This question is more complex than it appears.

         Is a  professional is a person how holds a qualification in the 
field they work in.

         The cleaning staff can & do call themselves professionals, they 
generally do not require formal qualifications (I believe in some parts of 
the world this is changing).

         I regard myself as a professional, I have an Applied Science 
Degree from one reputable University & a Graduate Diploma from an 
other.  My Degree & Diploma directly relate to my employment.  I have some 
10 years of experience in Laboratory Science.

         However, this does not mean an unqualified person with the same 
experience in the same type of position, but without the qualifications is 
not a professional.

         My personal bias is to consider those people with degrees as 
professionals & those without as technicians.  The difference was best 
summed up by one of my University lecturers; "Technicians do what they are 
told, scientists have to understand & interpret."  Thus as scientists we 
were not in a position to blindly accept any result provided (particularly 
by electronic instrumentation) but to interpret the result in the context 
of the other clinical data supplied.

         Regards

         Rob W.

At 15:13 05/23/2001 -0400, JHoffpa464@aol.com wrote:
>a survey:  should histotechs be considered professionals?   if so why?  if
>not why?

Robert Wadley,
Laboratory Manager
Cellular Analysis Facility  *** Services now available 24 hrs/7days ***
School of Microbiology & Immunology
UNSW, New South Wales, Australia, 2052
Ph (BH)         +61 (2) 9385 3517
Ph (AH) +61 (2) 4323 3367
Fax     +61 (2) 9385 1591
Mobile  0411 874 470
E-mail #1       r.wadley@unsw.edu.au
E-mail #2       rbwadley@hotmail.com
www     http://www.micro.unsw.edu.au/