Why Should I be a Histotechnologist?

I got into Histology by way of military training. I had just graduated from college and wasn't sure what I wanted to do so I was exploring medical jobs the military trained you for. I knew I wanted to work in the medical field but I was looking for a skill that had practical real word applications so I did some homework and found Histotechnology. After graduating from Histology school I was assigned to work in a large military hospital. After about six months in the hospital I was transferred to the Research Division and 9 years later I am still working in research learning something new every day.

I have always had an interest in learning science and practically applying that knowledge to produce something. The field of Histotechnology has allowed me an opportunity to work with specimens ranging from human tissue to lobster claws. This field is growing exponentially and wherever your science interests lie there's probably a job in Histotechnology that can fulfill that for you.

I finished college at the Univeristy of Arizona (UA) and graudated with a BA in English and a minor in Anthropology. My professional career after college began at Sunquest Information Systems (now Misys Healthcare Systems) where I wrote and produced online and print media for general laboratory, blood bank, and mircrobiology laboratory software products. My interest in histotechnology comes from my love of anatomy and anthropology. When I wasn't writing for Misys, I was volunteering on excavations for Desert Archaeology in Tucson or attending forensics smeinars through the UA Extended University. I screened dirt and picked through debris all over the Tucson basin and I was lucky enough to see the result at the archaeology laboratory: pottery shards, bone, glassware, and broken china. When my career at Misys ended with a company restructuring, I decided I wanted to stay in healthcare. I am channeling my interests in anatomy and anthropology into an Associates of Applied Science degree in Histotechnology at Pima Community College.

In the early 80's, I worked full time as an evening shift phlebotomist at Rose Memorial Hospital, in Denver, Colorado. I was a Biology/Chemistry student at Metropolitan State College during the day. I had a wonderful Histology professor. The first day of class, he told us to bring colored pencils to our next session and informed us we would learn the different structures by drawing them. The complaints flew. “I can‟t draw,” a number of us wailed. He said, “That‟s okay. After this semester, you‟ll be able to.” In fact, by the end of the first 4 hour lab, we were drawing fairly good representations of the 10 or so samples he‟d place on microscope stages, for each lab. He‟d turn on some light instrumental jazz, turn off the harsh institutional overhead lights, and we‟d draw with just the natural day light pouring in from the windows. The room was a respite from the noisy, busy world around us. About a year before graduation, I started paying attention to the question, “What will you do when you graduate?” Looking around the hospital for an answer, I felt a little bit like Goldilocks. “Nursing?” No, that chair didn‟t feel right. “Physician?” Nope, that bed wasn‟t just right. “R.T., P.T., X-Ray, M.T.?” No, no, no and no. Then I stumbled across the Histology lab. I immediately fell in love with the small, 3 person lab. I loved the hands-on mix of science, craftsmanship, and artistry involved in creating the beautifully stained slides. I asked them if they could use a volunteer between my morning classes and my evening shift. First, they let me do the H&E staining. Of course, it was all manual, then. Dip, dip, dip. Answering the insistent call of multiple timers, it was a great fit for my sense of precision. Then, they taught me how to cut Autopsies. In the following years, my career path took me from sitting for the HTL registry, to 8 years as a bench tech in clinical hospitals, to a Mohs‟ Histotech, to becoming a member of the Board of Directors for the Mohs Histotech Society (ASMH), co-chair of 2 ASMH conferences, to forming my own business, setting up labs, writing manuals and training Mohs Histotech‟s. Whenever a lull occurred in business, I‟d travel as a Histo – temp. Then the opportunity to supervise a clinical Histology lab came along. I have had the privilege of serving Veterans, in that capacity, at the Minneapolis VA, for the past 4.5 years. I couldn‟t have asked for a better career. I look forward to continuing to grow in my field, though I don‟t know where it will take me. Maybe QIHC next? Maybe MHA and administrative work? I know I‟ll always have opportunities to learn in this career. Many thanks to all the fine Histotech‟s who shared their expertise and their friendship with me over the decades.

I had graduated from an MLT program in West Virginia in 1983. Moved to Florida in June of 1984. I made my presence known every week for 3 months at the local hospital‟s HR department… looking for an MLT position. When a Histology job came open, I was the first one that they thought of (THANK GOD!!). They asked me what my experience with Histology was… well… my only experience was to walk by the department during school, heading to one of the other sections. They said .. “With your Lab background, we‟ll give you a try”!! Well, I guess I worked out… I am still here at the same hospital… 25 almost 26 years later!! I would not go into any other department now – I LOVE IT in Histoland!

I was in college in Tennessee and my advisor wanted me to make a decision on a career path. I was interested in science but not in being a nurse or physician. She suggested I look into laboratory sciences; histology, medical technology and cytology. I visited the hospital and toured the labs. I immediately knew when I entered the histo lab (and smelled the xylene) that I was where I needed to be. That was in 1974.

I entered basic training and did not have a guaranteed job. I listed Histology as the 4th choice in my order of preferences for job placement, having no idea what in the heck histology was. No one there knew what it was either and I thought I‟d be doing “normal” lab work with blood, etc. Little did I know tissue, slides and stains were my path and I love what I do. Without the military and AFIP‟s amazing program who knows where I‟d be now. Clinical histology is amazing but I am now in research and I‟ve been exposed to a whole new aspect of histology. Thanks to all who are part of this awesome field.

Ok, here goes. I was finishing Clinical Lab Tech School in the Air Force (1978) when someone came in and asked for volunteers to be Histo-techs. I had never heard of a Histo-tech but someone who had worked in a funeral home (Bob Burgess), on break told me it was about doing autopsies and cutting microscope slides for pathologists so they could identify cancer. We came back from break and I still wasn‟t quit convinced until they said, “no weekends, holidays or swing shifts”. I was the first to volunteer and have been happy ever since. It‟s a great thing to actually enjoy what you do in life. I love it and have never regretted that decision.