Mar 28, 2024  
2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences Program


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Department Website: oakland.edu/shs/bdts/

 

Director: J. Lynne Williams

Professor: J. Lynne Williams

Associate professors:  Sumit Dinda

Assistant professors: Kristin Landis-Piwowar

Adjunct Instructor: Terese Trost

Clinical professors:  Janice Campbell, Vinod Shidham, Dafang Wu

Clinical associate professors: Barbara Anderson, Ann Marie Blenc, Inga Grills, Carol Holland, Barbara O’Malley

Clinical assistant professors: Craig Basmaji, Christopher Wienczewski

Clinical instructors: Sarah Bajer, Laura Bergsman, Cheryl Culver-Schultz, Lisa DeCeuninck, Nancy Lamers, JoAnne Logue-O’Malley, Muriel Morrison, Laura L. Ochs,  Shruti Patel, Nancy E. Ramirez, Joy Raymond, Joyce A. Salancy, Theresa Taggart, Dawn Taylor
 

The Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences program is designed to prepare students for professional opportunities in a variety of settings. Graduates may find employment in hospital or commercial clinical laboratories, research laboratories or public health facilities. Positions within biomedical corporations, including research and development, quality assurance and sales or service may also be prospective sources for employment. Furthermore, because it meets basic academic requirements, the Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences curriculum provides excellent preparation for entry into post-baccalaureate professional programs including physician assistant, medicine, dentistry and osteopathy.  

Biomedical sciences is a diversified field. In response to new technologies, many areas of specialization have evolved within the profession to ensure the expertise of individuals performing the required tasks. The Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences program at Oakland University addresses several specializations including medical laboratory science, cytotechnology, histotechnology, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy and radiologic technology. As health care professionals, biomedical scientists play an integral part in patient care. Some are involved in detection and diagnosis of disease. Others provide therapy to patients. In general, cytotechnologists and histotechnologists are involved in the diagnosis of disease based on alterations in cells or tissues (anatomic pathology). Medical laboratory scientists perform a wide variety of tests, including chemical, microscopic, bacteriological and immunological procedures used in the diagnosis and study of disease (clinical pathology). Nuclear medicine technologists use small amounts of radioactive materials for diagnostic evaluation of the anatomic or physiologic conditions of the body and to provide therapy with radioactive sources. Radiation therapists use ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancer. Radiologic technologists utilize ionizing radiation to image internal structures of the body (x-ray and subspecialities).

Generally, employment in a hospital or community clinical laboratory requires certification in a specialization field. Students are eligible to sit for national certification examinations in their specialization upon completion of the appropriate clinical internship at an accredited institution. Professional certification is obtained by successfully passing the examination. 

Admission to Specializations

Students may be admitted as Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Science majors directly from high school or by transfer from other colleges or universities. As described below (Admission to clinical specialization internship), with the exception of medical laboratory science, students have the option of earning the Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences degree by completing a hospital-based clinical specialization internship program. Acceptance into the internship programs is competitive and is based on grade point average, personal interview and letters of recommendation. The application process for each of the specializations is unique. Students are advised to read carefully about their chosen specialization. In some cases it is the policy of the affiliate institution that a criminal background check at the student’s expense is required for acceptance into a clinical program.

All students should select their desired area of specialization by the end of sophomore year, as the coursework in the junior year is different for each specialization. They must complete a departmental student profile at this time. The actual acceptance into a student’s chosen specialization clinical program shall define specialization standing for course prerequisites and professional course requirements. The junior and senior year curricula will vary depending upon the specialization. 

Graduation without a Specialization

Students not wishing to pursue professional certification or not accepted by a clinical internship program may complete the Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences degree by following the academic program for the specialization of their choice, or Biomedical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences Pre-Professional concentration, and substituting adviser-approved electives for the clinical year (internship) course work. Such students may still be eligible to apply for clinical internship opportunities either before or after graduation, if desired.


Schedule of classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes: sail.oakland.edu.

Programs

Courses

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