[Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm?

[mtitford <@t> aol.com]

Rogerson Kemlo carries on the discussion about histotechnologist training.
 
In regards to hospital histology labs in the USA:
 
I don't want to start a firestorm of criticism here, but I think there is a real danger that in Great Britain those technologists performing in the histology laboratories may be over qualified.A few months ago here on the Histonet, someone in the U.K. was bemoaning the lack of histology technologists in the U.K., and how short staffed they were. Was that because the bar had been set too high? Was the level of education required too much for the compensation received? Has a "closed shop" (to use a union term!) in effect, been created?
Here in the United States there are hundreds of community type hospitals and smaller medical centers that have histology laboratories. In those laboratories work histotechnologists doing a fine job with a lot less education than a fully qualified histotechnologist in the U.K.. At the other end of the spectrum are histology laboratories here doing more advanced procedures where  degrees and extra training are required.
However, histotechnology training in the U.K. and USA are inherently different. When I lived in the U.K. years and years ago (and it may have changed now), all the hospitals were government owned, lab personnel got a day off each week with pay to attend IMLT classes, and the classes were free. To work in a hospital laboratory you had to be "State Registered".
In the USA hospitals are owned by all sorts of organizations. You don't get "day release" to attend classes. If you do attend classes, money has to come from somewhere to pay for it. Further you may live miles/hours from the nearest college where you can attend classes.Since the different organisations may be "for profit" or even "Non-profit", they want to save money by not paying too higher salaries. Most often they pay what other hospitals in the area pay for the same type work.
 The 50 states have different requirements for working in their hospital laboratories. 
Hospitals have coped with these differences by making histology laboratories a separate section of the laboratory, with technicians/technologists trained just to work in that lab.
I think a histotechnologist from the U.K. could easily find a position in the USA, but they might feel underappreciated and underpaid! (maybe even under challanged!)
Well, that's my two bits worth!
 
Mike Titford
USA Pathology
Mobile AL USA