Question for people that took the HTL exam, how long did you study for and what did you think helped most? Am I in over my head to think I could pass it if I study about 3-4 hours a day for a month straight?? I’m terrified to take this exam but the pay bump is very worth it
Hi everyone!
I’m new to microtomy and I’ve been training for about a month. Lately I’ve been feeling really anxious and insecure, and I was wondering if anyone else felt the same way when they first started (or maybe it’s just me being this anxious).
My biggest fear is damaging or losing a patient’s tissue. To make things even more challenging, I have essential tremor. It’s usually mild, but it gets worse when I’m anxious or under pressure, and I’ve also noticed that caffeine—especially coffee and energy drinks—can make it worse. Sometimes that makes me worry that it will affect my performance.
Another thing that’s been stressing me out is the pressure to become faster. In my lab, it’s common for experienced microtomists to cut more than 150 blocks a day. I know they’re highly skilled and have years/months of experience, but it’s hard not to compare myself to them and feel like I’m falling behind.
Besides venting a little, I’d really love to hear your experiences. Did you also feel anxious or afraid when you started? How long did it take before you felt confident? And if you have any tips, habits, or little tricks that helped you improve your technique—or if you also have essential tremor or another condition that affects fine motor skills—I would be so grateful to hear your advice.
first medical year, part of the exam consists in recognising the tissue shown in the microscope. do you have any tips to give me?
Hi there,
I saw some videos about machines that auto embed and auto cut and mount the sections onto microscope slides.
I’m a student right now and am kinda scared for the future in regard to this.
My tldr take is that the tissues are too unique in size, shape, and thickness for automation. Even detecting how fat or calcified the tissue is which makes microtomy unique to different tissues.
What do you experienced Histotechnicians think? Sorry I overthink and my supervisor gets me scared of the future lol..
Just started specials training at work. That is my first AFB. :)
In our lab, I am currently trying to establish a demyelination model using ex vivo brain slices. I am using 6-8-week-old mice to collect their brains and slice them at a 400 µm thickness using a vibratome. I then maintain them in culture for 10 days on a membrane insert (using an air-liquid interface approach). With this protocol, I aim to observe the differences in MBP (myelin basic protein) expression in the corpus callosum over time and at different concentrations of our demyelinating drug.
To do this, I fix the slices with 4% PFA overnight and cryopreserve them in 30% sucrose for two days (until they sink). Afterwards, I collect the slices, place them flat in an OCT mould, and embed them in 100% OCT. However, I noticed that the tissue does not stay flat at the bottom; as a result, I am only obtaining tissue fragments during sectioning.
I saw that some papers use a 50% OCT / 50% sucrose-in-PBS solution for embedding. I also considered using whole-mount staining to avoid sectioning the tissue, but in my case, I need serial sections for different assays.
Does anyone have any experience with this procedure or could help me with this issue? It has been really challenging to overcome this small step, which ends up compromising everything because, ultimately, I cannot actually analyse my tissue and compare the samples.
Looking forward to your suggestions! Many thanks.
Hello there, just wanted to see if any HTLs/HTs in the Phoenix area would be able to share their perspective on securing a job after graduation and passing the exam. How difficult was it in securing a job as a HT? (There is a histology progra offered at one of the CCs here.)
I've read that HTs/HTLs are generally in high demand. However I came across a comment that said this market is saturated and none of the labs were willing to hire without experience.
I don't mind moving but your thoughts?
Today I was giving the suggestion of trying to cut at 2 microns. I am getting compressions and lines on my ribbon. Any suggestions or tips on the teqnique cutting this low?
I am trying to go for my HTL through Route 2! I have a BS degree in Biology and have had over 1 year in a clinical pathology lab (as a lab assistant), so I have satisfied the requirements.
Long story short, I received training from my previous lab, so I know how to use a microtome and stain and most of the hands on histo skills. However, when I left my previous lab, my lab lead/supervisor was unhappy and would not sign to verify my experience. She has now since left that lab.
My new lab isn’t exactly a histology lab, but we work directly with pathology. My current supervisor is a certified histologist and was more than happy to sign off on my experience.
However, when applying for the certification through ASCP, the application says I should make sure to upload signatures from all labs I received experience in, which includes the one with my previous supervisor who will not sign and has left that lab as well.
Can my current supervisor still vouch for all my experience, even experience received at my previous lab?
Also, has anyone ever heard back from ASCP asking for clarification on the sign-off, like has ASCP ever inquired further and asked for more information from any supervisor who signed off for anyone??
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for protocols that are used routinely in diagnostic pathology laboratories for IHC on human FFPE brain and spleen specimens.
Specifically, I'm interested in protocols for:
If possible, I'd really appreciate details such as:
For context, we're investigating the effects of an infectious disease on the CNS (we are using the spleen as a positive control), and we're hoping to adapt protocols that are already well established in clinical pathology rather than starting from research-only methods.
If your lab stains α-synuclein routinely (e.g., for neurodegenerative pathology) or has a validated CD4/CD8 protocols for FFPE brain/spleen, I'd be very grateful if you could share what works well.
Thanks in advance!
Ngl, I am pretty proud of myself, I guess I was stressing myself to death to pass with a comfortable margin.
What do you think this elongated part in the right side is in intestinal organoids?
I’ve posted about this here before to other info. I appreciate all the info yall gave me before. We are about to make a decision and I wanted to pick your brains one more time.
If you were to choose between the VIP 6 AI and the Leica Pegasus, which one and why?
I’m personally leaning more towards the VIP because of its reputation for reliability and longevity.
I like the idea of the dual retort system in the Pegasus but I don’t like that the model has been around for only 5 years, the first two of which involved significant issues with the rotary valves.
Thoughts?
Hi, i'm currently in my second semester of med school in Brazil. My OSCE is next week but i can't visit the campus' histology lab. i know about histology guide, but i my study method generally involves solving lots of practice exams ( i generally use AI to make them for me nowadays, but all of the AI models i tried to use to make a histology practice exam just gave slop). i'm looking for a tool that shows me a structure and quizzes me about what stucture that is. Any of you guys know any tool like that. P.S.( My OSCE will include a part about recognizing immune system stuctures in histological blades)
How do you dispose of formalin/specimens?
Hello i am looking to get my HT license. I am a senior in biochemistry. So i assume i have taken enough things to be allowed to take the HT. But i do not want to have to go in peraon. The online one i have seen so far is UND. Just wondering if there are any in FL that are fully online so i can pay less in tuition. Any other short fully online programs would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Title. We got that brand in a pinch and I’ve never seen a bottle that has so much spillage if you try to pour it. Unless I’m holding it upside down there’s always dribble down the side. It’s not just a little either, I genuinely think it’s wasteful unless I’m holding a basin under it.
Screaming into the void cause it’s been a long week. Never getting that xylene again. Thank goodness for fume hoods.
My current organization just got a new processor (Leica Peloris 3) and they are validating it with patient tissue(!!). I've been in the field for a while and never heard of first time validation using real patient tissue destined to be used for sign out - always using extra tissue from large specimens with no diagnostic purpose (amputations, large masses, etc).
I was told that the processor was already validated internally by Leica (🧐). Is that a thing?? Have things changed??
EDIT: okay, everyone seems to agree this is not a thing. I overheard some strange noises coming from the processor when reagents were transferring in and out of the retorts (maybe an issue with the pump?). Guess time will tell if the tissue came out okay.
Thats it, thats all. I will say the exam felt more gaslighting than difficulty but to say the least I PASSED. Advice trust what you know, and BOC, and medialab definitely helped me.