[Histonet] Exam Prep Info/Guidance/Suggestions

[joelle weaver]

LynI compliment you on your organized approach. I did not take the exam "recently", I am old now! But as part of my previous job I spent a lot of time analyzing the content and exam topics for the HT exam. If you look at both outlines (HT and HTL) you will see that they cover a broad scope of histotechnology. Many people assume that it is mostly "routine" histology, but in fact they throw some obscure things in there and some histology speciality practices, and my understanding from a teleconference on the topic from the exam preparers and working with ASCP and NAACLS,  is that they want to encompass the full spectrum of possible environments where histologists may work.There are key differences between clinical and research environments, but the basic histology theory is the same, just practices and emphasis differences. This makes sense if you think about their purpose(s). So if you understand the fundamentals you should be able to move easily between the environments and I believe that is what they are going for.Anyhow, I think that the newest Carson edition is good, but my personal feeling is that it is quite heavy on the very routine and most common special stains only, and though it is much better than the previous ones ( which I felt were very superficial), it is still mostly routine since it is meant to be an introductory text. I recommend the Sheehan and Hrapchak text for studying the less common special stains, if you can utilize this for the underlying chemistry and theory. Though bear in mind that this text is quite old now and some techniques presented are pretty outdated, but you can get the theory from it. It is not as "reader" friendly, and less pictures, mostly diagrams if any, but the chemistry is laid out pretty well in my opinion, though you have to dig around a bit.  My advice to people has always been to make some attempt to understand the underlying chemistry so that you are not trying to memorize stains. They can be grouped according to chemical interaction and target tissue element for study purposes. Then you will not be thrown off by "modifications" and variations so much for histochemical stains.  I organized it this way when I taught chemistry of stains and this seems to help people digest the information without getting overwhelmed by all the stains out there. The web is good these days for providing practice images and gets you used to seeming them on a monitor- though there is no replacement for spending time at the microscope.  I think being strong in tissue identification also helps immensly for both HC and IHC staining, so any time you spend with that at the scope is great in my opinion.  The BOR study guide is good to get you used to the wording and presentation of the questions that are used ( being retired or not used exam questions), and gives you some idea of the scope of the content. The more difficult questions are marked with an * in the guide, and they represent the type and level of questioning on the HTL. Also that exam is more heavy on the application, troubleshooting and synthesis. There are some operations questions on there as well that do not appear on the HT exam. I like the CAP website for information for background on compliance and higher level functions. The NSH study materials I also feel are very helpful for content review, and available from their website.Here are some other good resources on the web that I think make for a good review: Tissue IDhttp://www.lumen.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/Histo/frames/histo_frames.htmlhttp://www.siumed.edu/~dking2/index.htmSpecialshttp://stainsfile.info/StainsFile/jindex.html

Joelle Weaver MAOM, BA, (HTL) ASCP
 
http://www.linkedin.com/in/joelleweaver

 > From: LStadler <@t> cbiolabs.com
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:50:41 +0000
> Subject: [Histonet] Exam Prep Info/Guidance/Suggestions
> 
> All ~
> 
> I am about to begin preparing for the HTL certification exam.  (I supposse it is only fair to mention that this is will be my second attempt.  My first exam taken last month with a score of 382 out of a minimum passing score of 400).
> 
> As a "research" Histology Technician, a good majority of the material covered on the exam was new to me.  My prep for the first exam was to read "Histotechnology, A Self-Instructional Text, 3rd Edtion" by Carson and Hladik and then answer a lot of "practice questions" from the Board of Registry Second Edition Practice Questions book.  I focused mostly on the special staining info and images because of the high concentration of questions on the exam as well as my limited professionnal exposure to these...unfortunately, it was still the area i did most poorly in on the exam.
> 
> In order to go a little more in depth the second time around, my plan is to is to re-read each chapter ( of Carson), then assess my knowledge by being sure I can do each of the "Chapter Objectives" and then answer the questions in the self-assessement workbook, then answer the questions on that particular chapter topic from the Seond Edition of the Board of Registry Study Guide, Practice Questions for the Histotechnology Exams (The Purple Book).  I have other textbooks at my disposal, but as a mostly visual learner, I find Carson's approach to best get the information into my brain!  Again, once I feel comfortable with all the basic knowledge, I would focus mostly on staining.
> 
> Specifically, I would like feedback from anyone who has recently passed the exam about my approach, and suggestions for other ideas.  Also, I have very limited CAP/Joint Comission type knowlege and wonder if anyone can offer a resource for "basics" for someone like me in research who is not presented with the info and regulations on a daily basis!  Also, any suggestions for images online of special stains would be a great resource for me.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any and all info!
> 
> Lyn
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
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