A second reason for the shortage is that it is (or seems) very difficult for
a person with a B.S., or even an M.S., in biology to become a certified
histotechnologist.  This is true even for someone whose senior project or
master's thesis was in histology.

Allen A. Smith, Ph.D.
School of Graduate Medical Sciences
   Podiatric Medicine and Surgery
Barry University
Miami Shores, Florida

----- Original Message -----
From: Morken, Tim <tim9@cdc.gov>
To: 'Histonet' <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 8:13 AM
Subject: RE: Why do I enjoy being an Histopathology Biomedical Scentist?


> Steve,
>
> The best part of Histotechnology is that this is one area of the lab that
> gets involved in every aspect of medical science (as well as other areas
of
> biology - agriculture, wildlife etc). We work with the patient/animal, do
> dissections, process the samples, manually cut sections. We do stains that
> range from hundred-year-old procedures to 1-day old technology. We are
> expected to know about how to stain collagen as well as how to detect
> specific enzymes, tumor markers or DNA in cells. We see results that are
not
> abstract numbers on a computer screen - but slides that are real tissues
> that can be photographed and displayed. We get to work with interesting
> equipment, like scalpels, microtomes, automatic stainers, digital cameras,
> computer databases, electron microscopes, confocal microscopes, and on and
> on. We work with a wide variety of people in many fields ranging from
> infectious disease to cancer research. I can't think of another field of
the
> medical lab that covers such a broad reach.
>
> the only reason there is a shortage in this field is because no one in
> colleges knows about it. that is our great failing as a profession, as far
> as I can see!
>
> Tim Morken, BA, EMT(MSA), HTL(ASCP)
> Infectious Disease Pathology Activity
> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
> Ms-G32
> 1600 Clifton Road
> Atlanta, GA 30333
> USA
>
> PH: 404-639-3964
> FAX: 404-639-3043
>
> email: tim9@cdc.gov
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Machin UK [mailto:stevemachinuk@yahoo.co.uk]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2001 3:49 PM
> To: Histonet Histonet Histonet
> Subject: Why do I enjoy being an Histopathology Biomedical Scentist?
>
>
> I hope a few of you who read this are sufficiently enthusiastic about
> your job to reply.
> I have been asked to write a paragraph in promotional material
> selling a degree in Biomedical Sciences to prospective
> undergraduates.
> In the UK, a degree in this subject is the preferred entry point to
> our profession.
> The trouble is, graduates can find better paid jobs in other
> professions and so we find it difficult to attract new entrants.
>
> Could I ask you to submit brief quotes, that I could use, describing
> the source of our job satisfaction?
>
> For my part, I enjoy seeing the slides I have made knowing that I
> have done an exacting job well; I enjoy the craft skill aspect of the
> work. I also get satisfaction from knowing that the work I do counts
> for something; it really matters.
>
> Best Wishes
> Steve Machin UK Children's Hospital Lab.
>
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