Next Steps

Pre-Medical Technology Advising

Medical technologists are clinical scientists who work in hospital and clinic laboratories to analyze patients' tissue and fluid samples. They are part of the healthcare team and essential to the successful diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Pre-medical technology advising at Whitworth spans all the years of a student's education. Explore your career interests, receive personalized guidance, and gain skills and experience outside of the classroom that will prepare you to be a competitive applicant for professional programs and a compassionate future medical technologist.

Why pursue pre-medical technology advising at Whitworth?

Find your calling. Vocational discernment is interwoven into all aspects of pre-medical technology advising, from mentoring to seminars to guest speaker events.
Form connections with professors and advisors who want to see you succeed and will support you every step of the way.
Take a specialized seminar course that will help you explore career possibilities.
Gain experience working with individuals who are different from you. Enroll in a study abroad program that includes a medical internship, or join a student-run club like En Christo that serves low-income residents in Spokane. You will develop important perspectives you can apply toward a career in which you'll be assisting patients from all walks of life.
Build leadership skills that will strengthen your résumé. At Whitworth, you will have many opportunities to develop into a capable and caring leader, whether by volunteering for a worthwhile cause, getting involved with student government or residence life, or serving as a teaching assistant.
Develop transferable skills that will make you more effective in your future career and in other areas of life. A Whitworth liberal arts education will prepare you to think critically and communicate clearly.
Become who you're meant to be.

Potential career paths

Medical technologists primarily work in hospitals, clinics and pathology labs. They may specialize in histology (examination of tissue samples), hematology (examination of blood samples), or urinalysis (examination of urine samples).

After graduation, Whitworth students typically attend post-baccalaureate medical technologist training schools for one to two years to receive a medical technologist certificate before they are fully qualified for many clinical technologist positions. However, entry-level laboratory technician positions in pathology labs are also possible with a Whitworth undergraduate degree in a suitable laboratory science like chemistry or biology.

Recent job placements include:

Melissa Ryskamp, medical lab scientist, Kootenai Health, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Ask our pre-medical technology faculty advisor

Ask Professor Ojennus

Professor Deanna Ojennus teaches in the chemistry department and specializes in chemistry, biochemistry and protein structural biology.

What related majors can I explore?

You may be surprised to learn you can choose any major as a pre-medical technology student. While it's more common to choose a major in the sciences, pre-medical technology students can also choose majors in the humanities like history, English and theology, and complete a significant number of credits in the sciences.

The most typical majors chosen by pre-medical technology students include: