[Histonet] Re: Is anybody hiring techs without a certification?

[Robert Richmond]

I'm certainly glad that Yvette and I initiated such a spirited
discussion of the discouraging issue of certification in
histotechnology!

Pathologists must bear considerable blame here, for not taking a much
stronger stand in defense of the people who make the practice of
pathology possible. There are multiple issues, like the poor
background most pathologists have in histotechnology, but I think the
biggest problem has been the timidity of pathologists in addressing
the issue.

Since about 1980 the job market for pathologists in the USA has
fluctuated between bad and worse, and the result has been that a group
of physicians already self-selected for timidity has studied and
practiced in a culture of timidity. Pathologists are extraordinarily
reluctant to advocate anything that might endanger their employment.
Pathologists haven't stood up for themselves, let alone for anyone
else.

Pathologists' organizations, in particular the College of American
Pathologists, have not been very effective in addressing this issue.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN