The Histologic Technician is not only the eyes of the pathologist but also the artist of the laboratory. Like the artist we have a canvas. The Histologic Technician’s canvas is a plain glass slide to which color and design will be added. Our medium is not oil, clay or stone but the entire array of human, animal and plant bodies. Our Palette includes colors with names such as Hematoxylin, Eosin, and Alcian Blue pH 2.5, Acid Fast Green, Nuclear Fast Red, Carbol Fuchsin and others. Our tools are not paintbrushes, chisels or drying ovens but have names such as Tissue Grossing, Tissue Processing Tissue Embedding, Microtome and Microscopes. Like the artist whose goal or purpose is for his/her work to be recognized by their peers.  The histotech’s goal or purpose is to prepare quality slides for the Pathologists in order to aid in diagnosis and treatment of medical problems in conjunction with surgical and clinical findings.

Histologic Technicians have an unlimited choice of practice settings. Hospitals, university research laboratories, private laboratories, public health facilities, industrial research, veterinary pathology laboratories, marine biology and forensic pathology laboratories, currently have positions open for qualified Histologic technicians.

As part of your twenty-four month associate in science degree program, you will gain the knowledge of tissue and cellular structure. You will develop skills in preparing, fixing processing, embedding, sectioning, and staining tissue, including brain, kidney, bone and muscle tissue. Actual surgical specimens are used in the laboratory settings. As part of the program a supervised internship at an affiliated hospital, research or private laboratories is required.

The Histotechnology Program provides learning experiences that enable the student to acquire and assimilate the necessary technical competencies to function effectively as a supportive health care provider in the Histotechnology profession. In keeping with its mission and goals, and in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Medical Campus promotes an environment of respect and support for persons with disabilities and will make reasonable accommodations. Please see the Physical Demands listed for this program.

The Histotechnology Program is highly demanding, and students are therefore more successful if they do not work while in the program. If students must work for financial support, the program strongly recommends a limit of 20 hours of employment per week. Students should also consider family responsibilities before committing to a full-time rigorous program.

To facilitate the clinical portion of the program, students are assigned to a clinical facility within Miami Dade County. Students are responsible for their own transportation to the campus and to various agencies in the community to which they are assigned for clinical experiences. Students enrolled in the clinical portion of the program are required to complete the Miami Dade College Student Health Record and criminal background check process

Successful completion of the MDC level two background check process or completion of a MDC nursing/health sciences program does not guarantee a graduate’s eligibility for participation in the professional credentialing process or for related employment. Credentialing agencies and health care employers may have additional eligibility criteria not required by an educational institution. Individuals who have been arrested or convicted for any crime are strongly urged to inquire directly of the licensing board in the jurisdiction in which they intend to practice.

Program Location
This program is offered only at the Medical Campus located at 950 NW 20 Street, Miami, Fl 33127 and clinical sites throughout Miami-Dade County.

Important Phone Numbers