FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2003
CONTACT: Roland Ruiz, St. Philip's College Director of Community and Public Relations
210.531.4851
ST. PHILIP'S COLLEGE STUDENT CLUB AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF HISTOLOGIC TECHNICIAN PROFESSION
A St. Philip's College student club is setting out to broaden understanding of a vitally important-but-little-known
technical health care field known as Histologic Technology, an occupational training program offered as part of the Allied Health curricula at the local community college.
Members of the Histologic Technician Program Student Club at St. Philip's College want to raise the visibility of their chosen field of study and its applications to modern medicine and patient care. The students are enrolled in a budding Histologic Technician Program that is preparing them for careers as technicians in medical and clinical laboratory environments, according to program director and club sponsor Frank J. Garza.
"Most folks simply do not know what a Histologic Technician is or what their role is as members of a healthcare team or facility, and these student club members are aiming to change this," Garza said. "In short, Histologic Technicians artfully specialize in the preparation of human tissue for the medical diagnostic interpretation that is normally utilized to
diagnose diseases or rule out malignancy or other abnormalities by a medical doctor specializing in pathology."
As part of their vision to raise awareness of this specialized field, students in the St. Philip's Histologic Technician Program plan to send as many representatives as possible to the National Society of Histotechnology 29th Annual Symposium/Convention to be held in Louisville, Kentucky, Oct. 18-24. Participation in the convention will be a first for
St. Philip's since the program's inception three years ago.
Newly elected club President, Manuel E. "Jake" Garcia noted that representing St. Philip's at the national convention is
just part of the club's vision for increasing the visibility of Histologic Technology. "Student members have every desire
to promote or facilitate exposure to the Histologic profession both locally within the ACCD community and its surrounding communities as well as on a state and national stage," he said.
Garza added that the student club helps to represent the St. Philip's Allied Health Department's philosophy of providing every student with opportunities to attain academic, educational and clinical competencies that are vital for filling the region's immediate shortage of qualified and trained Histologic Technicians.
"These students reinforce specialized lab and academic skills learned during the numerous exercises that must be
successfully navigated throughout the duration of the training program," Garza said. "The spirit of teamwork and
camaraderie among each and every student member as defined in the student organization handbook is already evident
among the class."
The St. Philip's College Histologic Technician Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACL). More information is available by calling 531-4718.
St. Philip's College, one of the Alamo Community Colleges serving the greater Bexar County region, is a comprehensive community college. The college is designated as both a Historically Black College and a Hispanic Serving Institution, the only one in the nation to carry such a distinction. St. Philip's College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.