Allied Health Education

8095 Innovation Park Drive, Fairfax, VA 22031

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histologist working with a sample

Inova Histology Program

Histotechnicians (HTs) and Histotechnologists (HTLs) play a fundamental role in the allied health profession. They are members of an anatomic pathology team who employ histologic technology to prepare tissue samples for analysis, diagnose diseases or conduct research on tissue specimens. The sophisticated techniques used by HTs play an important role in confirming patient diagnosis and establishing patient treatment.

Inova Histology Program curriculum objectives will meet the standards set by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science which includes the qualifications and responsibilities of the HT Program Administration, and HT curriculum requirements in the area of instruction, learning experiences, and evaluations.

Histotechnician (HT) certification program is available to:

  • Those who have already earned an approved Associate's degree and wish to pursue the HT certification. (2+1 option)

Histotechnologist (HTL) certification program is available to:

  • Current university students enrolled in a qualifying medical technology, medical laboratory science or clinical lab science program who will attend our program full-time to complete the final year of their degree (3+1 option)
  • Those who have already earned an approved Bachelor's degree and wish to pursue the HTL certification (4+1 option)

The program's course work and clinical practicums are done simultaneously over 10 months and taught by Inova Health System Pathologists, Certified HTs and HTLs, and Certified Cytologists, consisting of over 1,100 clock hours of instruction. The program is intended to qualify its graduates to take the national certification examination given by the American Society for Clinical Pathology in pursuit of the HT (ASCP) and HTL (ASCP) certification. We will enroll 4 students each year in each of the two programs, 4 for Histotechcian (HT) and 4 for Histotechnologist (HTL).

Online Application

Schedule & Location

Weekly Class Commitment

Histotechnician (HT) Students:

  • Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., 
    PLUS
  • Two weekends a month from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Histotechnologist (HTL) Students:

  • Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Both Programs:

  • Class starts in August of every year
  • Students will receive days off for holidays and breaks
  • Classes will be held at Inova Laboratories - Merrifield, 2832 Juniper St., Fairfax, VA 22031

Photos From Our Inaugural Open House

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Accreditation

NAACLS logoInova Histology Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Rd, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018, (773) 714-8880, www.naacls.org.

Students in our program are eligible for the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Histotechnology Board of Registry Certification Examination.

Certification

About the Histotechnology Profession

Between October 2016 and January 2017, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) conducted its bi-annual Vacancy Survey of medical laboratories in the United States. According to the survey, 17% of all histology employees are expected to retire in the next 5 years. Staff and supervisor retirement rates are 14% and 23% respectively. Most responders report hiring credentialed or certified HTs and HTLs is preferred – identifying qualifications and certification status as crucial factors in addressing the needs of the laboratory workforce. This confirms the need to address and intensify efforts to recruit the next generation of laboratory personnel. (Source: American Journal of Clinical Pathology, Volume 149, Issue 5, 29 March 2018, Pages 387–400) Read the report: The American Society for Clinical Pathology’s 2016-2017 Vacancy Survey of Medical Laboratories in the United States

About Inova

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that serves more than 2 million people each year from throughout the Washington, DC metro area and beyond. Inova is a comprehensive network of hospitals, outpatient services and facilities, primary and specialty care practices, and health and wellness initiatives. Inova's five hospitals include more than 1,800 licensed beds and 18,000 team members and encompass a full array of health services.

Inova provides the only locally based, full service central laboratory in Northern Virginia, offering hospital quality and same-day results for many tests.

All five of Inova's hospitals have been recognized with regional and national achievement by U.S. News & World Report in at least one specialty or common core ranking; by the Leapfrog Awards, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); and by many others.

Contact the Inova Histology Program

Non-Discriminatory Policy

Inova Histology Program does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.

Supporting Our Community

The Inova Histology Program supports the Inova Foundation's childhood educational programming efforts in our community, including the Inova Healthy Plate Club. If you would like to support these programs, please visit inova.gives/CommunityHealth