[Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?

Tue Jul 14 16:37:13 CDT 2009

I wouldn't say that histology is a dead end job, I mean, I jumped to a PA 
and I know that I couldn't have passed that exam without my histology 
experience. The idea of adding an HTL category was initially a good one. 
Trying to bring us up to the MT and CT levels, but honestly, I think it fell 
short. Even after I received my BS, people asked me if I was going for my 
HTL. I told them no because I saw no benefit from it. At that time, I felt 
that if I couldn't get hired as a supervisor with a BS and 20 years 
experience, with 12 as a supervisor, I wasn't going to get the job any way.
I'm not degrading HTLs by a long shot. I'm just saying for me, it wasn't 
worth it. After I retired from the Air Force, I was directly hired as a 
supervisor without the HTL. Just my three cents (inflation you know)

JTT
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Pathrm35 <@t> comcast.net>
To: "Michael Bradley" <jaustin1967 <@t> gmail.com>
Cc: <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?

Mike,

I couldn't agree with you more. I'm in the same position as you. In the 
Boston, Mass. area people are taken right off the street and work for a year 
as a lab assistant then promoted to a tech in training. Most have a hs 
diploma, no ambition and expect good pay for bad work and poor work ethic. I 
have been in the histology field for 20 years and don't consider it a 
profession or a career, just a job.

Ron Martin, BS, HTL (ASCP)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Bradley" <jaustin1967 <@t> gmail.com>
To: "Joyce Weems" <JWeems <@t> sjha.org>
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 4:50:27 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?

HI all

I am a rarity. I am an HTL with a Bachelors Degree. I got my HTL in the
early 90s and I guess I was misguided because I thought it would open more
doors for me than just an HT. I was sadly mistaken. After I passed my test
I waited 9 months for a raise and promotion (which was just a greater title)
and when I got my raise so did 2 other employees that didn't even have or
try for their certification. I spent many nights and weekends studying and
doing my stains for the test. I am proud of my accomplishments. It is a
shame that our industry does not reconize the difference between HT and
HTL. A few years back I was working as a traveling histotech and when I
tried to get a permanent position no one wanted to hire me because I was
over qualified by having over 15 years experience and a HTL certification.
I worked hard to no avail. The histology world doesn't look for well
qualified workers they look for cheap labor. I have heard more than one
pathologist state that "a monkey can do our job." I have also worked in a
lab where they would hire someone with a GED to cut slides. A career in
histology is for the most part a dead end and there is no future. As long
as our industry doesn't respect education and experience there will be less
and less histotechs and the quality of the slides will suffer which in turn
will bring down patient care.
Just my 2 cents.

MB proud HTL
On Tue, Jul 14, 2009 at 3:37 PM, Weems, Joyce <JWeems <@t> sjha.org> wrote:

>
> Honey... You are a mere child! There are some of us that have been in
> the business for 40+ years. I missed the grandfather approach by 7 mo -
> time that I didn't work moving from place to place with my military
> ex-husband.
>
> But I did finally get the degree and do the exam. But we're still
> around. And I'll probably be working till I'm 100!!! J:>)
>
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Thomas
> Jasper
> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 15:16
> To: Feher, Stephen
> Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: RE: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?
>
> Hi Steve,
>
> I've got no statistics to offer you...just an observation. I would say
> that finding an HTL, without a Bachelor's degree is akin to the
> proverbial needle in a haystack. Anyone that obtained their HTL,
> if/when they could be grandfathered in, is likely to be retired or close
> to it. First of all, most folks that went the OJT route for
> certification were eligible to sit for the HT only (to my knowledge).
> I've never met anyone with an HTL that did not have a Bachelor's as a
> pre-requisite. I've been doing histology for ~25 years. I've met
> people from all over the country and various parts of the world. Truth
> is there isn't an abundance of HTLs out there. Unlike the Medical Lab
> world, with the basic differences between MTs and MLTs, anatomic path
> does not exactly mirror that with the HTL and HT. It's true the MT and
> HTL both require a Bachelor's, but responsibilities in most labs, etc.,
> generally do not hinge on someone being an HT vs. an HTL.
>
> A person like myself is probably more common (Bachelor's and an HT).
> Unless you know of someone in particular; that you want to hire, with an
> HTL without a Bachelor's, I wouldn't waste time trying to justify it. I
> guess the bottom line is if you want an HTL, that person will almost
> assuredly have a Bachelor's. If you want to hire someone without a
> Bachelor's that is certified (HT) you'll have better luck. I think
> having an HTL is a great thing. I honestly have never pursued it
> (though eligible) as the circumstances of my career would not have
> rewarded me for doing so. As a matter of fact some employers may look
> at it as an over-qualification, or at least no justification for better
> pay, perks or responsibility. Again, no slam to HTLs just the way
> things are, at least in my experience.
>
> If you want to hire people without a Bachelor's I would definitely
> pursue HTs. HTs have been doing a great deal of very good work for
> years in this field. And it sounds like you're viewing the Bachelor's
> thing as limiting factor more than the HTL itself.
>
> Good luck,
> Tom Jasper
>
> Thomas Jasper HT (ASCP) BAS
> Histology Supervisor
> Central Oregon Regional Pathology Services Bend, Oregon 97701
> 541/693-2677
> tjasper <@t> copc.net
>
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Feher,
> Stephen
> Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 9:12 AM
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] What percent of HTL's do not have a BS degree?
>
> I'm trying to find some solid statistics to justify being able to hire
> HTL (ASCP) candidates who do not have a Bachelor's degree. I am
> contending that requiring the candidate to have a Bachelor's degree will
> eliminate a substantial number of very qualified people. Does anyone
> have any solid references to support my position.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
>
>
> Stephen A. Feher, MS, SCT (ASCP)
>
> Pathology Supervisor
>
> Catholic Medical Center
>
> 100 McGregor Street
>
> Manchester, NH 03102
>
> 603-663-6707
>
> sfeher <@t> cmc-nh.org <mailto:sfeher <@t> cmc-nh.org>
>
>
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