[Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm?

[Bartlett, Jeanine]

I keep a supply of the brochures that can be purchased from NSH:  "The
Art and Science of Histotechnology, A Career to Consider". This brochure
will assist individuals in evaluating career opportunities as a
histotechnologist. 
One copy free. $8.00 postage/handling for quantities of 25.

I bought 6 of the packs of 25.

When my son was in high school I took some by and gave them to his
anatomy teacher to pass around.  I have taken them to career days in the
school as well.  If we all take a little time and a few dollars we can
help ourselves by spreading the word.

Jeanine Bartlett, HT(ASCP)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, MS/G-32
Atlanta, GA  30333
(404) 639-3590 



-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
mucram11 <@t> comcast.net
Sent: Monday, August 08, 2005 1:51 PM
To: Rittman, Barry R; histonet
Subject: RE: [Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm?

I agree wholehaeartedly with Barry.  We need better PR for the field as
most people have not idea what a histologist is, much less does what we
do.  The brief acknowledgements on the crime shows and CSI saying well
this is the histology reort or more often pathology report or send it to
histology or pathology will not get us any recoginition.  Everyone knows
blood and body fluids go to a laboratory for testing few know about
surgical specimens or what is done with them.

The pahologist are still happy to hire anyone who says they want to
learn histology and not worry about a degree because for too long we
have allowed it and ASCP (pathologist) were getting off cheap.  They
don't want to pay a going rate for a field we have not stood and fought
for in the past.  Education has remained the most important thing for
med tech and yet they are more automated today and less hands on than we
will ever be.  We need more schools and as Barry suggests even though we
all hate the word standarization we will only grow and get recognition
when the field is able to show we have testing and abilities we can
prove.  

No one wants to pay the same for a person who learned on the job as for
the person who has a degree.  I know many histologist who were OJT and
trust them with my specimens however, the times have changed and we need
to change to grow starting with NSH and the members coming up with ways
to let people know who we are and what we do.   Sorry if this steps on
some toes however my first years in histology were all OJT and I am
proud of what I learned and that I had the chance learn more over the
years.

Pam Marcum
-------------- Original message -------------- 

> The major problem with the situation in the USA re histotech that I 
> see ...
> There is a shortage of histotechs and instead of improving the salary 
> and career prospects many health organizations are hiring people who 
> are not trained and will work for much less, keeping the overall 
> salary base low. Cannot blame the people who are taking these jobs as 
> they have to have some work.
> This situation will not change unless we have some attitude changes in

> management and in the training that is available.
> I personally would prefer the NSH to have its own testing and its own 
> testing centers, for all histotechs at a certain level to have to be 
> certified and for all individuals below this level to be in formal 
> training programs. This requires some sort of standardization for 
> training and testing across the country. While I hate the thought of 
> the federal government being in charge of anything, I think that this 
> is the only way in which respect for the profession and salaries will
increase.
> Finally we have a big public relations gap. Very few members of the 
> general public have any idea what histotechs do.
> Barry
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Terry 
> Murphy
> Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2005 7:34 AM
> To: hawkmoon15 <@t> cox.net; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm? 
> 
> HI everyone
> 
> I feel the urge to join this discussion. I got into the field of 
> histology
> 15 years ago and enjoyed the work and the concepts. I wanted to move 
> up in the field ao I earned my HTL (ASCP) instead of the HT(ASCP) 
> since I have a Bachelor's degree in Biology. That didn't get me any 
> more respect or money.
> Still trying to improve my situation I earn a Master's degree in 
> Health Administration and I once again my employment has not improved.

> As a matter of fact my employment situation has gotten worse since I 
> earned a Master's degree. I had acheived a position as a supervisor 
> only to be "run out of the lab" by an arrogant PA and, I can only 
> assume, seasoned histotechs that fear change.
> 
> Any way now I have been working as a traveling histotech. The pay is 
> better than if I had a permanent job. The facility I am at now 
> recently hired a person to be trained as a tech. This new employee has

> a GED not a high school dipolma and he has no background in in science

> or medicine. He is doing good given his background but I find it kind 
> of a insult to educated techs like myself that that someone without 
> education or experience has been hired to do the same job that us 
> techs have studied extensively.
> 
> Now I am done traveling and am trying to get a histotech job close to 
> my
> 
> home town so I can live in my house and more importantly live with my 
> wife.
> I have applied for tech positions and either haven't heard from the 
> facility except for a rejection letter. When I can get a hold of a 
> hireing supervisor I have been told that "this is a entry level 
> position and it doesn't pay well", "you are overqualified", and, this 
> really surprised me, "your skill set will not go well in our 
> laboratory". Someone on this board mentioned about being "black 
> listed" I feel that I have now entered that
> 
> list. Most likely I have more education than the people that I would 
> be
> 
> reporting to and they probably feel threatened by me. Someone 
> suggested
> 
> that I "dumb down" my resume and exclude some education and my 
> publication but I do not like the idea of excluding accomplishments 
> that I am proud of.
> 
> Lastly, as for wages, histotechs are grossly underpaid while 
> Pathologist
> 
> Assistants are grossly overpaid!!!! 
> 
> Thanks for letting me vent. Sincerely,
> 
> Another fustrated histotech. 
> 
> >From: "Sarah Jones" 
> >To: 
> >Subject: Re: [Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm? 
> >Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 16:12:29 -0700
> > 
> >I have to remind you here, Diana, that you are speaking for yourself
> only
> >with your statement about "in NA we tend to stay put". That may be 
> >for
> 
> >some
> >people. However, I have found throughout my ~40 year career in 
> >Histotechnology (especially in the last half of it!!) the only way to
> get a
> >decent raise is to pack up and move on. Unfortunately, here in NA our

> >annual raises do not even keep up with the cost of living. In fact, 
> >it
> is
> >down-right terrible!! I have my HTL and got my CM recently, I am 
> >proud
> to
> >say. However, I haven't received any additional compensation for
> either,
> >and I doubt I ever will. (HTL for 24 yrs.)
> > 
> >Which brings up something else: The ASCP used to be the American
> Society
> >of
> >Clinical Pathologists. It is now the American Society of Clinical 
> >Pathology. What changed? I'm not sure. Does anyone know, except the 
> >'insiders', that is? I do have first-hand knowledge of what used to
> be. 
> >The Pathologists ran it, and they had a lot to do with where 
> >Histotechs sat -- low on the rung of the Pathology Laboratory ladder
for YEARS.
> The
> >Registry was in my home town in Muncie, Indiana, and my Mother was 
> >the secretary to the Registrar for many years. (This was all before 
> >it was centralized in Chicago. Prior to the relocation to Chicago, 
> >the
> Registry
> >was in the town where the Chairman of the Board was located. L. 
> >Montgomery,
> >M.D., was the Chairman of the Board for ~30 years that I know of, and
> thus
> >was the Registry located in Muncie.) There are other things I could
> tell
> >you; but I was sworn to secrecy years ago, and I will honor that
> pledge. 
> >Suffice it to say, the Pathologists wanted to keep the salaries of 
> >the Histotechs down, and did everything in their power to do so. 
> >'Nuff
> said! 
> > 
> >When I started into the field of Histotechnology at the University of

> >Chicago back in 1965, the Techies associated with the ASCP were 
> >trying
> to
> >change the requirements for Histotechs, but to no avail. Not until
> January
> >of 2005 did the change they were attempting to accomplish way back 
> >then prevail. I didn't really understand what was happening then, but
> today I
> >do. There are MANY places here in the USA (where there is a severe 
> >shortage of Histotechs) where they will still hire techs that are not

> >licensed.
> In
> >fact, there are places where a licensed Histologic Technician OR a
> licensed
> >Histotechnologist are black-listed by the other techs--most likely in
> fear
> >that their own incompetence might be discovered! 
> > 
> >The cost of living in certain areas of the country are no longer 
> >taken
> into
> >consideration in the way they were in the past when it comes to 
> >hiring techs. That also saddens me. How is it that they think I can 
> >live in
> the
> >most expensive county in California that pays the lowest wages of any

> >county in California?? That is craziness in my book!!!! Yet they 
> >wonder why
> they
> >cannot find good Histotechs here in this county! GO FIGURE!! 
> > 
> >Anyway, I could go on and on, but I won't. Hope this sheds some light
> on
> >some things for some folks. Please address any personal questions to:

> >hawkmoon15 <@t> cox.net
> > 
> >Sarah
> > 
> > 
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Diana McCaig" 
> >To: 
> >Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 10:41 AM
> >Subject: RE: [Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm? 
> > 
> > 
> > > 
> > > What are you all using to compare the wage scales. Biomedical
> >scientists
> >do
> > > not get paid as well as we do in North America if you factor in
> their
> >cost
> > > of living. I understand there is a recent trend to increase the
> wages
> >in
> > > order to keep them on board as there is a lot of migration to
> various
> >labs
> > > throughout a career where in NA we tend to stay put. 
> > > Diana McCaig, MLT
> > > 
> > > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Larry Woody [SMTP:slappycraw <@t> yahoo.com]
> > > Sent: Friday, August 05, 2005 1:35 PM
> > > To: mtitford <@t> aol.com; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> > > Subject: Re: [Histonet] "Brit" Hitotech/Firestorm? 
> > > 
> > > You may want to try some of the big biotech companies where there 
> > > is a need for people with more skills in the lab and the 
> > > compensation
> can
> >be
> > > better than a medical lab. 
> > > 
> > > mtitford <@t> aol.com wrote: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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> > > Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
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> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
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