Section 450.420  Medical Technologist

a)         An individual who meets one of the following qualifications shall qualify as a technologist. These qualifications must be documented on the Department's form entitled "Laboratory Personnel Qualifications Appraisal". (See Section 450.50(c)(3))

1)         The individual has an earned Bachelor's degree in medical technology from an accredited college or university.

2)         The individual has 3 academic years of study (a minimum of 90 semester hours or equivalent) in an accredited college or university which meets the specific requirement for entrance into, and the successful completion of a course of training of at least 12 months in, a school of medical technology accredited by one of the agencies recognized by the U.S. Office of Education for the accreditation of training programs for medical technologists, as distinguished from training programs for medical laboratory technicians.

3)         The individual has an earned Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university course of studies which meets all academic requirements for a in one of the chemical, physical, or biological sciences and in addition at least 1 year of clinical laboratory experience and/or training in an approved clinical laboratory in the laboratory field or fields in which the individual performs tests.

4)         The individual has completed 3 years (90 Semester hours or equivalent in quarter hours) in an accredited college or university with a distribution of courses as shown below, and, in addition, successful experience and/or training covering several fields of medical laboratory work of such length (not less than 1 year), and of such quality that this experience or training in an approved clinical laboratory in the laboratory field or fields in which the individual performs tests. The specified courses must have included lecture and laboratory work.  Survey courses are not acceptable.

A)        For those whose training was completed prior to September 15, 1963:  academic training must include at least 24 semester hours in chemistry and biology courses of which not less than 9 semester hours must have been in chemistry and must have included at least 6 semester hours in inorganic chemistry, and not less than 12 semester hours must have been in biology courses pertinent to the medical sciences.

B)        For those whose training was completed after September 15, 1963:  academic training must include 16 semester hours in chemistry courses which must have included at least 6 semester hours in general chemistry and the remaining semester hours in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry or physical chemistry and which are acceptable toward a major in chemistry; 16 semester hours in biology courses which are pertinent to the medical sciences and are acceptable toward a major in biological sciences; and 3 semester hours of mathematics.

b)         Exceptions to subsection (a) above

1)         An exception to subsection (a) may be made if

A)        The technologist was performing the duties of a medical technologist on, or within the 5 years preceding July 1, 1966, and

B)        The technologist has had at least 10 years of pertinent clinical laboratory experience prior to July 1, 1966,  provided, that a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit toward a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a chemical, physical, or biological science as his major subject, or 30 semester hours in a school of medical technology approved in accordance with subsection (a)(2) shall reduce the required years of experience by 2 years, with any additional hours further reducing the required years of experience at the rate of 15 hours for 1 year.

2)         An individual who has successfully passed the United States Public Health Service exam in order to qualify under Medicare and Medicaid as a clinical laboratory technologist will be considered to meet the qualifications for a medical technologist upon submission of documentation to the Department.

(Source:  Amended at 13 Ill. Reg. 11573, effective July 1, 1989)