[Histonet] Re:peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical

[Jon Krupp]

On Aug 31, 2011, at 9:01 AM, Pam Marcum wrote:

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> I have followed this for a while and was wondering why no one is bringing up the lack of Histology Schools and the small number of graduates they can produce per year as an issue.  Online is fine if you have a lab to work in.  However; one of the people no longer at this facility simply did his book work and an HT then offered himself as just that. He never cut a section or did a stain yet he passed so it is possible. 
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> Many of us are training OJTs again due to the lack of available people and the in our case the starting salary is low.  It is said it is because we are not required to complete a BS for an HT only the HTL .  It means we are doing as much as we can to train someone in only one lab with the small amount of time an understaffed Histology Laboratory has yet still have the best training for the field.  We are not recognized fully as Laboratory Professionals yet so it is not really getting any better than it was years ago.  Now we require a 2 year degree for education in science and not much help from the organizations that rule us beyond pay more money.  Many of us are not able to go to meetings ( especially NSH ) due to costs to us personally as the hospitals and Universities are not paying for travel and very little for educational help.  



I may be coming late to this discussion, but I thought I would add my ideas.

First, like many of you, I am amazed that an HT can be 'certified' without demonstrating practical ability as part of the process. Maybe if there is some OTJ training and experience that is verified it could work, but I am hearing that that is not a requirement.

So, why are the educational opportunities for HT types limited? I can only share my experience here at Delta, a community college in California's central valley. We have lots of students desperate for a job. Many of them might be willing to give HT a try, but its not in the cards for now.

I am part of an EM training program, we turn out skilled and competent electron microscopists. Many of the skills the EM students learn could easily be applied to HT. We have all the equipment for fixing, infiltrating, sectioning and staining. All I would need to turn out a few HT each year is the overhead to get the students signed off for their certificate. So why don't I do this?

There are several reasons. Most important these days, we, the college, have no money to fund new programs. I have been told I must have a minimum of 20 students in a class to offer it. Getting 20 students into HT classes would be hard here, especially at this time and given the limited opportunities locally for any clinical or OTJ training to round out the curriculum.

America Mastertech is located close by, and they have generously offered to help out, but it is impossible to get a program off the ground in the current fiscal situation in California. I would be happy to make some contribution to the training of HT's, but it's not going to happen until a number of things change.

Jon

Jonathan Krupp
Delta College
5151Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA  95207
209-954-5284
jkrupp <@t> deltacollege.edu