RE: Future Histotechs pay

From:Jill Songer

Hear, Hear, Vinnie!! I totally agree with you!





At 04:32 PM 8/24/2001 -0400, Vinnie Della Speranza wrote:
>I completely agree with Chuck's assessment  about nurses education. Two 
>year degree nurses generally do not earn the kinds of salaries quoted. BUT 
>one point has been overlooked by all.
>Nurses are LICENSED to practice. This means that they are regarded as 
>professionals and are held accountable for their performance and actions 
>as they impact on the patient. When you drive poorly or recklessly, you 
>risk losing your drivers license. If a nurse is negligent or behaves 
>unprofessionally, he'she can have that license suspended or revoked, much 
>like a physician. Histotechs are not licensed and indeed, the pathologist 
>is the one held legally and fiancially responsible if a patient specimen 
>is compromised. You can be the worst histotech in the world and probably 
>work somewhere. Until this discipline is prepared to stand up and be 
>accountable, there is little point in making the comparisons to licensed 
>disciplines. Histotechnology has a long history of failing to embrace the 
>need to higher education (there are periodic heated debates on this list 
>about what it takes to be a professional and whining about having to meet 
>higher criteria in order to become certified). When our discipline stops 
>hiding behind the pathologist's lab coat and becomes licensed, you may see 
>the kind of advancements enjoyed by other disciplines. Anyone care to 
>guess what it costs to affiliate with the national nurses organization? 
>Individuals have complained loudly about paying $40 per year to join NSH 
>which includes receiving an internationally recognized journal. Ask 
>Charles to tell you the fee to belong to the AAPA.
>
>
>
>Vinnie Della Speranza
>Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
>Medical University of South Carolina
>165 Ashley Avenue  Suite 309
>Charleston, SC 29425
>Ph: 843-792-6353
>fax: 843-792-8974
>
> >>> "Charles.Embrey"  08/24/01 02:35PM >>>
>Sorry Marsha,  Most RNs (registered nurses) have a Bachelor of Science
>degree in nursing as a minimum.  Many go on to finish their Masters.  Those
>nurses with only an associate degree normally work as an LPN or Certified
>Nurses Aid.  I think histo salaries will rise as they have recently but it
>will be more in tune with the shortages in the field than with education
>requirements.  Even with my BS degree I would make roughly the same as a
>non-degreed HT with the same experience.  My salary only went up when I
>entered the Pathologists' assistant field.
>
>Charles R. Embrey Jr., PA(AAPA), HT(ASCP)
>Histology Supervisor
>Carle Clinic
>Urbana, IL
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: marsha r price [mailto:mprice26@juno.com]
>Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 10:19 AM
>To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: Future Histotechs pay
>
>
>Dear histonetters,
>I was just curious if when the requirement that takes effect in 2005 that
>Histotechs have to have a minimum of an Associates in Science, if our pay
>was going to go up to match, lets say that of RN's (Nurses). That is what
>kind of degree that nurses have is an associates in Science.
>
>Here is a little comparison. I have a friend that is a nurse that works
>for an agency and works 3/ 12 hour shifts a week. She makes $35 an hour
>and $45 an hour if she works on the weekends. She receives $37 a day per
>diem (she works approx 1 hour away from home).
>
>I was offered a job in the same town as a histotech to work 3 days a week
>at $18 an hour, no per diem or any other incentives.
>
>Is our job considered less technical or less important than an RN's?
>There is from what I have been hearing an extreme shortage of histotechs,
>correct me if I am wrong. Maybe hospitals and labs should offer more
>incentives like higher pay, let histotechs work the 10 or 12 hour shifts
>etc. to attract more histotechs like the agencys are doing with the RN's.
>
>  I have always loved histology and that is why I chose this over being a
>nurse, however, after taliking to my nurse friend, I am considering a
>career change, mainly because of the pay.
>
>
>Let me know what you histotechs think about this.
>
>Just Curious Marsha
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**************************************************************************
Jill Songer HT (ASCP)
Supervisor, Anatomic Pathology
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Virginia Tech





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