To Ron Martin................histology IS BOTH A PROFESSION AND A
CAREER! You need a new job!
Colleen Forster HT(ASCP)QIHC
Wahlberg, Nikki wrote:
I would just like to add that in my opinion it is people who make statements like the one below that are holding our field back from being seen as a career. The hospitals as well as the doctors are also to blame. I am very proud to have a B.S. and A.S.S. degree and an HTL certification. I would really like to see a monkey do my job and still achieve the high GLP standards and high quality of work that is required to get medical devices approved for human use. It makes me sad to hear people say that this is just a job not a career. I do not believe that anyone should be allowed to just come off the street and do our job. It up to us as a community to demand that institutions require certification and recognize our educations. I don't know about anyone else out there but my education cost me a lot of money and will keep me in debt for many years. I didn't waste all that money on "just a job" this is my career and I am very proud of the work I do.
Nikki
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
pathr...@comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:18 PM
To: Michael Bradley
Cc: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?
Mike,
I couldn't agree with you more. I'm in the same position as you. In the Boston, Mass. area people are taken right off the street and work for a year as a lab assistant then promoted to a tech in training. Most have a hs diploma, no ambition and expect good pay for bad work and poor work ethic. I have been in the histology field for 20 years and don't consider it a profession or a career, just a job.
Ron Martin, BS, HTL (ASCP)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Bradley" <jaustin1...@gmail.com>
To: "Joyce Weems" <jwe...@sjha.org>
Cc: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:50:27 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?
HI all
I am a rarity. I am an HTL with a Bachelors Degree. I got my HTL in the early 90s and I guess I was misguided because I thought it would open more doors for me than just an HT. I was sadly mistaken. After I passed my test I waited 9 months for a raise and promotion (which was just a greater title) and when I got my raise so did 2 other employees that didn't even have or try for their certification. I spent many nights and weekends studying and doing my stains for the test. I am proud of my accomplishments. It is a shame that our industry does not reconize the difference between HT and HTL. A few years back I was working as a traveling histotech and when I tried to get a permanent position no one wanted to hire me because I was over qualified by having over 15 years experience and a HTL certification.
I worked hard to no avail. The histology world doesn't look for well qualified workers they look for cheap labor. I have heard more than one pathologist state that "a monkey can do our job." I have also worked in a lab where they would hire someone with a GED to cut slides. A career in histology is for the most part a dead end and there is no future. As long as our industry doesn't respect education and experience there will be less and less histotechs and the quality of the slides will suffer which in turn will bring down patient care.
Just my 2 cents.
MB proud HTL
On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 3:37 PM, Weems, Joyce <jwe...@sjha.org> wrote:
Honey... You are a mere child! There are some of us that have been in
the business for 40+ years. I missed the grandfather approach by 7 mo
- time that I didn't work moving from place to place with my military
ex-husband.
But I did finally get the degree and do the exam. But we're still
around. And I'll probably be working till I'm 100!!! J:>)
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
Thomas Jasper
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 15:16
To: Feher, Stephen
Cc: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?
Hi Steve,
I've got no statistics to offer you...just an observation. I would
say that finding an HTL, without a Bachelor's degree is akin to the
proverbial needle in a haystack. Anyone that obtained their HTL,
if/when they could be grandfathered in, is likely to be retired or
close to it. First of all, most folks that went the OJT route for
certification were eligible to sit for the HT only (to my knowledge).
I've never met anyone with an HTL that did not have a Bachelor's as a
pre-requisite. I've been doing histology for ~25 years. I've met
people from all over the country and various parts of the world.
Truth is there isn't an abundance of HTLs out there. Unlike the
Medical Lab world, with the basic differences between MTs and MLTs,
anatomic path does not exactly mirror that with the HTL and HT. It's
true the MT and HTL both require a Bachelor's, but responsibilities in
most labs, etc., generally do not hinge on someone being an HT vs. an HTL.
A person like myself is probably more common (Bachelor's and an HT).
Unless you know of someone in particular; that you want to hire, with
an HTL without a Bachelor's, I wouldn't waste time trying to justify
it. I guess the bottom line is if you want an HTL, that person will
almost assuredly have a Bachelor's. If you want to hire someone
without a Bachelor's that is certified (HT) you'll have better luck.
I think having an HTL is a great thing. I honestly have never pursued
it (though eligible) as the circumstances of my career would not have
rewarded me for doing so. As a matter of fact some employers may look
at it as an over-qualification, or at least no justification for
better pay, perks or responsibility. Again, no slam to HTLs just the
way things are, at least in my experience.
If you want to hire people without a Bachelor's I would definitely
pursue HTs. HTs have been doing a great deal of very good work for
years in this field. And it sounds like you're viewing the Bachelor's
thing as limiting factor more than the HTL itself.
Good luck,
Tom Jasper
Thomas Jasper HT (ASCP) BAS
Histology Supervisor
Central Oregon Regional Pathology Services Bend, Oregon 97701
541/693-2677
tjas...@copc.net
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Feher,
Stephen
Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 9:12 AM
To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?
I'm trying to find some solid statistics to justify being able to hire
HTL (ASCP) candidates who do not have a Bachelor's degree. I am
contending that requiring the candidate to have a Bachelor's degree
will eliminate a substantial number of very qualified people. Does
anyone have any solid references to support my position.
Thanks,
Steve
Stephen A. Feher, MS, SCT (ASCP)
Pathology Supervisor
Catholic Medical Center
100 McGregor Street
Manchester, NH 03102
603-663-6707
sfe...@cmc-nh.org <mailto:sfe...@cmc-nh.org>
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