In 1958, Dr. Tom S. Gafford, Jr. established a School of Medical Technology as part of the clinical laboratory at Muskogee Regional Medical Center to fill a growing need for certified medical technologists for this area. Eight Oklahoma universities are affiliated with the Tom S. Gafford School of Medical Technology whose students can fulfill requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology by completing the year of clinical internship in the MRMC program.
The 12-month program includes approximately 500 hours of classroom instruction and 1500 hours of technical training. The curriculum includes courses in clinical chemistry, hematology, immunology, clinical microbiology and other special topics. Laboratory personnel provide individual instruction in techniques of testing, maintenance and quality control of instrumentation, evaluation and interpretation of test results. To be eligible for internship in the MRMC program, students must complete a minimum of 94 hours at an affiliated university which includes required university courses in chemistry, human physiology, microbiology, immunology and mathematics. Upon completion of the course of study at MRMC, the student is awarded 30 hours credit and a degree from the university. Graduates are eligible to take the national certification exams given by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and the National Certification Agency for Clinical Laboratory Personnel.
The school is under the direction of the PLA Pathologist Group of Oklahoma and is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
Application for the program can be obtained at the MRMC Laboratory or from the Medical Technology Advisor at any of these affiliated universities: Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Central Oklahoma, East Central University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Southeastern State University, Cameron University, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, and Oklahoma Christian University.
For further information, contact Robert King at (918) 684-2299, (918) 684-3453 or email rking@muskogeehealth.com
