[Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm?

[Rogerson Kemlo (ELHT) Pathology]

Thank you for that; what you say is very interesting and I agree with a
lot of it. Interestingly, whether it's because it's Holiday time, no-one
from the UK has answered my implied question. Are we overqualified in
the UK to be 'HistoTechs'; even more contentious, what is the role of
the Medical Laboratory assistant (Higher or even Associate
Practitioner)? Are they US Histotechs in disguise? Do we (Biomedical
Scientists) therefore, not exist in the US, and why not? 

Kemlo Rogerson MSc MIBiol CBiol CSci DMS FIBMS

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From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
mtitford <@t> aol.com
Sent: 05 August 2005 17:59
To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: [Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm?

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
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