is always commended are the doctors.

What people should know is that without the aid of medical technologists in the analysing, therapeutic assessment, and monitoring of a patient, the doctors can’t get their work done.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not fuming at doctors or the people. I just want to shed light on some basic information.

These analyses are done on the specimens in order to know the faults in the patient’s biochemistry, how to locate the disease, and how to properly assist in patients’ recovery. The job of the medical technologist is so important to the degree that if they make a simple miscalculation by just point one (0.1), it will result in the patient’s demise.

Without the aid of medical technologists, the doctors can’t prescribe the right dosages of medication for the patient to recover. They are unable to know the type of disease and the degree by which the disease will progress. They

can’t know which antibiotic works best for a bacterial infection. They are unable to diagnose a patient just by symptoms alone, they would need information on the patient’s biochemistry. This is where medical technologists play their role. They are the ones who do all the intricate tests and experimentations for the patients’ best interest.

VAST FIELD

The medical technology field is vast, but those who choose to work in the laboratory put their lives in jeopardy, constantly being exposed to potentially contagious diseases and viruses such as HIV, hepatitis, TB, rubella, influenza, among other hazardous and non-hazardous ailments that if not spotted in time and treated, can lead to serious complications, even death.

Not only a laboratory, it can be in an inpatient or outpatient facility or any government or private organisation.

This job requires individuals to be on standby and work double or even triple shifts. It’s a very demanding job that requires them to be at the top of their game. They are not compelled to do this job but choose to give their services to the people and the country.

Sometimes this career entails working in the background, but, nonetheless, give reverence where respect is due. Show acknowledgement where credit is due. They are working too hard around the clock, risking their lives and not getting as much profits and recognition.

Choosing a career in this field takes too much to be undervalued. This needs to change. OSHEEN HYLTON osheenhylton@yahoo.com