Healthcare Detective by Audrea

Healthcare Detective by Audrea - February 2019 Scholarship Essay

I am currently a medical laboratory technician at Trident Medical Center located in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. I have always enjoyed the biology and science behind healthcare, however healthcare is more than just a diagnosis. I am pursuing my bachelor’s degree so that I may become a medical laboratory scientist by starting a liberal arts program with a minor in chemistry and microbiology.

Liberal Arts is a broad educational program where students like myself can pursue courses they are interested in to enrich their lives, learning experience and quality of their education.I believe that a degree in liberal arts can fully round an individual to be knowledgeable in multiple subjects and that is what my career needs. Not only should I be proficient in the diagnostics aspect of my career, I should learn about the history and how far our society has advanced in the healthcare setting. In my field of work at a hospital laboratory, you have to be able to communicate efficiently to your peers and understand how somebody, like a patient, is feeling due to their condition. All healthcare environments need someone who can perform their job without hesitation but also someone who is compassionate and able to better communicate and empathize with patients and visitors.

Before I found the Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) program at Trident Technical College (TTC), I took numerous classes in different subjects and gained interest in literature, writing, and biology. I took multiple classes because I planned on getting my Associates in Science and transferring to Charleston Southern University for my bachelors in biology. That plan changed, in May 2013 is when I had my twin daughters and I realized that attending school was to come first so I can provide a better life for them and myself. Instead of transferring to Charleston Southern, I found the MLT program, and obtained my Associates in Science before starting my program. I have diligently worked hard to obtain my associates degree, raise my GPA, and obtain certification as a MLT. When I finished my MLT program, I had then obtained my Associates in Applied Science for Allied Health in Medical Laboratory Technology. With that, I realized that I was only two classes out from an Associate in Arts and I took two world history classes to satisfy the requirements for an AA degree.

The classes I have chosen for my liberal studies plan have to do with the history of healthcare, ethics and psychology. The history courses should cover how advanced our society has become in diagnosing illnesses and curing patients. In short, it should help me become more appreciative of all the advancements in medical care- I know I would’ve lost my job at refusing to taste urine like they use to in order to diagnose diabetes. Ethics is necessary for healthcare, because without ethics, there is no patient-doctor trust and it could breech confidentiality. Ethics is also a hot topic in healthcare since there are many arguments regarding physician assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Finally, psychology, to understand human emotions and reactions to give depth to patients’ mentality and what is going through their mind. It is hard to put yourself in someone’s position when it has to do with someone’s personal battle or somebody they love. Psychology could give insight to a patient or visitors mentality and could help with understanding that when a patient or visitor is acting hostile it is not to attack or hurt your feelings, but it is a sign of being scared.

My current goal is to get my degree so I can sit for my board certification to become a medical laboratory scientist. There are many MLT-MT schools out there, but most do not offer the chemistry and laboratory classes online so when I found OSU that offers online laboratory classes I could not pass it up. As much as I love my current position at Trident Medical Center, there is no room for advancement without a four year degree. My numerous studies, career and life experiences have molded me to have a thirst for knowledge because there is always something new to learn.