Glen,

I  don't think Vinnie meant the "establishment" is holding us back. I 
believe Vinnie meant we are holding ourselves back. Why else would a large 
number of techs in our field whine about the fact that the ASCP has finally 
changed the educational requirements for certification? It's time we 
stepped up to the plate, folks!!




At 11:24 AM 12/14/2001 -0600, Dawson, Glen wrote:
>Vinnie,
>
>I thought you WERE suggesting histotechnicians read out results
>independently.  So...save your venom and your diatribe on how the
>"establishment" is holding us back.  If you are suggesting that I am putting
>down our discipline I would take that as a personal affront.
>
>Glen
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vinnie Della Speranza [mailto:dellav@musc.edu]
>Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 9:06 AM
>Cc: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: RE: CURIOUS - no reaction!
>
>
>EXACTLY.  A VERY BIG electronic HUG to Joyce for hitting the nail on the
>head !!!
>
>For Glen and the others who are "shocked", the results would always be
>confirmed by the pathologist. I was not suggesting that this would not be
>the case. Indded I am shocked at how many of you either do not "want" the
>responsibility or believe that they shouldn't have it. I am shocked by how
>many of you are willing to accept that other lab disciplines are more
>capable or more qualified than we.  Perhaps these reactions can explain in
>part why our discipline has been held back. if our own practitioners do not
>believe that they can or should perform certain duties, they in effect hold
>themselves back.
>Everywhere I have worked, ER, PR and Her2 have been screened by technical
>staff, either med techs or cytotechs. yes, their results were verified by
>the doc.
>The greatest limitation is EDUCATION. These tests would be considered high
>complexity, requiring the CLIA mandated education level of those doing this
>screening and this in effect would eliminate many histotechs.
>
>
>Vinnie Della Speranza
>Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
>Medical University of South Carolina
>165 Ashley Avenue  Suite 309
>Charleston, SC 29425
>Ph: 843-792-6353
>fax: 843-792-8974
>
> >>> "Weems, Joyce"  12/14/01 05:21AM >>>
>I believe the issue would be - why is a cytotech more qualified than an HTL?
>It is just accepted that histotechs read nothing, but it is time to start
>changing that perception with all the quantitive testing coming into common
>use. As with a cytotech, a pathologist would have the final say. Perhaps
>that could be one of the things that separates a HT from an HTL.
>
>My 2 cents....
>
>Everyone have a great weekend! j
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dawson, Glen
>To: Vinnie Della Speranza; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Sent: 12/13/2001 4:46 PM
>Subject: RE: CURIOUS - no reaction!
>
>Vinnie,
>
>I was unaware that a histotech would EVER read out results.  Having a
>histotech who makes $28,000 per year carrying no malpractice insurance
>reading out FISH is NOT NOT NOT advisable.  Any institution having
>histotechnicians reading out cases is asking for big trouble.  In my
>lab,
>histotechs perform all the technical duties required to produce the
>final
>product, but it is read out by a well-trained, well-paid pathologist
>(who
>carries malpractice insurance).
>
>Shocked,
>
>Glen Dawson  BS, HT & IHC (ASCP)
>Lead IHC Technologist
>Milwaukee, WI
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vinnie Della Speranza [mailto:dellav@musc.edu]
>Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2001 1:12 PM
>To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>Subject: CURIOUS - no reaction!
>
>
>I have been watching this thread (Her 2neu/ FISH) over thepast week with
>some interest, wondering if anyone else would react to this but no one
>has.
>I hope that it is because everyone is distracted with other things and
>NOT
>complacent.
>
>No one commented that at this one facility (quoted below) the histotechs
>perform that method but are NOT asked to read the result.
>
>in an earlier post (source deleted to protect the innocent!) someone
>wrote
> >>> 12/11/01 11:39AM
>Our histotechs perform the staining procedure for FISH, but we have a
>cytotech that is trained to read them along with a pathologist.>>>
>
>it is not typically a cytotech's scope of practice to read out tissues.
>  Why aren't histotechs reading out these cases????
>
>comments?
>
>
>Vinnie Della Speranza
>Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
>Medical University of South Carolina
>165 Ashley Avenue  Suite 309
>Charleston, SC 29425
>Ph: 843-792-6353
>fax: 843-792-8974
>


**************************************************************************
Jill Songer HT (ASCP)
Supervisor, Anatomic Pathology
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Virginia Tech