I am a 24 y o Australian Histology Technician who is seeking casual or 
temporary work in Canada. I am not certified with CSMLS, however still wish to 
seek some form of laboratory work in Canada. I believe it is not necessary to 
be certified to work in research.

 I have five years lab experience, four of which have been in histology. I  
have a diploma in health science - pathology techniques, from the New  South 
Wales Technical and Further Education Commission. Completed in 1999.   I have 
experience in all areas of histology, including: gross cut-up,  frozen 
sectioning, microtomy, H&E, special stains and immunohistochemistry.   I am 
curious as to my chances of gaining employment from July of this year.  If you 
have or know of any positions that may be suitable I would be greatful of any 
response. 

Any information that could be provided would be greatly appreciated.  

If anyone is interested please feel free to email me for details.

With many thanks for your time, 


Michelle Howard 

mahoward@idl.net.au

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

 Get along well with others
 Reliable 
 Flexible
 Conscientious
 Willing to learn
 Cope well with pressure
 Enjoy challenges
 Punctual


DEMONSTRATED ABILITIES

 Flexible and adapt easily to change
 Capable of organising people and tasks
 Able to work competently in a team environment and without supervision
 Able to communicate clearly and effectively with others
 Able to handle complaints and resolve problems in customer service, both over 
the phone and face to face
 Ability to use my own initiative to go ahead and complete tasks
 
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT

1998-2002 Hunter Area Pathology Service – Anatomical Pathology (Histology)

Macro Cut-up
 Specimen accession and cassette preparation
 Operation of Histovision photography instrument
 Dictation of macroscopic description of small biopsy specimens
 Decalcification of calcified specimens
 Operation of URM microwave processor
 Operation of solvent recycler
 Embedding, cutting, staining and coverslipping of frozen section specimens

Embedding and Processing
 Routine maintenance of the VIP processor machines, including changing of 
solvents
 Embedding of specimens, including gastric biopsies and other small biopsies 
that require special orientation
 Ordering of weekly alcohol supplies

Sectioning and Staining
 Routine cutting of sections for H&E stain, using either manual or automated 
microtomes
 Cutting of small biopsies that require either levels or serial sections to be 
produced
 Routine maintenance of microtomes
 Routine staining and maintenance concerning automated staining machine
 Manual and automated coverslipping
 Labeling and distribution of slides
 Correlation of daily statistics using the routine daily worksheet as a 
reference

Special Stains, Immunofluorescence and Immunohistochemistry
 Performing special stains which are either part of a routine protocol or 
request specifically by a pathologist
 Special stains include: PAS, DPAS, ZN, Gram, Massons, Reticulin, Shikata, 
Copper, Perls, Alcian Blue, GMS, Giemsa, Warthin-Starry, EVG/VVG and many more
 Cutting of immunofluorescence specimens using a cryostat
 Staining these sections for IgA, IgG, IgM, C3C and Fibrinogen
 Routine maintenance of the Ventana Immunohistochemistry instrument
 Antigen retrieval for necessary sections
 Operation of the Ventana machine
 Perform overnight incubations and finish off with LSAB kit or on the 
automated Ventana instrument
 Makeup antibodies at various dilutions
 Work up new antibodies ie. Dilution, retrieval, enzyme, incubation period, to 
achieve optimum results

Occupational Health and Safety
 Attend monthly meetings to make others aware of safety issues and provide 
solutions for these problems
 Perform safety walks in the Anatomical Department – make staff aware of any 
risks and come up with solutions to prevent these
 Perform manual handling risk assessments
 Carry out Accident investigation when any incident occurs
 Remind staff and make them aware of safety regulations and policies

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

1997-1998 Hunter Area Pathology Service – Microbiology

Duties included: routine specimen accessioning, plating out of specimens, 
microscopies performed on wet films and gram stains.  Operation of the VIDAS 
machine for immunoassays.  Identification of pathogens on media and able to 
perform necessary identification and sensitivity tests.  Ability to data enter 
results into the HOSREP and HOSLAB computer systems.

1996-1997 Andrew Nash Clinic, Wallsend – Pathology Laboratory

As I worked in a small laboratory, only 2 staff members, I gained knowledge and 
skills in various fields of pathology, such as; Haematology, Biochemistry and 
Microbiology.


EDUCATION

1993  	School Certificate – St Mary’s High School, Gateshead NSW

1995 	Higher School Certificate – St Francis Xavier’s College, Hamilton NSW

1999	Diploma of Health Science – Pathology Techniques
	Hunter Institute of Technology, Newcastle Campus
	New South Wales Technical and Further Education Commission


 FURTHER EDUCATION and TRAINING

St John Ambulance Australia – Senior First Aid Certificate Expires 24/08/2003
2 day course

Workcover New South Wales – Workplace committees training - December 1999
(Occupational Health and Safety)  4 day course

Making the Workplace Safe: Actions Employees Can Take – 12 February 2001
1 day course

Member of the Histotechnology Group of New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

Histotechnology Group of NSW Conference 2001– A Kaleidoscope of Histology
4 day attendance