The Role of the Histology Professional

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The Role of the Histology Professional

• The National Society for Histotechnology

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
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HISTOTECHNOLOGY BENEFITS MANKIND

• Histotechnology Professionals in the marine and
  veterinary world reveal the microscopic secrets
  that enable scientists to keep our food safe.
• Histotechnology Professionals who work in the
  toxicology lab enable scientists to understand
  how toxins pollute our environment.

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HISTOTECHNOLOGY BENEFITS MANKIND

• Histotechnology Professionals in the
  pharmaceutical industry enhance our lives and
  increase longevity. Their work reveals the
  effectiveness of medication for our health.
• Histotechnology Professionals who work in the
  clinical environment work closely with
  Pathologists to investigate and determine disease
  in Humans.

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SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES A HISTOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DO?

• Process tissue
• Embed tissue
• Cut tissue
• Stain tissue

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TISSUE PROCESSORINFILTRATES THE TISSUE WITH WAX
Need a picture of a tissue processor
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Histology Professional orienting the tissue in
the embedding mold
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Histology Professional embedding and chilling
tissue into a wax block
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The Histology Professional cutting the paraffin
wax block with the tissue inside it. This is cut
in very thin slices and placed on a glass
microscope slide.
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The Histology Professional cutting the paraffin
wax block with the tissue inside. This is cut in
very thin slices and placed on a glass microscope
slide.
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The Histology Professional then floats the thin
wax sections of tissue onto a waterbath, and
picks them up from there on the glass slide
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Now the tissue is on the slide. But it is
transparent and must be stained in color to be
seen by the Pathologist.
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Once slides are stained, the tissue reveals
itself through cellular structure. Pathologists
can determine abnormalities and diagnose disease.
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Slides are warmed in an oven to melt the paraffin
and make sure the tissue adheres to the slide
during staining
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Slides are stained most often by an automatic
staining machine.
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Following staining, the slide is covered with a
thin piece of glass called a coverslip.
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The coverslip is mounted with a permanent resin.
This makes the slide stronger and permanent-
protecting the stained tissue for years.
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The Pathologist then examines the slides to
determine the disease and diagnosis.
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PLANT PATHOLOGISTS STUDY DISEASED PLANT TISSUE
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PLANT PATHOLOGISTS STUDY DISEASED PLANT TISSUE
Interested in a Career in Histology? Visit
www.NSH.org for more information on educational
requirements