MONTEGO BAY, St James -Alesha Coleman isn’t making a lot of money as a medical technologist, but she’s very grateful. For come this Saturday she, along with 12 of the 18 students who qualified for a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology, will graduate from the University of Technology (UTECH).

Coleman, however, will probably not see an improvement in her financial status anytime soon. Indeed, at a net of approximately $40,000 per month medical technologists are not one of the higher paid groups in the medical field.

But for the 22-year-old, her successful completion of the BSc programme is indeed a significant accomplishment.

“I didn’t plan to go at first because my mother wasn’t going to be there…she died in my first year and the entire ordeal was extremely traumatic,” Coleman recalled.

Added Coleman: “but when I consider what a rough road it was and how hard I worked, I decided I deserved to celebrate, and this is my way of doing it.”

A graduate of the Herbert Morrison High School and the Montego Bay Community College where she acquired several subjects in the Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC’s) general proficiency examinations and a certificate in the preliminary sciences, Coleman entered the university on a scholarship.

“I was the recipient of the 2002 – 2006 scholarship granted to children of staff members of the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ). The past four years would not have been possible without their help and support,” she said.

Coleman’s honours degree – an upper second – is no mean feat.

Only five members of the predominantly female group, which lost half of its members, gained the qualification at this level. According to Coleman some people buckled under the pressure and dropped out of the course.

“Med Tech rough,” she exclaimed, recalling her six-month internship at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) under Warren Williams, a senior microbiologist.

She noted that Williams, who was her supervisor, made a profound impact on her career.

However, it was Karl Lettman, a senior medical technologist at the CRH, whointroduced her to the field when she was a third-former at Herbert Morrison. “It was careers day – that was how I was introduced to the field,” she recalled.

The course, which is divided into five main areas – haemotology, clinical chemistry, blood banking, histopathology and microbiology, equips graduates on how to analyse body fluids and specimens. This assists doctors to effectively diagnose and treat patients. They are also taught to monitor patients who are on medicines such as Warfrin and Heparin, which minimises the tendency of clotting in the blood.

Coleman, who is currently working in the area of haemotology, noted that had she not been strapped for cash, she would probably have moved on to become a doctor.

However, she is content – for now – to make her contribution as a med tech.

“(The AAJ’S) scholarship made a tremendous impact on shaping my attitude towards giving and other philanthropic endeavours, Scholarships give students freedom to focus on studies and professional growth instead of financial burdens, and for that I really want to say thank you, Airports Authority of Jamaica,” she said.

roxboroughp@jamaicaobserver.com