UNIT 1

The Practice of Medical Technology

Introduction

Medical technology is an allied medical field that plays a very crucial role in maintaining or
promoting the health of the population. Medical technologists, also known as medical laboratory
scientists, are a very important partner in the health care sector, along with nurses, physicians, and other
medical practitioners, in the diagnosis, study, and treatment of diseases and in the promotion of health
in general. In this unit, we are going to discuss the nature and scope of the medical technology practice in
the Philippines, describe what medical technologists do inside the laboratory, and identify other medical
practitioners working in the laboratory as associates of medical technologists. We are also going to discuss
what other fields can medical technologists embark into aside from the laboratory.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit, the student should be able to:

1. Define the practice of medical technology;

2. Enumerate the persons working inside a laboratory and define their functions;
3. Enumerate the specific professions/careers/occupations for graduates of MT/MLS; and
4. Enumerate other fields where an MT/MLS graduate can engage into.

Presentation of Contents

Republic Act No. 5527 (as amended), otherwise known as the Philippine Medical Technology Act of
1969, describes that a person is deemed in the practice of Medical Technology if he, who shall for a fee,
salary or other compensation or reward paid or given directly or indirectly through another, renders any
of the following professional services for the purpose of aiding the physician in the diagnosis, study, and
treatment of diseases and in the promotion of health in general:

1. Examination of tissues, secretions, and excretions of the human body and body fluids by various
electronic, chemical, microscopic, bacteriologic, hematologic, serologic, immunologic, nuclear,
and other laboratory procedures and techniques either manual or automated;
2. Blood banking procedures and techniques;
3. Parasitologic, mycologic, and microbiologic procedures and techniques;
4. Histopathologic and cytotechnology;
5. Clinical research involving patients or human beings requiring the use of and/or application of
medical technology knowledge and procedures;
6. Preparations and standardization of reagents, standards, stains and others (for use exclusively in
the laboratory);
 7. Clinical laboratory quality control;
8. Collection and preservation of specimens.

Medical technologists perform the work of medical technology under the supervision of a pathologist.
However, in places where there is no pathologist, they are supervised by a licensed physician authorized
by the Department of Health (DOH) and who have passed the training course and examination as
prescribed by existing laws.

Other Persons Working in a Laboratory

1. Pathologist – a duly registered physician who is specially trained in methods of laboratory

medicine, or the gross and microscopic study and interpretation of tissues, secretion and
excretions of the human body and its functions in order to diagnose disease, follow its course,
determine the effectivity of treatment, ascertain cause of death and advance medicine by means
of research
2. Medical Laboratory Technician – a person certified and registered with the Board of Medical
Technology as qualified to assist a medical technologist and/or qualified pathologist in the
practice of medical technology

The field of Medical Technology is a diverse one. Aside from working as licensed medical
technologists, graduates of Medical Technology may also work as diagnostic molecular scientists, research
scientists, educators, diagnostic product specialists, public health practitioners, and healthcare leaders.
Many medical technologists nowadays practice in the fields of public health/epidemiology, veterinary
laboratory science, molecular biology/biology, nuclear science, forensic science, health
administration/management, and food and industrial microbiology.

References:

Philippine Medical Technology Act of 1969

Policies, Standards, and Guidelines for the BSMT/MLS Program