Academic Schedule & Administrative Information

Classes start in early September with completion in late March each year. Students will be eligible for certification by the American Society for Clinical Pathology through examination by the Board of Certification upon successful program completion. Lectures are scheduled Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Clinical rotation hours can vary in the range of 4:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m.  Hours will vary with specific rotations. An online learning management system, Canvas, is used along with lectures on a daily basis to provide the didactic portion of the program. Students are in clinical rotations in the Histology Department each day as well.

Graduation

Affiliation of the School of Histotechnology with Illinois Central College affords students who successfully complete the histology program at OSF Saint Francis to receive a 13 hours of credit. All graduates of the OSF Saint Francis HT program receive a certificate of completion and are eligible to take the national certification exams.

Vacation &  Holidays

Each student is allocated personal time during the year to be used for sick time, job interviews and absences for other personal reasons. Three weeks of vacation are scheduled: one week at Thanksgiving and two weeks over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Health Services and Insurance

Students are responsible for their own health care costs during the school year. It is required that all students obtain health insurance coverage for the duration of the program. Enrolled students have access to emergency medical care at all times during the clinical program.

Student Policies

At orientation, all enrolled students will receive a student handbook that explains the curriculum and evaluation mechanisms in detail, as well as all school and hospital policies and procedures the student must be familiar with.

Dress Code

Students may wear either white uniforms or colored scrub suits. White leather duty shoes or athletic shoes (without any canvas or fabric sections) must be worn in the laboratory. Hair must be worn short or pulled back in a secure manner from the face. Fluid-resistant lab coats and other personal protective wear will be provided for students' use during the clinical year.

Student Expectations

Students must complete the following minimum requirements to pass all courses in the HT program. Specific grading protocol and additional requirements will be identified in each clinical and lecture course syllabus.

Lecture Courses

Minimum overall course score of 70%

Rotation Courses

Minimum overall course score of 70%; and

Minimum 70% score on final written exam; and

Minimum 75% score on final practical exams(s)

A final letter grade will be awarded based on the final percentage grade calculated from exam and evaluation scores. 

The following guidelines will be used:

A = 90 ‑ 100%

B = 80 ‑ 89%

C = 70 ‑ 79%

F = Below 70%