Yes Bob, I've worked in both areas. In fact I worked at the UGA veterinary
lab for almost 10 years prior to leaving for my present job. While the jobs
are certainly different don't think that the veterinary histotechnologist's
job, at least one serving an active university hospital, is without stress.
My experience was that we had a surgical biopsy service from the hospital
and an outpatient mail-in surgical practice and we serviced the diagnostic
laboratory which submitted samples from both pet and farm animals and we had
a research service which received specimens from all areas of the university
needing histotechnology support. When I left there we were doing 67,000
slides a year with 4 histotechs. Surgical biopsies and the mail-in service
had to be on the pathologist's desk by 10am so they could be reviewed before
the morning slide conference with the residents. It was our goal to have all
routine H&Es out by noon. At that time we stained and coverslipped
everything by hand. We had frozen sections coming from surgery and multiple
special stains every day. We were just beginning IHC at the time I left, but
we had a fairly active plastics section lab and a muscle biopsy service.
Also remember that the diagnosis of some animal diseases may directly affect
the possible health of the humans that are exposed to the animal. I remember
working very late one Christmas Eve to help make a rush diagnosis in a case
where a pet and a small child had similar symptoms. Fortunately, the child
quickly recovered. So while the pressures are not exactly the same there is
still plenty enough there to go around.

John E. Tarpley 5-1-A
Associate Scientist
Amgen Inc.
One Amgen Center Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 
These Opinions are my own and not necessarily those of my employer.

-----Original Message-----
From: RSRICHMOND@aol.com [mailto:RSRICHMOND@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, August 10, 2001 10:10 AM
Cc: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Re: Quality-right first time?


Louri Caldwell writes:

>>The pathologists here are great (thankfully) about discussing/showing 
slides to us when they find an interesting case or problem. It makes for a 
better relationship all the way around.<<

I have some background in veterinary pathology, but none in the day-to-day 
practice of it. I would suppose that the stresses on histotechnologists 
supporting veterinary pathologists would be somewhat different from those 
affecting histotechnologists supporting surgical pathologists. Anybody have 
experience in b