How about sponsoring a program official/instructor from a
NAACLS-accredited histotech training program?

NAACLS is the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory
Sciences. They accredit/approve MT, MLT, HT, HTL, phlebotomy,
cytogenetics techs, and PAs (pathologists assistants) programs in the US.

Right now, there are 21 active HT/HTL programs, with about 4 more
that have applied for applicant status. However, some of these programs
have both a Program Director and an Education Coordinator. Also,
some of these programs are based in technical schools or community
colleges, and have affiliated with numerous hospitals and private labs
so that their students can get "real life" experience in a real lab. Each
of these histology labs must list one person who is a histotech as the
main contact person in the lab, who is responsible for the student.
These programs have 1-24 hospitals/labs associated with them.

Therefore, the pool of people is much more than the 21 programs
would suggest. It could be up to 100 people involved as the primary
teaching instructors and/or program officials. And NSH is always
looking for ways to help the HT/HTL programs out there - both
those already accredited, those starting the accreditation process,
and those places thinking about becoming accredited.

These HT/HTL programs are the ones who are training the new
histotechs. There are 3-4 NSH scholarships ($500 each) for students
in these programs, but NO NSH scholarships for the people who
have to do the lectures or the training of the students. And there
are probably 100-150 students in these programs. Yet, there are
no scholarships for the 65-100 instructors/program officials in
these programs - the people who are supposed to be up to date
in their knowledge of histotechnology, ASCP Board of Registry
changes, education methodology, teaching/training techniques, etc.

I have been on inspections of some of these HT programs where
none of the program officials have ever gone to an NSH meetings,
and some of these have never gone to a state meeting. Their hospital
does not have the money to pay for traveling CE. They do "in-house"
lectures by pathologists and techs - sometimes.

So how are these instructors/program officials supposed to stay
current in their knowledge? How are they supposed to train the
future histotechs on the latest techniques, diseases and equipment?

In many cases, the program officials/instructors are doing the
teaching in addition to all their regular duties - bench work,
supervising, being safety officer, etc. Being NAACLS-accredited
means they have to do a LOT of paperwork and evaluations, too.
They are therefore putting in extra hours of work, because they like
teaching and believe in the future of histology.

Yet, the program officials/instructors often get no benefits or rewards
for all their extra hours of work. I think a scholarship for the
instructors/program officials would be a great method to help and
reward all their extra time and work they put in to the training of
our future histotechs.

I would be willing to help your company and NSH to establish
criteria to define who is a "program official" or an "instructor"
in a NAACLS-accredited HT/HTL program, and to establish
the parameters for the scholarship.

(Disclaimer, if one is needed - Yes, I am a program official
of a NAACLS-accredited program. But no, I do not
foresee me applying for this proposed scholarship as of
this point, as my hospital usually pays for some funding, and
I present at NSH Symposiums to help cover the other
part of the expenses.)
.
Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)
Schools of Histotechnology
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073
W 248-551-9079

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Johnson" 
To: 
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 10:30 PM
Subject: Re: Daily Digest


>
> Hey netters!!!!
>
> Mercedes Medical is interested in sponsering something new/different for
the
> NSH national meetings.  Anyone have any good ideas??
>
> I love the T-shirt thing but one vendor has a lock on that
> (P.S. great job Region 9 i think it was a year or so ago, i still want one
> of those shirts... free green stain dippers for the first one who produces
> one)
>
> We were thinking of sponsering a tech from each region to go to the show
but
> there might be hospital restrictions/legalities on that.
>
> let me know.
>
> Dave Johnson
> Mercedes Medical
> 800-331-2716 x 221 or email me at djohnson@mercedesmedical.com
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
>
>