Program Affiliates
Overview of clinical affiliates
Clinical affiliates are subject to change. New affiliates may be set up based on student and/or laboratory need. A goal of this program is to expand professional training in the field of histology and to work with laboratories to meet future histotechnician needs. If you are a laboratory interested in this opportunity, please contact the UND Histotechnician Program.
Current clinical affiliates:
- Altru Health System, Grand Forks, ND
- Avera McKennan, Sioux Falls, SD
- Benefits Health System, Great Falls, MT
- CentraCare, St. Cloud, MN
- InCyte Diagnostics, Spokane Valley, WA & Bellevue, WA
- Innovis Health LLC, Essentia Health, Fargo, ND
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
- North Platte Pathology, Casper, WY
- Sanford Health Systems, Sioux Falls, SD
- Sanford North, Fargo, ND
- St. Luke's Magic Valley Regional Medical Center, Twin Falls, ID
- TriHealth, Cincinnati, OH
- Unity Point Health - St. Luke's, Sioux City, IA
Clinical Site Responsibilities
- Agree to be clinical site for UND by signing an affiliation agreement. This contract
must be in place before the student can be placed at the facility.
- Minimum instrument requirements: automated tissue processor, embedding center, microtome, manual or automated slide stainer, and access to a microscope;
- List of recommended stains: H&E, PAS, Mucicarmine, Acid fast, Trichrome, Gram stain, reticulum stain, Luxol fast blue, GMS, and Prussian blue, and at lease one monoclonal and polyclonal immunohistochemical stain.
- In the clinical portion of a student's studies (HT 367 & 368), each clinical affiliate
will appoint a clinical laboratory liaison (mentor/preceptor) that will guide and
evaluate a student through specific competencies.
- The clinical faculty will mentor and supervise students while on the bench, including evaluating affective performance evaluations, assessing competency and proctoring exams;
- While at the clinical facility, the student is responsible to follow all applicable policies and procedures of the clinical facility.
- Throughout the program of study, a student will be expected to submit a number of stained slides to UND. Slides are scanned into UND's digital slide library which allows students to receive individualized feedback regarding staining and microtomy.
- The clinical site is responsible for proctoring and providing a distraction free environment for didactic exams.
- A student completes all coursework at the assigned clinical site. There is no requirement
to attend courses on-campus at UND.
- For didactic courses (HT 360, 362 and 363), each student is required to listen to online audio lectures. Students will complete unit exams online following a course calendar.
A Solution for the Workforce Crisis: Clinical affiliates are vital for this program. Student training and education is entirely in distance format. The program is designed to work with laboratories across the country to find and train local candidates to fill histology positions that have historically been difficult to fill. UND provides all didactic curriculum such as lectures and examinations and facilitates all clinical applied or practical training in the affiliated laboratory. This cooperation equips students with the knowledge and essential skills needed to meet laboratory specific demands. Students will have the advantage of learning in the environment they are or will be working in.
Affiliation Agreement: A legal agreement between UND and the laboratory highlighting the responsibilities of each party. This agreement can be completed in less than one month.
The clinical affiliate assists and supports in providing the student with career entry skills:
- Receiving and accessioning tissue specimens;
- Preparing tissue specimens;
- Assist with gross examination and frozen section procedures;
- Recognizing factors affecting histology lab procedures or results and responding appropriately;
- Perform preventative and corrective maintenance of laboratory instruments;
- Performing and monitoring quality control for the histology laboratory;
- Demonstrating professionalism; and
- Exercising principles of safety
Contact the UND Histotechnician Program with any questions regarding the HT program or affiliation.