I'd like to wade into this discuss with a couple of comments:
LABS WANTING ONLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES AND/OR NON-CERTIFIED "HISTOTECHS":
Yes, I'm still hearing about places like this. When I talk with the
supervisors, it's because the lab wants the person doing the "histotech"
job, but they only want to pay them at "lab assistant" wages. Plus, once
they get the people trained as "histotechs", the employees can't go
elsewhere, because the other labs only want certified histotech, and these
people can't get certified as they don't have the associate degree and
minimum 12 hours of biology and chemistry combined as required to take the
ASCP HT exam. So these people end up having to stay there. (Personally, I
think is very unfair to the employees they hire.)
LABS NOT KNOWING ABOUT THE CHANGES IN HT REQUIREMENTS:
Even though the High School route was dropped as of Jan 1, 2005 (over 7
years ago), I still get emails from labs that want to hire one of my
students, but their job description says high school diploma. I usually call
these places up, and the histology supervisor had no idea the ASCP HT high
school route was dropped. "Someone" should have told them. Even though it
was in every "NSH in Action" for the 5 years previous (that's now over 12
years ago), in some ASCP publications each year for the 5 years previous,
and on both the NSH and ASCP webpage for the 5 years previous, well, since
they aren't NSH or ASCP members, well, "someone" still should have contacted
them directly and let them know. Sigh.
I've had employees call that they were hired after the 2005 deadline, with
the job description of high school graduate requirement, and were told they
had 2 years to get the experience required, and then they had 1 additional
year in which to take and pass the HT exam. And when they went to sign up to
take the HT exam, they discovered that the HT exam requirements had dropped
the high school route and now the on-the-job (OJT) requires the associate
degree/60 credit hours with 12 credits of bio/chem, which of course they
don't have. They tell me that their histology supervisor says they are going
to fire them, because they can't take the ASCP HT Exam. I end up talking
with the supervisor, and advise them to talk with their HR and Legal
departments, as they are the ones who advertised the high school
requirement, and they are the ones who hired this person without the needed
education. And I suggest they help with person complete an on-line NAACLS HT
program, several of which will take someone with the high school diploma, as
long as they had a biology, a chemistry, and a math class in high school.
NAACLS STUDENTS TAKING THE HT (OR HTL) ASCP EXAM:
NAACLS is the accrediting agency for HT and HTL programs. (Think CAP, but
for most lab training programs.) NAACLS has a long list of standards for
programs to follow. (Think CAP checklist.)
Standard 14 G has a statement "The granting of the degree or certificate
must not be contingent upon the student's passing any type of external
certification or licensure examination."
(Explanation: Not all HT programs end in an associate degree. The
certificate refers to a certificate of completion of a program. My program,
for example, is hospital-based. Some students already have their degree
before they start my program. Some have all the college credits except for
the ones they are earning while completing the internship, then they earn
their degree from the college when they complete the internship and get the
grade for those last credit hours. The hospital doesn't grant the degree,
the college does. The hospital program grants a certificate of completion of
the program, which is acceptable to NAACLS, ASCP, and employers.)
As NAACLS accredited HT or HTL programs, we can encourage our students to
take the HT/HTL exam upon completion of the program. We can do review
sessions with them. We can remind them of the deadlines to sign up. We can
help them sign up if they are having problems. We can let them know that
labs in our area expect people to be certified. We can let them know that
they can sign up while still in the program (couple of months before
graduation), and they can, before they graduate, pick a date to take the
exam after graduation. We can tell them that these dates to take the exams
can be put on their resume, on the application, and that they can inform the
supervisor during the interview that they are already signed up to take the
HT/HTL exam.
But we can NOT "make" the student take the exam. Completion of the program
cannot be contingent upon taking or passing the HT/HTL exam (or getting
state licensure). The program could lose NAACLS accreditation if we force
the student to take the HT/HTL/state licensure exam, or withhold their
degree or certificate until they do take/pass the HT/HTL exam/become state
licensed.
Thanks for "listening".
Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
Program Director, Schools of Histotechnology
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073
(The opinions expressed are my own, and do not represent Beaumont Hospital.)
-----Original Message-----
From: joelle weaver
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 12:41 PM
To: tpodawi...@lrgh.org
Cc: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] (no subject)
TomI compliment your approach, and I personally really like to see when
employers do this. I think it provides opportunity, yet incentive. Two years
seems especially reasonable. Most places that I have known who use this
method for new-grad hires, have allowed 1 year. It is even better when they
provide additional training and support to the person as they are preparing.
Having been involved in an online program and clinical curricula in the
past, I feel from my observations that continuity with work in the
environment is essential for most in connecting the theory with execution.
Joelle Weaver MAOM, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
From: tpodawi...@lrgh.org
To: joellewea...@hotmail.com; sherrian.mc...@va.gov;
histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 10:45:52 -0400
Subject: RE: [Histonet] (no subject)
The last person I hired for a tech position, was just finishing her
on-line program. I helped her complete that and then she was given two
years to get her certification. This was all part of her hiring agreement,
so she knew this coming in and completely understood that failing to
achieve either one would affect her employment.
Tom Podawiltz HT (ASCP)
Histology Section Head/Laboratory Safety Officer.
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-boun...@lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of joelle
weaver
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 1:43 PM
To: sherrian.mc...@va.gov; histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] (no subject)
That seems to be the unfortunate situation at this time...
Joelle Weaver MAOM, HTL (ASCP) QIHC
> Date: Tue, 22 May 2012 12:39:39 -0500
> From: sherrian.mc...@va.gov
> To: histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] (no subject)
>
> I agree and would like to add. This is one scenario that I have seen
> many times, where hospitals or wherever will hire histotechs without
> certifications . I am thinking that saves them money and they still
> have a "histotech". I have seen good histotechs that have no
> certification and likewise some bad ones with certification. Lately I
> have seen these schools turn out histotechs , it seems with little
> encouragement to get certified. If places will hire them without being
> certified, there seems little incentive (unless you are self motivated
> for more money) to move on up to certification.
>
>
>
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