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Southwest Health worries that lab tech program will close

San Juan College may shutter program

San Juan College in Farmington might stop offering classes for aspiring medical laboratory technicians. If that happens, one of the few regional sources of qualified lab workers for hospitals in the area will go away, said Southwest Health Systems lab director David Davis.

“If they close the program, they’re doing a disservice to the community,” Davis said.

Medical laboratory technicians, or MLTs, work behind the scenes performing tests in hospital laboratories, Davis said. San Juan College has suspended registration for an introductory MLT course, and board members will discuss the decision at their meeting June 7, said Davis, who also is on the advisory committee for San Juan College’s MLT program.

The closest schools that offer similar MLT programs are Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction and the University of New Mexico-Gallup campus.

“The closing of (the San Juan College program) is concerning because it’s a valuable resource for viable applicants,” Davis said.

As the medical laboratory workforce is aging nationwide, many workers are facing retirement, and the field could soon experience a “dire shortage,” Davis said.

Young people looking to pursue an education in the medical field might be less likely to choose an MLT track than a pharmacy or nursing degree because lab techs work behind the scenes, Davis said. But without lab workers, doctors couldn’t diagnose their patients, he said.

If local medical operations can’t find lab workers close to home, they’ll have to contract employees, who are more expensive, Davis said. Employing those workers would contribute to increasing costs, and health care costs are already high, he said.

Retaining employees is a concern for labs, too, Davis said. There are many qualified candidates coming from the Philippines, but they might not be likely to stay in Southwest Colorado for more than a few years, he said.

Colleges nationwide are facing budget issues, and with an average of 10 or fewer students, MLT programs are often among the first to be cut, Davis said. But some colleges don’t do enough to promote their programs and recruit students, he added. Advisory board members present at local high schools on their career days to try and promote the MLT program, Davis said.

Another reason San Juan College might close the program is because MLT graduates aren’t finding local jobs, Davis said. But he added that he currently has two positions open for MLTs at Southwest Health.

“Somebody has to lobby to keep this program open,” Davis said. “There’s not enough being done.”

Calls to the office of San Juan College President Dr. Toni Pendergrass were not immediately returned on Thursday. SJC Vice President of Learning Dr. Barbara Ake and School of Health Sciences Interim Dean Nisa Bruce are away until June 1.



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