JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
A program that trains service members to become cytotechnologists is marking 50 years of existence at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
The cytotechnology program housed at the Medical Education Training Campus at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston started in 1967 at the old Brooke Army Medical Center.
Cytotechnology is a medical field that covers the study of cells and a cytotechnologist is responsible for the microscopic interpretation of cell structures from pathology specimens gathered from medical procedures, including a Pap test, biopsy and fine needle aspirations, another type of biopsy procedure.
On April 29, the 50th anniversary of the program was recognized during the annual conference of the American Society for Cytotechnology held in San Antonio. ASCT marked the anniversary by honoring former students, program directors, educational coordinators and instructors as well as current instructors and staff members involved in the Cytotechnology Program. The honorees were presented with commemorative coins.
Jorge Franco, METC Cytotechnology Program director, said 40 to 50 former students, spanning several generations, were recognized at the ASCT conference.
“It was pretty nice because there were so many individuals that came out of the woodwork,” Franco said. “There were people from the first class in 1967 to people that graduated just a couple of years ago.”
Since 1967, the program has trained 637 cytotechnologists, the highest among cytotechnology training programs in the U.S., Franco said.
“We have produced some of the most highly qualified cytotechnologists in the nation,” he said.
Students who graduate from the program are assigned to military treatment facilities or, if needed, deployed to support pathology augmentation teams during military operations.
The cytotechnology program has selective guidelines for admission, with only 7 to 10 service members selected each year. To be considered for the program, an active duty member must have two years of experience as a medical lab technician in the service and a minimum of 60 hours of college credit.
Students are in the program for 12 months and includes 2,000 hours of curriculum instruction. In addition to regular program curriculum, students also take two online courses in molecular diagnostics from George Washington University.
Once they complete the program, service members will earn a Bachelor of Science degree from the university and be prepared to take a national certification exam administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
Franco said an active-duty member who is trained to become a cytotechnologist needs to have a strong scientific background, particularly in the areas of chemistry and biology, and be able to recognize the normal cellular elements of every body part and organ, pre-malignant and malignant conditions of a cell structure and cellular elements for inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases.
“We are definitely one of the top cytotechnology programs in the nation because our curriculum is very comprehensive and solid,” Franco said.
Each year since 2008, a student in the METC Cytotechnology Program has been selected for the Geraldine Colby Zeiler Award. The award is given by the American Society of Cytopathology to the top five cytotechnologist students in the U.S. who have completed the first six months of training in an accredited cytotechnology program.
An experienced and engaged staff of instructors in the program is aware of the latest changes in cytotechnology field and prepares students for those changes in both the classroom and in their training, said Franco.
Franco said having well-qualified, well-trained cytotechnologists is critical for the medical needs of the military personnel.
“It is extremely important,” Franco said. “Number one, because it ensures a ready fighting force and also, the second aspect of it, we are able to take care of our veterans and retirees.”
Staff Sgt. Janna Shannon was a student in the METC Cytotechnology Program from 2008-09. She returned to the program in 2014 as an instructor and is now also the program’s education coordinator.
Shannon said she was working as a lab technician when she became interested in the cytotechnology field.
“I wanted to do something more,” Shannon said. “I had a NCOIC (non-commissioned officer in charge) who recommended that I do cytotechnology because she realized I was detailed oriented and she said cytotechnology was for detail-oriented people. When I started learning about the field, I realized how important it is to the medical field. It was something that always really interested me. That’s why I joined.”
While she was a student in the cytotechnology program, Shannon said the instructors were thorough in presenting the material, where there when students needed additional help, including weekends, and were helpful in preparing the students for the national certification exam.
Shannon explained why she returned to the program as a cytotechnology instructor.
“I wanted to give back to the field that helped me so much, and I wanted to be part of training the new cytotechnologists coming into the military,” she said.