Sherry,

You're right.  Often it's a matter of needing to get the slides out as early
as possible. 

As managers, we have to walk a fine line of quantity vs quality.  Still, I
always encourage the staff to look at the work they're putting out, and to
treat every specimen as though might belong to one of their family members.
To me, putting out something marginal is not acceptable.

The pathologists I have worked for in the past (clinical settings) have
understood that to be my philosophy and would rather wait for something good
than have to struggle with something that is not.  My original response was
to Dr. Richmond's comment that some techs take pride in not looking at their
work under a microscope.  I've worked with techs like that, too.  Because of
their lack of microscopic experience, they often couldn't positively
identify fungus vs bacteria vs anthrocotic pigment in a silver-stained
section of lung.  

I might add that it is also possible to review slides after they're sent
back for filing, when the time crunch isn't as acute.  Not as good a
solution, but would possibly offer the opportunity to critique one's own
work or provide a mechanism for interaction with the managers and/or
pathologists regarding such.

Teri Johnson
Lab Manager, Histology
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Kansas City, MO

-----Original Message-----
From: Smith, Sherry A. (Histology)
To: 'Johnson, Theresa'
Sent: 8/10/01 11:38 PM
Subject: RE: Pride?

Dear Managers and Pathologist,

If you would staff the labs so that the Histotechs had time to review
their
slides then maybe they would do so more often.  It seems to me that the
Doctor's are the ones asking for quality not quantity, but they seem to
forget this when they go complaining to the managers that they do not
have
their slides early enough.  It is always rush, rush, rush.  Also, it is
funny to me that the ones always complaining about quality and time are
not
the ones doing the work, and some have NEVER even been a Histotech.

Sherry Smith  HTL (ASCP)
Supervisor, Histology
Presbyterian Hospital
Charlotte, NC

		-----Original Message-----
		From:	Johnson, Theresa
[mailto:TJJ@Stowers-Institute.org]
		Sent:	Friday, August 10, 2001 1:09 PM
		To:	Histonet (E-mail)
		Subject:	Pride?

		Samarai Pathologist wrote:  "It always infuriates the
many
conscientious
		histotechnologists on Histonet when I say this, but I'm
going to say it
		again - most of the histotechs I work with pride
themselves
on never looking
		at a slide."

		Geez, if this is pride, I don't want any part of it. I
can't
imagine not
		reviewing my work every chance I got.

		:::shaking my head in disbelief:::

		Teri Johnson
		Lab Manager, Histology
		Stowers Institute of Medical Research
		Kansas City, Missouri
		


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