The information below on licensing and certification is only intended as brief guide. For more information please visit the NYS Office of Professions site below. Individual states may have different regulations on state certification or licensure eligibility. Every prospective individual should review his or her state’s requirements prior to enrolling in a program and consult the appropriate state office prior to applying for a license.
New York State Education Law
In 2006, New York State enacted the Clinical Laboratory Practitioners Act which requires laboratory personnel, including Histotechnologist, who work in New York State Department of Health licensed clinical laboratories, to hold a professional license in order to practice and use a professional title according to Title VIII, article 165 of the New York State Education Law.
A professional license is the authorization to practice and use a title in New York State and requires all licensed practitioners to adhere to rules of professional conduct. The State Education Department, under the direction of the New York State Board of Regents, administers and regulates the professions through its Office of the Professions assisted by a State Board for each profession. The Education Law defines professional misconduct and the Board of Regents has enacted rules, policies and disciplinary procedures for professional misconduct. In addition, every licensee is governed by the laws, rules, and regulations for the practice of their specific profession and expected to operate within their “scope of practice”.
Article 165 defines the practice of clinical laboratory technology and provides for the licensing of clinical laboratory technologists and for the certification of clinical laboratory technicians and histological technicians.
For certification as a histological technician under article 165, an applicant must fulfill the following requirements (§ 8606-a.):
- Application: file an application with the department;
- Education: have received an education, including an associate’s degree from an approved histological technician program registered by the department or determined by the department to be the substantial equivalent, or have received an associate’s degree that includes a minimum number of credit hours in the sciences and received appropriate clinical education in a histological technician program approved by the department or a program to be determined by the department to be the substantial equivalent;
- Examination: pass an examination satisfactory to the board and in accordance with the commissioner’s regulations;
- Age: be at least eighteen years of age;
- Character: be of good moral character as determined by the department; and
- Fees: pay a fee of one hundred twenty-five dollars for an initial certification and a fee of one hundred twenty dollars for each triennial registration period.
Please visit the Office of Professions website for more information.
PLEASE NOTE:
In New York State, you must take the HT exam in order to be licensed. The HTL exam does not qualify an individual for licensing in NYS.
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New York State Department of Health
Continuing Education Requirement
New York Codes Rules and Regulations, Title 10, subpart 58-1 defines the requirements for the operation of a New York State Department of Health licensed clinical laboratory according to Public Health Law, sections 574(1), and 576. Within these regulations, the Human Resources Sustaining Standard of Practice 9 (HR S9) rule requires the following:
“The laboratory director shall provide continuing education to laboratory staff commensurate with the scope of their duties and such training and continuing education shall be documented. A minimum of twelve hours of continuing education must be provided to laboratory staff on an annual basis and staff participation must be documented.”In addition, NYC RR 10 also provides regulations that govern the following:
58-1.3 – Clinical laboratory supervision
58-1.4 – Qualifications of laboratory supervisor
58-1.5 – Duties and qualifications of clinical laboratory technical personnel
58-1.13 – General requirements for performance of anatomic pathology and cytopathology procedures
Please visit the New York State Department of Health website for additional information
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American Society for Clinical Pathology
Board of Certification (BOC):
In December of 2007, the ASCP BOC was awarded the contract to be the sole provider of licensing exams to the New York State Education Department. The mission of the Board of Certification is to provide excellence in certification of laboratory professionals on behalf of patients worldwide. On July 21, 2009, the ASCP Board of Registry and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) signed an agreement forming a single certification agency for medical laboratory professionals. The newly formed agency is called the ASCP Board of Certification. For information on certification, please visit the ASCP Board of Certification.
Certification Maintenance Program (CMP):
The CMP is required for all individuals who are newly certified beginning January 1, 2004. The CMP program is not currently required for international certificants. The CMP is also required for all active NCA certificants who are not ASCP certified prior to January 1, 2004. If you have a time limited certificate and you do not complete the CMP, your ASCP certification will no longer be valid. For more information please visit ASCP Certification Maintenance Program.