Getting Trained

For more than thirty years, histology technicians were trained on the job. Since then, many have remained in those positions, working in research laboratories, hospitals, and private research settings. However, the average age of the majority of histology technicians is 52 years. This is great news for up and coming technologists and technicians, especially that leadership roles will soon be vacated.

Recent federal and state ordinances related to the healthcare industry have made employment standards for technologists and technicians more stringent than ever before. Now, to become employed in this field, one must be trained and licensed before being eligible for employment. It's important to research the various institutions who offer education and training for histotechnology. There are very few accredited institutions which offer the level of quality training which most employers desire. Check the website of the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

組織学、組織学の技術者、ミクロトーム、ティッシュの汚れ  histologia, técnico da histologia, microtome, mancha do tecido 組織學，組織學技術員，切片機，組織汙點 histologie, histologietechnicus, microtome, weefselvlek histologie, technicien d'histologie, microtome, tache de tissu Gewebelehre, Gewebelehretechniker, Mikrotom, Gewebefleck ιστολογία, τεχνικός ιστολογίας, microtome, λεκές ιστού istologia, tecnico di istologia, microtomo, macchia del tessuto 조직학, 조직학 기술공, 마이크로톰, 조직 얼룩 гистология, техник гистологии, микротом, пятно ткани histología, técnico de la histología, microtoma, mancha del tejido

Career Objective

The Histotechnolgist (also known as Histology Technician, Histologic Tech, HT, HTL, Medical Technologist, Medical Lab Tech, etc) is the link between the surgeon or medical staff who obtains tissue from a patient which is to be analyzed, and the pathologist who interprets the diagnosis of the patient. The tissue may come from a living or post-mortem patient and may be the size of a fingernail clipping to the size of a small child (i.e. some samples of overgrown cysts are very large).

It is important to know the difference between a Histotechnician and a Histotechnologist (generally technician vs. technologist). A technologist (Histotechnologist) holds a Bachelor of Science degree in addition to certification by formal training. The technician-level scientist may hold only hold an associate's degree or have received training by an informal process such as on-the-job training. Most importantly, a technologist is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). This is the highest level of certification for a medical lab scientist, including histotechnologists.

These professionals provide the scientific processing of tissue which makes it possible for a pathologist to see the presence or absence of disease or other clinical dysfunction.