Association of Pathology Chairs Pathology Department Administrators Section

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Association of Pathology ChairsPathology
Department Administrators Section

• Annual APC / PDAS Meeting
• Cheyenne Mountain Resort
• Colorado Springs, Colorado
• July 2008

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionHistology Staffing Crisis

• The History
• Early Fall 2007
• Surveyed PDAS Membership to Submit Histology
  Staffing Problems
• Late Fall 2007
• Presented PDAS Views to NSH at NSH Annual
  Symposium in Denver
• Winter 2007/2008
• Presented both PDAS NSH views at Regional PDAS
  Meetings, which sadly mandated travel to
  Puerto Vallarta and San Juan

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionQuick
Summary of PDAS vs. NSH Views

• EXTERNAL CHALLENGES
• INTERNAL CHALLENGES

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• External Challenge 1
• Supply vs. Demand
• Current population of registered technologists
  is aging, many approaching retirement.
• Number of nationally accredited histology
  schools are decreasing.
• NSH RESPONSE www.nsh.org website provides a
  comprehensive list of histology schools and
  contact information. NSH officials will also
  collect information on non-accredited programs
  and forward to PDAS for distribution.

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• External Challenge 2
• Regulatory Struggles
• New federal and/or state licensure mandates.
• Inconsistent and conflicting institutional
  requirements for certification/education.
• NSH RESPONSE We need more help from the
  Administrators and Chairmen. We need to work
  together more effectively to resolve these
  internal and external regulatory challenges.

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• External Challenge 3
• Technology
• Lack of qualified applicants who are
  technologically savvy.
• Technology increases often favor more educated
  candidates, who are often NOT the most qualified
  histologists.
• NSH RESPONSE Histologists have had to handle the
  lab responsibilities over the years.

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• External Challenge 4
• Identity Crisis
• Lack of support and/or understanding from human
  resources departments.
• Histology vs. other medical technology
  specialties.
• NSH RESPONSE Must immediately develop/increase
  efforts to gain pathology awareness
  .departmental/histology tours, internal
  regional lectures, local college in-services,
  internships have been very effective.

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• External Challenge 5 - Competition
• Competition between hospitals and private
  industry.
• Enormously varying pay scales nationwide.
• NSH RESPONSE Administrators and Chairmen's
  fault for not assuring equitable pay and not
  supporting histologists.

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• Internal Challenge 1
• Lack of Internal Support by Supervisors
• Unwilling / resistant to train a successor
• Uneducated supervisors vs. educated technicians
• Uncertified supervisors vs. HT/HTL(ASCP)
  technicians
• NSH RESPONSE Variedagreed/disagreed.
• We had no choice

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• Internal Challenge 2
• Problems Developing Histology Training Programs
• Often lose trainees shortly after training
• Consumes too much faculty time
• Costly / Bureaucratic
• NSH RESPONSE Would consider employment
  contracts if salary scales were uniform and
  comparable. Need more Chairman and
  Administration buy in to sustain these programs.

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Pathology Department Administrators SectionPDAS
vs. NSH Views Histology Staffing

• Internal Challenge 3
• Lack of Support from Pathologists Faculty
• NSH RESPONSE Integrate Histology as a mandatory
  training program rotation for all fellows and
  residents.start them young

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionSummer Meeting July 2008

• So What Do We Do Now???
• 5 Suggestions for PDAS to Review
• These were presented to NSH President, Vincent
  Della Speranza (Medical University of South
  Carolina) in Feb 2008.

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionHistology Staffing

• Exchange direct web site links on NSH APC/PDAS
  web sites. Under the PDAS section of APC, we
  would have a direct link to
• www.nsh.org
• (Status NSH has agreedPDAS? APC?)

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionHistology Staffing

• Exchange PDAS/NSH council members information
  and agree to try to align our organizations for
  any suitable national issuers).
• (Status NSH agreed. PDAS? APC?)

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionHistology Staffing

• Obtain a packet of Histology information from
  NSH to distribute to our training program
  directors who may have significant influence over
  incoming fellows/residents.
• (Status Pending..hoped to get this packet for
  this meeting)

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionHistology Staffing

• Encourage all Administrators and Chairman to
  become proactive in improving awareness for all
  aspects of our industry. Target audiences should
  include Human Resources, other departments,
  local schools, job fairs, etc.
• (Status Sure Thing)

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Pathology Department Administrators
SectionHistology Staffing

• Exchange names of key individual(s) who will
  serve as the voice for each group. Currently
  offered John Baci as a contact person to NSH.
• (Status NSH President will serve as key
  contact)

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Pathology Department Administrators Section

• Parting Comments
• CONS
• Surprised by the level of animosity and
  suspicionwell, maybe not!
• Many goals suggestions sound like Miss America
• Thought I would have been able to accomplish more
• Still very difficult to communicate.many old
  walls to break through.

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Pathology Department Administrators Section

• Parting Comments
• PROS
• Any communication is good
• Proud to have extended the olive branch
• Maybe won over some NSH folks
• Web site link will be a positive useful tool
• May appeal to the younger generation of both
  groups
• Intend to continue this effort into the future

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Thank You!