About Us
Mission and Goals
The mission of the Histotechnology program at West Virginia University is to provide a high-quality education leading to a Bachelor of Science degree that prepares graduates for their roles as members of the healthcare team in an environment of rapidly changing technology.
The goals of the program are:
- to provide a program which meet the academic standards of the University;
- to provide graduates for medical (both urban and rural) laboratories, public health laboratories, research laboratories, and industry;
- to provide an educational background which enables graduates to assume teaching and supervisory positions in the healthcare field;
- to provide an education background acceptable for graduate work in the medical sciences.
About the Program
The Histotechnology Program is offered as a Track within the Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics major. Students graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics independent of passing the national certification exam offered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
The first two years consist of a pre-professional curriculum where students complete re-requisite coursework. The last two years consist of the Histotechnology Program professional curriculum. The pre-professional curriculum can be completed at WVU main campus, one of the WVU regional campuses or any regionally accredited college or university. Pre-requisites include general biology (8 hours), inorganic chemistry (8 hours), organic chemistry (CHEM 231 or organic chemistry I and II), college algebra or higher, introductory statistics, physiology, medical terminology and the general education requirements.
The Histotechnology Program professional curriculum is based at the WVU Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. The first year consists of didactic and laboratory sessions focusing on routine laboratory procedures and techniques. The second year focuses on complex procedures and techniques and clinical rotations. Clinical rotations will be completed at the program’s affiliated clinical laboratories. During laboratory sessions and clinical rotations, the students will apply their knowledge and skills by using state-of-the-art equipment to perform laboratory procedures under supervision.
If a student is accepted into the Histotechnology program, clinical site placement is guaranteed; however, the specific clinical site location is not guaranteed. Students who are assigned to off-campus sites are responsible for their transportation and housing.