Technician Trainee - Histology

WHY IS HISTOLOGY AWESOME?

South Bend Medical Foundation has, over the years, posted various types of positions working in our Histology department. But perhaps - for those of you with an interest in science (and who don't already know), we should explain what exactly Histology is.

Histology is the study of tissues - groups of cells working together to do the same thing. It's the study of tissues and how they work - knowing what normal human tissue looks like and how it normally works is important for recognizing and treating different diseases.

We've all had friends, relatives, acquaintances who have been diagnosed after a biopsy. Our histology department employees perform tasks essential to the diagnosis of these diseases. Just think...you could be in on the ground floor of helping someone be treated...or even cured of a disease! Pretty cool stuff.

We have need for all levels of positions in our Histology department - entry level staff who are wanting to learn or grow in a field geared toward treating and curing illness as well as experienced Histotechs excited about a new opportunity!

We currently have a Technician Trainee position available. Position is Sunday - Thursday with Saturday rotation working 9:00 pm - 5:30 am. Once trained, our Technician Trainees will be responsible for routine accessioning, gross room assisting, processing, embedding, staining and labeling of surgical and autopsy specimens. We offer full paid training to become a Histotechnician.

Terms:

Accessioning: The process of accepting specimens into the lab and entering specimen detail into a laboratory computer system so that each specimen can receive a unique identification number for tracking purposes.

Gross Room: The Gross Room is the area where pathology specimens from operating rooms/outpatient surgeries are transferred for dissection for paraffin processing.

Processing: Once the tissue has been "fixed", it must be processed into a form in which it can be made into thin microscopic sections. This is usually done with paraffin.

Fixation: The purpose of fixation is to preserve tissues permanently in as life-like a state as possible.

Embedding: This is the process in which the tissues or specimens are enclosed in a mass of paraffin wax.

Staining: Staining is used to highlight important features of the tissue as well as enhance the tissue contrast.

Practical Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in chemical, physical or biological science that includes: a combination of 30 semester hours of biology and chemistry (at least 6 hours in chemistry and 6 hours of biology).

Following 3 months training in high complexity testing area, qualifies as CLIA Testing Personnel for high complexity testing, as defined in 42 CFR 493.1489.

Dexterity, visual acuity, the ability to make color distinctions and legible writing are required.

Strong communication skills are essential to answer questions and solve problems.

EOE