Welcome to the new Cyto Q&A section where we share
inquiries received by the ASCT. Members may find some useful information
from the responses provided. If you have a question and need an answer,
please forward it to us at info@asct.com.
Q) Is there an "acceptable range" when administering the
"Pseudoisochromatic Plate Ishihara Color Vision Assessment" to
cytotechnologists? I have not heard this topic addressed before and
would like to write a protocol for our laboratory.
A) After some investigation and consultation, there does not seem to be
any reference to the Ishihara Color Vision Assessment and
acceptable/unacceptable ranges as it relates to cytology. It has been
suggested that it might be difficult to write a defensible policy on an
area such as this with no documented supporting evidence to back it up.
In past discussions on the subject via cytology listservs, the consensus
seemed to be that colorblindness has no practical impact on an
individual's reading of stained blood films, tissue, cytologic
specimens, etc.
The following three links provide additional information related to the
test:
1.
http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/Ishihara.html
2.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishihara_color_test
3.
http://colorvisiontesting.com/what%20colorblind%20people%20see.htm
From link # 3, it seems that for some color deficient individuals, the
names red, orange, yellow, and green are simply "different" names for
the same "color." One could argue that different variations on the Pap
stain is analogous to what colorblind individuals experience.
An educator in cytology reported that she had a student enrolled in her
program who was color-blind. This student had the most common form of
color-blindness (red/green colorblindness) and was completely unaware of
it until the Ishihara Color Assessment was administered at the beginning
of the program. The student went on to develop excellent screening and
interpretive skills. His colorblindness was not an obstacle to his
educational experience or clinical performance.
Q) I am an ASCP registered cytotechnologist. I have been out of the
field for about 8 years after working as a cytotechnologist for
approximately 20 years. I would like to re-enter the field and I would
like to know what I need to do. Can you give me some direction or point
me to someone who could help?
A) There are no set rules by the accreditation agency of cytotechnology
training programs or professional cytology organizations as to what to
formally do when re-entering the field of cytology. Many individuals
seek retraining or a refresher course to get them back in touch with
their screening and interpretive skills. Some of the accredited cytology
training programs offer retraining for individuals such as yourself. You
can contact the
Coordinator of the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee (CPRC)
at the American Society of Cytopathology, who can put you in touch with
programs who offer retraining.
Other individuals seeking to re-enter the field have also found it
helpful to attend cytology meetings and workshops. More information may
be found on-line at each organization or institution's website.
Q) I am a registered cytotechnologist that has been out of the field
for approximately ten years and am interested in returning to work.
Since I have been out I am obviously lacking any experience screening
ThinPrep specimens. I was looking for any information available
regarding upcoming refresher courses that might help me gain some
experience in this area. I am hoping you might be able to provide me
with some assistance in finding this information.
A) All cytologists (CTs and MDs) are required to be certified in the
evaluation of Thin Prep gynecologic specimens. Laboratories that utilize
Thin Prep technology are responsible for training their
cytotechnologists in-house after someone in the laboratory is formally
trained in the company's headquarters in Massachusetts. Therefore, your
potential employer may be able to provide that certification training
once you are hired.
Many cytotechnology programs certify their students in the evaluation of
Thin Prep gynecologic specimens in collaboration with the CYTYC
Corporation. Perhaps you can contact the cytotechnology training program
you graduated from and see if they can offer some assistance in this
area.
Q) I am inquiring about national employment statistics and/or
graduate survey information for cytotechnology graduates at the
baccalaureate level. Are there resources that report any of the
following?
-Statistics on the placement of cytotechnology graduates
-Salary information for cytotechnologists
-Example job titles of entry-level cytotechnology graduates
-Examples of types of employers who hire cytotechnology graduates
A) The ASCT performs an annual survey of its membership concerning
salary and employment vacancy information. The ASCT survey is specific
to member cytotechnologists, the various positions they hold and the
different types of laboratories they work in. The ASCP also regularly
performs a survey of its membership (CTs and other lab technologists)
concerning salary and employment information. The results of the 2005
survey can be obtained on
ASCP's website.
Statistics on the placement of cytotechnology graduates may be obtained
by contacting the
Coordinator for the Cytotechnology Programs Review Committee. This
committee is responsible for overseeing the accreditation of
cytotechnology training programs for the accrediting agency (Commission
on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)).
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