Susan A. K. Higgins Curriculum Vita

• Twenty-five years experience in a hospital laboratory, from generalist to specialist.

• Over twelve years experience in management/supervision and administration.

• Over fifteen years experience in the academic environment, from part-time to full-time, from   community college to university, from adjunct to faculty, including administrative and teaching.

• Over five years experience in client services, physician/hospital relations, and public relations

• Technical experiences include method evaluation, instrumentation operation and maintenance, quality control/assurance issues, budget preparations, employee evaluations, training, development/maintenance of procedure manuals, and documentation.

• Experience with LIS and PCs

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES:

PROGRAM DIRECTOR - Medical Laboratory Technology and Phlebotomy Technician Programs, Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN

•  2001 - present    Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health and Human Services

  Responsibilities:  Perform program administrative duties to maintain accreditation

  Monitoring budget, maintain/upgrade curriculum, oversee adjunct faculty, counsel students, teach many professional courses, and other duties as required by IU Northwest and NAACLS for MLT and PBT students.

                                          

ACTING PROGRAM DIRECTOR - Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN


•    2000 - 2001      Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Nursing & Health Profession

  Responsibilities:  Perform program administrative duties to maintain accreditation

  Monitoring budget, maintain/upgrade curriculum, oversee adjunct faculty, counsel students, teach many professional courses, and other duties as required by IU Northwest and NAACLS for MLT and PBT students.

CLINICAL COORDINATOR/FACULTY - Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN

• 1997 - 2000 Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences
• Responsibilities: Coordinate clinical internships for MLT and PBT students, teach many professional courses, such as Clinical Techniques, Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology, Immunoserology, and Body Fluids

TUTOR - Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI

• 1997 College of Human Medicine, tutor
• Responsibilities: Tutored first year medical students in Pathology

TEMPORARY FACULTY - Alma College, Alma, MI

• 1997 Chemistry Department, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratories
• Responsibilities: Taught/prepared labs

TEACHING ASSISTANT - Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI

• 1994 - 96 Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Science programs
• Responsibilities: Taught/prepared labs for MT/CLS students (Basic MT Techniques, Hematology, Immunohematology, and Clinical Chemistry courses). Fall, 1995, designated lead TA

CLINICAL COORDINATOR - Baker College of Owosso, Owosso, MI

• 1994 - 96 Medical Laboratory Technician Program
• Responsibilities: Developed/maintained internship curriculum for the new MLT program, procured hospital affiliates, coordinated the internship itself, taught many professional MLT courses on campus, and helped develop new MLT program through successful 5-year accreditation.

 

SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES:

• STAT Lab Supervisor, Client Services Representative, Assistant Chemistry Supervisor, Staff Technologist, Saginaw Medical Center, Saginaw, MI
• Volunteer Staff Tech, ELWA Mission Hospital, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa
• Adjunct Faculty,
  • Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI
  • Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI
  • Mid Michigan Community College, Harrison, MI
• Chemistry Supervisor, Saginaw Medical Center, Saginaw, MI
• Laboratory Administrator, Gratiot Community Hospital, Alma, MI
• Staff Technologist, Munson Medical Center, Traverse City, MI and Mount Pleasant Community Hospital, Mt. Pleasant, MI

EDUCATION:

• BS in Medical Technology, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI Graduated, Munson Medical Center, Traverse City, MI Graduated, Clinical Internship
• MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Michigan State University, E. Lansing, MI Graduated, Master's degree in Clinical Laboratory Science, with elective courses in Educational Systems Development to enhance educational skills.
• Course work included biochemistry, statistics, seminars, and several computer and education courses.

Master's project is an interactive Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) program,  "Interactive Immunoassays", on immunochemistry for use by both laboratory professionals as continuing education and undergraduate MT students in course work, utilizing IBM compatible Asymetrix MultiMedia ToolBook authorship software.

• Medical Technology, MT(ASCP), #074801
• Specialist in Chemistry, SC(ASCP), #00725
• Nuclear Medicine Technologist, CNMT(CNMTB), #008085

• American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science, Indiana
• American Society of Clinical Pathologists, Associate Member Section
• Sweet Adelines, International

COMMITTEE INVOLVEMENT:

• Various Campus Committees at IU Northwest
• 1990 - 96 Chemistry Examination Committee, for categorical and specialist certification examinations - ASCP, Chicago, IL Chair - 1994, 1995

CURRENT PROJECTS/SERVICE:

• Chemistry Exmination Committee, for categorical and specialist certification examinations - ASCP, Chicago, IL
• Volunteer for NAACLS, Site Visitor for MLT programs, PARC Committee for approved programs
• American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science, Indiana - Board of Directors, Current President

PUBLICATIONS:

"Developmental Considerations for Computer Assisted Instruction" was published in Laboratory Medicine, in June, 1998.

AWARDS:

Certificate of Appreciation - from ASCP for service on Clinical Chemistry Examination Committee