[Histonet] Histonet Vacancies
Cheri Miller
cmiller <@t> physlab.com
Thu Apr 10 12:18:18 CDT 2008
I agree, its very clever! I have saved it to share with my department!
Cheryl Miller HT (ASCP)
Histology Supervisor
Physicians Laboratory,P.C.
Omaha, Ne.
402 738 5052
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Morken, Tim
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 10:37 AM
To: Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Histonet Vacancies
Patty, Thanks for the link to the new program. And the histology "DSI"
game on the site is brilliant!!
Tim Morken
-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Patti
Loykasek
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 7:41 AM
To: Dan Dan; Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Histonet Vacancies
Well said, Dan. I do have one small caveat, there is a new school in the
Northwest, Tacoma WA area. It is at Clover Park Technical College. Check
it out at www.cptc.edu. The area histotechs have been quite supportive,
and I think the program is off to a great start.
Patti Loykasek BS, HTL, QIHC
PhenoPath Laboratories
Seattle, WA
> I'll add my two-cents worth. It's hard to believe that after 25 years
> in this business that the histotech "shortage" situation is pretty
> much the same as it was long ago. There have certainly been
> improvements in education and training of people in histology, but for
> the most part (99%??) people just fall into histology rather than pick
> it at some point in school. In fact, it is a very rare day when I meet
> someone who went to school for histotechnology, At this date there is
> still only one school on the west coast, and it is not the same school
that existed for a while in Seattle!
> The new one is in southern california. I looked into starting a
> histotechnology course here in the SF Bay Area, but it takes a long
> while with lots of justification and scrounging for equipment and if I
> wanted to do it full time the pay would be half as much as I make now.
> I could do it part time but then I'd be working 60-70 hours a week
> rather than 50 I do now. For the time being I give presentations to
> the local junior colleges. I may expand that to high schools. I know
> they are interested in getting speakers, but finding the time...
>
> I work in the biotech field as an IHC lab manger. We don't require
> HT/HTL/QIHC (though would love to have them!)but it is still very
> difficult to get experienced histotechs and nearly impossible to get
> experienced IHC techs around here. Most of the people I interview are
> from the research field who may have done some IHC at some point. And
> the ones who have good IHC experience are making very high salaries
> that our company gags at matching. It is not possible to recruit out
> of the Bay Area because the cost of housing is so high that no one
> that is not already living here can afford to move here. Even getting
> someone from southern cal is difficult - justifiying relocation
> expenses is difficult. It is kind of a joke that the experienced IHC
> techs know each other and spend their careers trading places at the
> varioius companies. Anthony is quite right that it takes a lot of
effort to educate HR and upper management about the need for higher pay.
> They really have a hard time justifying the same pay for a
> technologist that a new PhD will also make.
>
> On top of that we have loads of (legal) immigrants from Asia here and
> they are quite willing to work for lower pay to get a start. It is
> very common to have PhD level people, and even immigrant MD's (who
> can't get board certified here, mainly due to lanquage difficulties)
working as lab techs.
> Who is going to hire a AA/BS histotech when they can get a PhD who is
> happy to do the work and able to contribute to R&D at a higher level
> than most techs?
>
> There is a huge disparity between what hospitals and private
> diagnostic labs pay. The local Kaiser labs and Univeristy hospital
> labs pay in the $35 per hour range for basic histology. Senior IHC
> techs are in the $45 range. Those places have unions which is why the
> pay is so high. On the other hand, private labs will pay
> experieinced,certified people almost that much, but new, inexperienced
> people may be paid $15-20/hr and the lab is not willing to help them
> get to their HT/HTL because they don't want to pay them more, and
> could lose them to the hospitals once trained. This is not speculation
> but things I have had told to me first hand from techs who work in
these places.
>
> It is a little harder now for histotechs to be trained on the job due
> to the AA requirement. Most OJT people I have met were working in the
> hospital at some other job - lab assisant, dishwasher, etc before
> getting (accidently) into histology. A person working on an AA is
> probably not working in those jobs and probably does not even know a
histology lab exists.
>
> Obviously the need is to get exposure for histotechnology. The NSH
> makes brochures and videos available and does a career day for high
> schools students at the national meeting every year (I've helped at
> those). This is a good foundation. But it will really take every state
> society and every interested histotech to do SOMETHING to promote the
> field. Science teachers at high schools are very interested in having
> working people come in to talk about a field. If someone in every city
> could do that it would go a long way towards promoting the field.
> Maybe the key is to have NSH come up with a standardised presentation
> that anyone can give along with some props to make it a tactile
experience.
>
> But, after the promotion you have to realize that it takes a huge
> amount of initiative on the students part to follow through. They have
> to start work on, or finish, an AA /BS degree, make contact with a lab
> that is interested in training people, get the position, do on-the-job
> (maybe at the same time as school) and THEN work on learning the
> matieral for an HT/HTL pretty much alone. Their facing a 3 to 4 year
> process. Longer if they get a bachelors degree. Key is finding labs to
training that value HT/HTL certification.
> Starting HT/HTL study groups would be a good way to get people
motivated.
> This is the kind of thing a state society can do. Individuals can to
> it as well, but it helps to have a group for motivation.
>
> Of course, that is why it has not happened - it depends too much on a
> few super-motivated individuals. The schools don't hear of a demand
> and so do not have programs. No programs means students never hear
> about it. Since students don't hear about it they can't even consider
it. A vicious circle.
>
> Imagine if the schools had students asking about courses leading to
> histotech certification or at least a chance at a job that leads to
> certification. That gets the schools attention. Junior colleges
> especially are very interested in providing trained people to the
> local job market. For them jobs = program justification.
>
> Think about it.
>
> Dan in Danville (a pseudonom to allow free speech)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear Pam:
>
> For a long time histologists have gotten the short end of the stick. I
> believe that the current situation is a symptom of the problem and is
> due to a history of underpayment.
>
> We cannot solve the problem by artificial means. This country is based
> on the free market system. We must work with the system not against
> it, but first we must clearly understand the problem: Not enough
> techs, increasing barriers to entry into the profession, lack of
> visibility, no central planning to fix or even research the problem.
>
> We need to work to bring up the wages of HTs all across the country.
> If we do this, we will bring Histology to the attention of people in
> education at the moment.
>
> We can only get out of it by concentrating on increasing the number of
> facilities that are prepared to take on new graduates and spend the
> time to get their practical skills up to speed.
>
> I think you are doing a valuable job bringing this situation back to
> the surface. We need to keep the momentum up and not let it die on the
> vine of this valuable forum as a forgotten conversation. So, I ask my
> peers: What can we do to address this situation in an organized,
> effective manner? Who in our profession is responsible for being our
cheerleader?
>
> Finally, Pam, I want to say for myself that I encourage all
conversation.
>
> I will never be offended by a question, and I will always try to
> answer questions in a way that remembers there is a person behind it.
> No flame retardant needed here.
>
> I make my money from placing people on a temporary and permanent
basis.
>
> I am also a Histologist first and foremost and believe that patient
> safety is number one and understaffed laboratories experience more
mistakes.
>
> Keep up the good work, Pam.
>
> All my best,
>
> Anthony Williams BSc. HT
>
> Histotech Exchange LLC
>
> 19 Whitmore St.
>
> Lexington, VA 24450
>
> T 1 (302) 383 9780
>
> F 1 (540) 463 3583
>
> anthony <@t> histotechexchange.com
>
>> I know this is a problem that has plagued facilities for years and I
>
>> too have noticed a change in the past 2 years. Yes, the histology
>
>> programs nationwide produce a great albeit small group of talented
>
>> people every year but the pool of available histo techs for permanent
>
>> positions has shrunk even more in recent years. At the risk of being
>
>> "flamed" by travel companies I have to say that you are losing alot
>> of
>
>> techs to travel positions. In the past 2 years of all of the histo
>
>> techs I have had contact with over half only want to work in
>> permanent
>
>> positions the rest either want to continue as travelers or become
>
>> travelers. Think about it... they get a higher rate of pay, benefits
>
>> and living expenses paid for. For these people it is a "better deal"
>
>> than committing to one facility. As a matter of fact it is a "better
>
>> deal" than a temp/travel position in any other field outside of
>
>> healthcare. Facilities who take the "quick solution" of hiring travel
>
>> techs are contributing to the shortage. May I offer some solutions?
>> Some
> creative hiring strategies?
>
>>
>
>> Here are some ideas I would like to share:
>
>> 1. If you are using travel techs do it with a temp to perm clause -
>
>> but be firm. If a tech works for you as a temp make sure they are at
>
>> least considering converting to a permanent employee at the end of
>> the
>
>> contract. If not don't extend, have your travel company send someone
>
>> else who would consider converting to a permanent position. And make
>
>> questions about their intentions part of your interview process the
>
>> same as you would if you were interviewing a candidate from out of
>
>> state for a permanent position.
>
>>
>
>> 2. Human Resources - Many of your allied health recruiters don't seem
>
>> to realize that histo techs don't grow on trees. So many times I see
>
>> facilities lose great techs because the hiring process has dragged
>> out
>
>> and the candidate ends up taking a position with a facility that can
>
>> move faster. Stay on top of your hr people especially once you know
>
>> they have a histology candidate.
>
>>
>
>> 3. How about techs from Canada? There are alot of talented techs in
>
>> Canada that are interested in moving to the states and the process is
>
>> relatively easy due to NAFTA and the F1 visa.
>
>>
>
>> 4. How about techs that need sponsorship on an H-1 visa? I know alot
>
>> of companies shy away from this alternative because of the length of
>
>> time it can take to process a visa application but I think that if
>> you
>
>> take a look at the time it takes to find a tech at all against the
>
>> time it would take to process an H-1 visa it is quickly becoming 6 of
>> one
> vs.
>
>> half dozen of another. I mean what difference does it make if it
>
>> takes up to 8 weeks to process an H-1 visa vs. 2-3 months to identify
>
>> a histology candidate?
>
>>
>
>> Your best bet is to get with your Human Resources department and
>
>> strategize, educate them on the challenges and shortages you are
facing.
>
>> Discuss some of these options or others you might come up with.
>
>> I hope this helps!!
>
>>
>
>> Thank You!
>
>>
>
>>
>
>> Pam Barker
>
>> President
>
>> RELIA
>
>> Specialists in Allied Healthcare Recruiting
>
>> 5703 Red Bug Lake Road #330
>
>> Winter Springs, FL 32708-4969
>
>> Phone: (407)657-2027
>
>> Cell: (407)353-5070
>
>> FAX: (407)678-2788
>
>> E-mail: relia1 <@t> earthlink.net
>
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