TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS IN THE
COLLEGE OF ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES
The goal of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College
of Allied Health Sciences (CAHS) is to prepare students for the practice
of the professions of cytotechnology, dental hygiene, health information
management, medical technology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy.
This includes undergraduate education and graduate education, where applicable.
Modern allied health education requires that the accumulation of scientific
knowledge be accompanied by the simultaneous acquisition of essential
skills, functions and professional attitudes and behavior. The faculty
of the College of Allied Health Sciences have a responsibility to graduate
the best possible practitioners and graduate students; therefore, admission
to educational programs in the College is offered only to those who present
the highest qualifications for education and training in the art and science
of the respective allied health professions.
Applicants to programs of the College must possess the following general
qualities: critical thinking, sound judgment, emotional stability and
maturity, empathy, physical and mental stamina, and the ability to learn
and function in a wide variety of didactic and clinical settings. Graduates
of the College must have the minimal skills, essential functions and knowledge
to function in a broad variety of clinical settings, while rendering a
wide spectrum of healthcare services.
The faculty of the CAHS have a responsibility for the welfare of the
patients treated or otherwise affected by students enrolled in the College
as well as for the educational welfare of its students relative to the
educational programs of the College. In order to fulfill this responsibility
the Committees on Admissions for the various professional programs of
the College maintain that certain minimal technical standards must be
present in applicants to the various educational programs of the College.
Candidates for the bachelor or science degree, as well as those enrolled
in any graduate education programs of the College, must have the following
essentials: motor skills; sensory/observational skills; communication
skills; intellectual-conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities;
and behavioral/social skills and professionalism.
The Committees on Admissions, in accordance with Section 504 of the
1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities
Act (PL101-336) have established the aforementioned essential functions
of students in the educational programs offered by the CAHS at 930 Madison Ave., 6th floor or the Office of Students with Disabilities, Student Academic Support Services at 8 S. Dunlap, Room BB9, General Education Building.
These Committees on Admissions will consider for admission applicants
who demonstrate the ability to perform, or to learn to perform, the essential
skills listed in this document. The College must ensure that patients
are not placed in jeopardy by students with impaired intellectual, physical
or emotional functions. Students will be judged not only on their scholastic
accomplishments, but also on their physical and emotional capacities to
meet the full requirements of the College’s curricula and to graduate
as skilled and effective practitioners.
The essential abilities listed in this document can be accomplished through
direct student response, the use of prosthetic or orthotic devices, or
through personal assistance, e.g., readers, signers, note-takers. The
responsibility for the purchase of prosthetic or orthotic devices serving
a student in meeting the abilities noted remains with the student and/or
agency supporting the student. The College will assist with this accomplishment,
as required by law and institutional policy.
Upon admission, a student who discloses a properly certified disability
will receive reasonable accommodation but must be able to perform the
essential functions of the curriculum and meet the standards described
herein for the program in which the student is enrolled. Possible accommodations
include opportunities for individual and group counseling, peer counseling,
linkages with community services, faculty advisory committees whose members
are aware of disabled students and their needs, career counseling, assistance
with job searches and interview skills, and extended test taking time,
if and when appropriate. Students seeking accommodations should initiate
their request in the Office of the Dean, CAHS.
In addition to the general standards described above, each professional
program requires additional specific standards as follows:
ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC TECHNICAL
STANDARDS
FOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS
Once enrolled in the Program in Medical Technology, students must meet
the full requirements of the curriculum, including the demonstration of
the skills described herein for the College and the Program, in order
to progress through the curriculum and to graduate.
GENERAL STANDARDS
- Ability to assess and make appropriate judgments regarding lab services
and patient outcomes.
- Ability to prioritize and perform laboratory testing.
- Ability to adapt to a variety of patient care situations, including
crises.
- Ability to communicate effectively in English, orally and in writing.
- Ability to participate in discussion in the classroom, the clinical
arena and with colleagues and patients.
- Ability to acquire information developed through didactic instruction
and clinical experiences.
- Ability to understand reading assignments and to search and evaluate
literature.
- Ability to prepare written assignments and maintain written records.
- Ability to perform duties and assignments in a timely fashion while
under stress and in a variety of settings.
- Ability to meet deadlines.
- Ability to use the computer for instructional assignments and patient
care activities.
ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC STANDARDS
PHYSICAL AND MOTOR SKILLS
- Dexterity with both wrists, hands and arms, and dexterity with all
fingers.
- Ability to grasp, pinch, push, pull, finger, hold, extend, rotate,
cut.
- Ability to obtain and/or verify patient samples.
- Possess sufficient stamina to tolerate physically taxing workloads.
- Ability to operate/manipulate and effectively evaluate the status
of laboratory instruments and equipment.
SENSORY SKILLS
- Visual acuity (corrected to 20/40); visual perception with respect
to depth and color.
- Ability to palpate.
COGNITIVE, INTEGRATIVE, QUANTITATIVE SKILLS
- Ability to measure, calculate, analyze, interpret, synthesize and
evaluate as applicable to clinical laboratory practice.
- Ability to solve one or more problems within specific time frames,
which are often short.
- Ability to comprehend spatial relationships.
AFFECTIVE, BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS
- Ability to function as part of a team (communicate effectively in
English, consult, negotiate, share, delegate.)
- Ability to delegate to and supervise others.
- Adherence to safety guidelines for self and others.
- Compliance with standards and regulations required by external agencies.
- Ability to follow instructions/procedures with accuracy and precision
- Ability to maintain intellectual and emotional stability and maturity
under stress, while also maintaining appropriate performance standards.
- Learn and exhibit professional attributes.
revised: 08/03/2007
Tuition & Fees
Information on tuition, fees and expenses can be found at: www.utmem.edu/finaid
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