Today our lab operations manager showed me a page that had been printed off
the NSH website.  This page reported that beginning in 2004, the BOR will
not permit applicants with only a High School diploma to take the HT exam.
There will be requirements similar to those currently required for the HTL
exam.

At the age of 14 I took a 3 week summer class for fun, which previewed three
health careers, one each week.  As you can guess, I became interested in
histology.  Two years later when I was 16, I began my 2 year ASCP accredited
HT training program.  Because of staffing shortages, I received my received
my 1st job offer in histology before I even graduated.  I took my boards as
soon as I was eligible, back when the board only offered the exam twice per
year.  I passed on the first try and got a pay increase of a quarter, which
put my wage at $4.25 / hour.

During the last 21 years I have worked with a wide variety of people who
call themselves  histo techs.  I must say that the majority of techs I have
worked with that were good at the meat and potatoes of regular histology
techniques were high school graduates.

There is a current staffing shortage in histology; does it make sense to
further it by adding these restrictions?  Also, what will the added costs be
to an already over burdened medical system as we have in the US?

Mary Bryhan
Petoskey,  Michigan