[Histonet] Online HT program graduates: How'd you do it? Questions from a future student

[Katie Gustafson]

Hello!

I have a couple of questions for those of you who obtained your HT
education through an online program. I am in the San Francisco Bay
Area, and I am really interested in becoming an HT. There are no HT
programs nearby (except for Kaiser employees, I believe). I plan to
enroll in an online program after I obtain work as a lab assistant
(I'll complete a phlebotomy program in a week or so). Here's what I'm
curious about:

1. Did you seek out your first lab position with the intention of
becoming an HT, or was the idea of becoming an HT something that
didn't come up for you until after you began working in a lab? If you
sought out your first position with the intention of becoming an HT,
how did you determine that your employer would support your pursuit of
an HT certification?

2. What sort of impact, if any, is there on the lab's productivity
when an employee pursues an HT education after work hours, with the
help of the lab's equipment and the expertise of the in-house HT?

3. How much lab experience (i.e., # of months?) would you recommend
before pursuing an online HT program?

Thank you so much everybody, and have a great weekend!
Katie