Cytotechnologists Jobs: Essential in Early Detection of Cervical Cancer
Most people are not aware of the vital role Cytotechnologists play in early detection of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, with the incline in unemployment rates, the medical profession is experiencing a steady decline in the number of new Cytotechnologist graduates. The average active national workforce of Cytotechnologists is approximately 6,500 with an average age of 50 years old. Due to budget constraints within the allied health fields, many well-established cytotechnology training schools in the United States have already or are planning a significant number of closures in the field of cytotechnology. Historically, 200 Cytotechnologists graduate annually. With the recent decline in training course offerings, cytotechnology training schools are graduating on average approximately 37 Cytotechnologists annually.
According to an article published in Cervical Trends Health, “Recently several senior veteran Cytotechnologist educators have expressed alarm over the sudden and unexpected closure or planned closure of a significant number of well-established cytotechnology training schools in the United States.”
Cytotechnologists are not only responsible for screening approximately 64 million Pap tests, Cytotechnologists also extend into other essential functions such as cytologic evaluations of other non-gynecologic organ systems, laboratory administration, and cytogenetic and molecular testing including the early detection of Cervical cancer. Many patients do not realize how much we truly rely on the cytotechnology workforce to diagnose certain cancers.
Dr. Robert Marshall Austin, M.D., is a Professor of Pathology and the Director of Cytopathology at Magee-Womens Hospital at the University of Pittsburgh states ”A modeling study of emerging cervical cancer screening issues and challenges in a recent issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute cautions that the potential benefits could be neutralized, and even reversed, if screening were to substantially decrease . This would obviously be a great misfortune, given the promise of new primary prevention vaccine era. Schools of cytotechnology are a valuable resource in the ongoing efforts for cervical cancer screening and detection of nongynecologic cancers. Support of cytotechnology school infrastructure in the United States is important to ensure an adequate and appropriately-trained cytotechnology workforce”.
Some attribute the need for Cytotechnologists is due to the introduction of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine and HPV DNA Tests. The United States is relying more and more on liquid-based cytology and location-guided/computer assisted screenings which no longer requires the work of a Cytotechnologist. However, according to Dr. Austin, “Only one HPV DNA test is FDA approved, and its approved indications are exclusively for adjunctive use along with cervical cytology. Remarkably, the current approved test has no internal adequacy standard to prevent erroneous negative reporting on sparsely cellular or even acellular samples. The reliance on testing from liquid-based cytology vials further suggests that it will be difficult for the manufacturer to too strongly discourage the use of cytology. According to the manufacturer, no clinical trials to seek FDA approval as a stand alone primary screening test are anticipated in the near future. Despite the inability of the manufacturer of the sole FDA-approved HPV DNA test to publicly advocate off-label, stand-alone HPV testing and the absence of acknowledged plans for early clinical trials, a few investigators are often cited in lay press articles predicting the imminent demise of the Pap test. Whether or not the manufacturer will be effective in muting these misleading communication messages regarding modern Pap testing remains to be seen”.
To read more about Dr. Austin’s article http://www.cervicalhealth.com/Spring2008/focus.php
Office Politics Video Guide for a Medical Technologist – Part Two
This is the second video about how to play office politics successfully. This video is not geared towards medical technologists specifically, but it offers several tips that will help medical technologists and just about anyone who works with others.
Find a job as a medical technologist.
Office Politics Video Guide for a Medical Technologist – Part One
The last blog I posted was about office politics and how a medical technologist can be involved while maintaining integrity. This video, while not specifically geared towards medical technologists, offers some great insight into office politics.
Find a job as a medical technologist.
How a Medical Technologist Can Benefit from Office Politics – Part One
Office politics are usually considered to be a negative thing that most medical technologists try to avoid. However, when the office politics are played correctly by a medical technologist, they can really be helpful. Politics can help to advance a medical technologist’s team goals. Politics can also help advance a medical technologist’s career, without a medical technologist having to put integrity on the back burner.
Often, medical technologists associate politics with being manipulative in order to get ahead. Because of this belief, medical technologists sometimes want to stay as far away from politics as possible. But, this can lead to medical technologists being overlooked for advancement opportunities. It is best to have the best of both worlds as a medical technologist, which means being involved with politics while holding onto integrity.
One easy way to be involved in politics as a medical technologist is to help those in the lab with influence to accomplish their goals and the laboratories goals, so long as the goals are moral. This way, you will be recognized as valuable and will get more opportunities to advance because a person with influence in office politics sees you as valuable.
Office politics are all about learning how to influence people effectively and make advantageous relationships with those who can influence people to your benefit. There are ways that medical technologists can do this without being selfish.
Check back soon for part two of this blog.
Find a job as a medical technologist.
Source:
Glenn, Dave (October 6, 2008) Why Playing Office Politics is Essential. Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals. Page 7.
What a Histotechnician can do to Keep Peace in the Lab – Part Three
If a histotechnician’s job is standardized, it can help reduce conflict. Every histotechnician in the lab should know exactly what they are expected to do and how they are expected to do so. This way, there won’t be arguing between histotechnicians about differing workloads or processes.
Managers of histotechnicians can also have group activities outside of the work place in order to allow histotechnicians to interact on a personal level and get to know each other better. If histotechnicians see each others’ families and feel like they know each other on a more personal level, this can help lower conflict.
If a manager sees that one histotechnician is often involved with conflicts, it is important to talk to that histotechnician promptly. The manager should discuss what motivates the histotechnician to start conflicts and make sure there is no underlying problem. If no problem that can be solved is found, the histotechnician should be told that the behavior will not be tolerated and made aware of the consequences.
Conflict should always be handled when it arises, never ignored. Conflict decreases the productivity of histotechnicians and could cause errors. Conflict can also cause a histotechnician to be unhappy at work, which might be seen by those interacting with the histotechnician. Even though histotechnicians don’t speak often with patients directly, they speak to those who do speak with patients, and unhappiness can be a chain reaction. So, whether conflict is a daily occurrence, or whether it happens only occasionally between histotechnicians, managers should be ready to resolve the conflict.
Find a job as a histotechnician.
Source:
Koehler, Amanda (October 20, 2008) Controlling Conflict. Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals. page 24-25.
What a Histotechnician can do to Keep Peace in the Lab – Part Two
Avoiding conflict entirely is also a problem. Those histotechnicians who do not want to deal with issues that could result in conflict do not deal with issues that need to be resolved. Some amount of conflict and disagreement is also necessary to come up with new ideas and personal growth for histotechnicians in the lab.
Managers of histotechnicians will probably have a tough time predicting when these conflicts might happen, or between which histotechnicians they might happen. There can be negative personal feelings between two histotechnicians that might never actually rise to the level of conflict. Or, those negative feelings between histotechnicians might come to the surface with no warning that a manager could see.
It is important to recognize that things such as small spaces and a room temperature that is too warm or too cold can affect a histotechnician’s mood, and cause conflict where there wouldn’t have been any conflict normally.
Histotechnicians should be encouraged by managers to work out issues with each other if possible, before escalating the situation by bringing in a manager. Involving a manager can create resentment which will make the relationship even worse than it was before, so it is best for histotechnicians to work with each other if possible. However, there are situations where managers should get involved right away. These situations are those which could negatively affect patient care, or those that involve intentional inappropriate behavior.
Check back soon for part three of this blog.
Find a job as a histotechnician.
Source:
Koehler, Amanda (October 20, 2008) Controlling Conflict. Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals. page 24-25.
What a Histotechnician can do to Keep Peace in the Lab – Part One
Some amount of arguing and bickering goes on in nearly any workplace. Laboratories where histotechnicians work are no exception. Conflict if left unresolved can damage the lab environment by compromising relationships between histotechnicians and in turn causing stress on the job. Stress on the job means more turnover, and more absences. The end result of conflict will often be lower productivity. Even with perfect management, conflict between histotechnicians will probably still exist, but proper management can bring lower the level of conflict significantly.
Controlling and minimizing conflict is easier for a histotechnician when the reasons why the problems come up in the first place are understood. Often, disagreements come up between two histotechnicians and are based upon personal feelings. Reasons that two histotechnicians might harbor negative feelings for each other might include differences in religion, politics, race, mannerisms, and personalities.
Disagreements about work related things are quite common also. Histotechnicians will argue about who is doing more work or who is taking more breaks. Sometimes a histotechnicians will blame an error on another histotechnician.
Conflict is much more likely between histotechnicians when there are misunderstandings. Communication is one of the most important things histotechnicians can work on to minimize conflict. It can be so easy for two histotechnicians to have an honest misunderstanding that leads to conflict.
Check back soon for part two of this blog.
Find a job as a histotechnician.
Source:
Koehler, Amanda (October 20, 2008) Controlling Conflict. Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals. page 24-25.
How a Histotechnologist Does a Gram Stain
The following video shows a histotechnologist doing a gram stain. This is just one type of slide preparation that a histotechnologist may use.
Find a job as a histotechnologist.
Reasons that Cytotechnologists Enjoy the Field
This video features cytotechnologists talking about why they enjoy cytotechnology and what drew them into the field in the first place.
Find a job as a cytotechnologist.
Pap Smear Test that a Cytotechnologist Would Perform
Here is an interesting video showing how a cytotechnologist would analyze a pap smear.
Find a job as a cytotechnologist.
