I would like to note that I am both a histotech and a P.A. (though not licensed as a P.A.) I get to work and first help finish the daily histo work. (6:30 to approx. 9:00 A.M.) After which I move to the gross room and gross in anywhere from 80 to 150 blocks per day. I will say though, I do not, as of yet, do any of the clerical work... accessioning and data entry, we have secretaries for that. My time is better utilized working on other things. I think being a histotech has helped the quality of my grossing a great deal. A histotech knows what is needed to produce good slides because I also have to cut them, a P.A. may not have this insight. 

It appears to me that there are several spoiled P.A.'s out there... I guess I have it kinda good too. 

I have a really great boss, that's why. :)  hi sandy.

curt

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Soto, Roxanne [mailto:RSoto@covhealth.org] 
Sent:	Tuesday, June 24, 2003 08:04
To:	'Charles.Embrey'; Soto, Roxanne
Cc:	'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'
Subject:	RE: PA Job Description

Sorry----I am heading for Florida!!!!
 
Roxanne

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles.Embrey [mailto:Charles.Embrey@carle.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 10:02 AM
To: 'Soto, Roxanne'
Cc: 'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'
Subject: RE: PA Job Description


Come work for me!  I'm a nice guy and I really need a lead tech.  I will
treat you like gold.  I know that good experienced histotechs are very
valuable.
Chuck

-----Original Message-----
From: Soto, Roxanne [mailto:RSoto@covhealth.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 9:56 AM
To: 'Charles.Embrey'; 'Terry Murphy'; Elliott Grammon; 'Rushing, Roxane';
'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'; Soto, Roxanne
Subject: RE: PA Job Description


I agree, not all PA's are rotten bananas, but it only takes one to ruin the
bunch.  I have worked with very helpful PA's, this really is the first time
that I have had PA's that need to have a hand held through grossing.  In the
past, when the PA's worked for the hospital it was easier to control, but
now most PA's work for the Pathology group and it is very difficult to
control.  My PA's also tend not to agree with what I say or do and over rule
me behind my back and they kind of form a posse so they can get things the
way they want.  But, it will soon be someone else's problem as I am
leaving..........

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles.Embrey [mailto:Charles.Embrey@carle.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 9:49 AM
To: 'Terry Murphy'; Elliott Grammon; Charles.Embrey; 'Rushing, Roxane';
'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'; Soto, Roxanne
Subject: RE: PA Job Description


I am REALLY sorry that so many of you have had bad experiences with
Pathologists' Assistants.  I am at this minute looking out my window waiting
for an angry mob of Histotechs with pitchforks and microtome blades to come
across the hill and drag me out to be whole mounted.  Surely we can't all be
that bad and I would like to think that most of us are pleasant to work
with.  I myself am a pretty easygoing, happy guy that just wants to get
through today's specimens.  There does seem to be a lot of misconceptions
out there and I guess it could be expected.  The Pathologists' Assistant
profession is just starting to really grow even though it has been around
for about thirty years.  I have only been a fellow for about 4 years and the
membership has grown from about 300 to 750.  I hope the problems that you
have had with the PAs you have encountered is the exception to the rule.
Hopefully PAs, like any other profession, have just a few snots in the
bunch.  (I thought "snots" was a better word than what I really wanted to
type)  
Charles R. Embrey Jr. PathAssist(AAPA), HT(ASCP)
Histology Manager
Carle Clinic, Urbana Illinois  

-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Murphy [mailto:cbuddyh@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 8:02 PM
To: Elliott Grammon; 'Charles.Embrey'; 'Rushing, Roxane';
'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'; Soto, Roxanne
Subject: RE: PA Job Description


I have to agree with Roxanne.  I have worked with a number of PA's in two
different settings and I have found the majority of them to be arrogant and
self serving.  They never went above and beyond their assigned
responsibilities and when the work load dictated that they have to work past
quitting time all I heard was complaints.  As a histotech they would not
listen about filling the cassettes too much or about thick tissues not being
able to process.  You would think with tha amount of money they get paid
they should have some knowledge of the chemistry of fixation and processing.
Among other things it is rare that a PA would close a cassette, make up
extra cassettes,  or double check numbers and names.  PA's seem to be able
to have the "better than thou" attitude because they do the work the
pathologists do not want to do.  And the pathologist do not like life
without a PA
 
I might sound bitter but I have over 12 years experience as a
histotechnologist, a HTL, a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Masters
Degree in Health Administration.  I was recently hired as a histology
supervisor and I was recently fired from the same position.  I believe the
reason for my firing was because the PA there felt threatened by me and made
up lies about my work performance to get me fired.  
 
My advise to you is make sure you extensively inteview any perspective PA
before you hire them.  They all can't be bad I just ran into some of the
worst.  I also worked with a PA who I became good friends with.  I just
needed to vent thank you for the forum.
 
Terry Murphy

Elliott Grammon  wrote:

Quite remarkable really !
We have no PA's, but are looking to hire one soon. 
From this PA job description discussion, I'll definitely 
make sure the one we hire has in his / her  WRITTEN contract 
all the duties listed. For the  $40- $55 per hour they get, 
they don't appear to do much, from Roxanne's
description anyhow.
I may rethink hiring one altogether.
What did you mean Roxanne, by the statement " ...more problems..." ???
Thanks,
 
Elliott Osterhaus, MD,PhD
 

--------- Original Message ---------

DATE: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 12:04:12	
From: "Soto, Roxanne" 	
To: "'Charles.Embrey'" ,"'Rushing, Roxane'"
,"'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'"
	
Cc: 	

I have been following this posting on the PA duties and I have a question.
I have read the job description that Charles sent and I am very confused
about this.  Can you tell me what exactly the PA's do at your sites?  We are
a multi-sited system and we have 4 PA's and 2 sites have 2 PA's in the
morning and the other 2 sites have 1 in the afternoon.  The PA's that we
have do not always verify the accession number is correct or that it matches
the reqs (as this is a lab aide job and they are PA's and it is not their
job to verify the lab aides work).  We have to have a Lab Aide work with
each PA, side by side, to close cassettes, clean instruments between
specimens, etc.  So, I have to pay these lab aides for full time work to
stand by the PA all day to basically make and close the cassettes.  I even
had one PA tell me that they were unfamiliar with the processors.  They do
no filing, no maintenance of equipment, no cleaning.  We even have 1 site
that if a PA calls out sick we need to send a histologists to be there all
day to act as a lab aide because they can't, or won't, do it one their own.
Is this typical?
 
One more thing----please do not copy this and put it on the PA list-server,
as I do not want, nor do I need, any more problems with our PA's.
Roxanne

-----Original Message-----
From: Charles.Embrey [mailto:Charles.Embrey@carle.com]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 10:54 AM
To: 'Rushing, Roxane'; 'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'
Subject: RE: PA Job Description



PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF PATHOLOGISTS' ASSISTANTS
Based on the AAPA
 Code of Regulations and reviewed by a committee of the
American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) in 1994

At the direction and under the supervision of a Pathologist(s), a
Pathologists' Assistant may perform the following tasks and assume the
responsibility for duties including the following:

 bullet
 	Preparation, gross description and dissection of human tissue
surgical specimens including:	


A. Assuring appropriate specimen accessioning.

B. Obtaining clinical history, including scans, x-rays, laboratory data,
etc.

C. Describing gross anatomic features, dissecting surgical specimens, and
preparing tissues for histologic processing.

D. Obtaining biological specimens such as blood, tissue and toxicological
material for studies such as flow cytometry, image analysis,
immunohistochemistry etc., and performing special procedures including
Faxitron imaging and tumor triage.

E. Photographing all pertinent gross specimens and microscopic slides.

F. Performing duties relating to the administrative maintenance of surgical
pathology protocols, reports and data, including the filing of reports,
protocols, photographic and microscopic slides; assuring the completion of
specimen coding; and billing.

G. Assuring proper maintenance of equipment, provision of adequate supplies,
and cleanliness of the surgical pathology suite.

H. Assisting in the organization and coordination of anatomic pathology
conferences.

 bullet
 	Preparation of human postmortem examinations including:	


A. Ascertaining proper legal authorization for autopsy.

B. Retrieving the patient's medical chart and other pertinent data for
review with the attending pathologist(s).

C. Conferring with the attending pathologist(s) to identify any special
techniques and procedures to be utilized in the completion of the postmortem
examination, (e.g. cultures; smears; histochemical, immunofluorescence,
toxicological, viral, or electron microscopy studies etc.), and notifying
all personnel directly involved.

D. Notifying the physician in charge, the funeral home, and all other
appropriate authorities prior to the beginning of the autopsy; and
coordinating any requests for special specimen sampling (e.g. organ
transplantation, research, etc.).

E. Performing postmortem examinations which may include: external
examination; in situ organ inspection; evisceration; dissection and
dictation or recording of data such as organ weights, presence of body
fluids etc., and gross anatomic findings.

F. Selecting, preparing and submitting appropriate gross tissue sections for
frozen section analysis as well as for light, electron and immunofluorescent
microscopy.

G. Obtaining biological specimens such as blood, tissue and toxicological
material for studies including flow cytometry, image analysis,
immunohistochemistry etc.; and performing special procedures such as
coronary artery perfusion, central nervous system perfusion, enucleation,
inner ear bone dissection, spinal cord removal, etc.

H. Photographing the body, organs, microscopic slides and other pertinent
materials.

I. Gathering and organizing clinical information and data pertinent to the
preparation of the preliminary summarization of the clinical history.

J. Preparing the body for release (including indicating the presence of
biohazards such as contagious disease, radiation implants, etc.), and
releasing the body to the appropriate mortuary or funeral home
representative.

K. Performing duties related to administrative maintenance of anatomic
pathology protocols; photographic and microscopic slides; and assuring the
completion of coding.

L. Assisting in the organization and coordination of anatomic pathology
conferences.

M. Assuring the proper maintenance of equipment, the provision of adequate
supplies, and the cleanliness of the autopsy suite.

 bullet
 	Performing such administrative, budgetary, supervisory, teaching,
and other duties as may be assigned.	

-----Original Message-----
From: Rushing, Roxane [mailto:RRushing@pathgroupla.com]
Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 10:22 AM
To: 'histonet@pathology.swmed.edu'
Subject: PA Job Description



Do any of you have an official P.A. job description that you would share?
(Not lab assistants, Pathologist Assistants, P.A.)

--e-mail or fax to 225-766-6050

 

Thanks in advance,

Roxane Rushing

Pathology Group of La.

 



Privileged/Confidential information may be contained in this message. The
information contained in this message is intended only for the use of the
recipient(s) named above and their co-workers who are working on the same
matter.


The recipient of this information is prohibited from disclosing the
information to any other party unless this disclosure has been authorized in
advance.


If you are not intended recipient of this message or any agent responsible
for delivery of the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken in
reliance on the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. You should
immediately destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply
E-Mail.


Please advise immediately if you or your employer does not consent to
Internet E-Mail for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other
information in this message that do not relate to the official business of
the firm shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.





____________________________________________________________
Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail!
Login To Lycos   Mail 



   _____  

Do you Yahoo!?
SBC
 Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month!



Privileged/Confidential information may be contained in this message. The
information contained in this message is intended only for the use of the
recipient(s) named above and their co-workers who are working on the same
matter.


The recipient of this information is prohibited from disclosing the
information to any other party unless this disclosure has been authorized in
advance.


If you are not intended recipient of this message or any agent responsible
for delivery of the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken in
reliance on the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. You should
immediately destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply
E-Mail.


Please advise immediately if you or your employer does not consent to
Internet E-Mail for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other
information in this message that do not relate to the official business of
the firm shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.





Privileged/Confidential information may be contained in this message.  The
information contained in this message is intended only for the use of the
recipient(s) named above and their co-workers who are working on the same
matter.

The recipient of this information is prohibited from disclosing the
information to any other party unless this disclosure has been authorized in
advance.

If you are not intended recipient of this message or any agent responsible
for delivery of the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby
notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or action taken in
reliance on the contents of this message is strictly prohibited.  You should
immediately destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply
E-Mail.

Please advise immediately if you or your employer does not consent to
Internet E-Mail for messages of this kind.  Opinions, conclusions and other
information in this message that do not relate to the official business of
the firm shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.





Confidentiality Note:

The preceding e-mail message (including any attachments) contains information that may be confidential, protected by applicable legal privileges, or constitute non-public information. It is intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s). If you are not an intended recipient of this message, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete it from your system. Use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this message by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be unlawful.