Smart Medicine

Martha Yiglletu found her true calling in medical lab technology and is advancing her education and career.

In the lab at Fairview Highland Park Clinic in St. Paul, Martha Yiglletu plays a vital role in quality patient care. Using skills she learned in Saint Paul College's Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) program, Yiglletu draws people's blood, collects other specimens for testing and then runs high-tech equipment to analyze body fluids, cells, and tissues. She often must detect and identify different types of bacteria, parasites, and microorganisms. While all this might not work for squeamish types, Yiglletu, who graduated in 2006, thoroughly enjoys her job and sees it as a solid step on a career track she began several years ago.

Though she has always been good at math, physics and chemistry, Yiglletu's scientific aspirations came as a bit of a surprise to her. In 2003, while in her native Ethiopia, she was two years into a degree in agricultural engineering. She loved what she was doing. But her parents, who are both elementary school teachers, wanted more for their daughter. They urged her to apply for the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, a lottery system that makes 50,000 permanent resident visas annually available to residents of countries with low U.S. immigration rates. Her name was drawn. So though it broke her heart to leave her parents, two brothers and three sisters behind, she came to Minnesota, where she planned to quickly start school again. "I came because it made my parents happy," Yiglletu explains. "Education is very important to them and they thought I'd have better opportunities here."

First Steps

Things were tough at first. Upon realizing the difference between resident and nonresident tuition at public colleges, Yiglletu knew she'd need to wait a year before starting school anywhere. In the meantime, the family who sponsored her visit urged her to try vocational training at the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul. While there, a friend told her how much he enjoyed working as a medical lab technician, so the Job Corps staff recommended she apply for the College's two–year MLT program. It turned out to be the right move, as Yiglletu discovered that she loved the field.

Michelle Briski, one of Yiglletu's teachers and director of the MLT program, remembers her as "a very bright student who asked thoughtful questions that often went beyond the material being presented in class."

Briski's comments underscore Yiglletu's talent and drive. Saint Paul College's MLT AAS degree program is a rigorous, 72–credit offering that is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to take a national certification examination administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology and/or the National Credentialing Agency. MLT graduates score above the national average on the exam.

Along the Path

In 2006, Yiglletu was one of only 23 two–year college students in Minnesota to be nominated for the All–USA Academic Team for Community, Technical and Junior College Students in recognition of her academic achievements and community service. She also started the MLT program's first student club. "I wanted to bring the class together so we could do things," Yiglletu says, adding that the club also helps the students academically — as an official club, it qualifies for funding to help students attend educational events such as the MLT program's annual trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Yiglletu started work at the Highland Park clinic right after graduation. At the same time, she continued on the path toward getting the four–year degree that her parents wished for her by enrolling in the University of Minnesota's Clinical Laboratory Science program. When she graduates in 2009, she will have the training she wants to advance even further as a clinical lab technician. She also might go on to pursue a master's degree and a career in science, perhaps in epidemiology or immunology. "It's funny, because when I started the MLT program, I did it just so I could get a good job," Yiglletu explains. "But I really liked my classes and I want to do something that will let me use my math, chemistry, and biology."

This article written by MeLeah Maynard.

Learn more about our Medical Laboratory Technician program.