I fill the gaps with lab assistants and histotechs in the area that want to
get in some part-time hours every now and then.  Sometimes you have to
provide additional training but it is worth it in the long run.  I agree
that if the PA has the time... but most of the PAs I know (including myself)
have a pretty busy day as it is.  I normally spend my lunch time in my
office with a sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other catching up on
paperwork.
Charles R. Embrey Jr. PA(AAPA), HT(ASCP)
Histology Manager
Carle Clinic, Urbana Illinois    


-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon Couger [mailto:gcouger@provalue.net]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 1:29 PM
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Re: Time Off-Coverage


How much you pay the peoples is not the question. Getting the job done is.
If the P. A. has the time it is more cost effective to have him doing any
work than none.

It sounds like you don't have the problem that faces all small operations.
Everyone has to be there to get the work out. What about you can you fill
the gaps?

Gordon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charles.Embrey" 
To: "'Gutierrez, Juan'" ; "'Travis Troyer'"
; 
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 12:23 PM
Subject: RE: Time Off-Coverage


: What do you mean put the PA to work?  I can't believe someone would
suggest
: having a PA do lab assistant work.  That would be a VERY expensive Lab
: Assistant or technician.  It just doesn't seem cost effective to pay
someone
: $40-$55 an hour to do $8-10 dollar an hour work.  Train your grossing tech
: to HT level, give them a raise and rotate the shifts to prevent burnout.
: You can also move your grossing schedule forward to more closely align
with
: the histotech timeframe.  I gross here from about 0800 to 1530.  I would
: hate grossing until 6pm.
: Charles R. Embrey Jr. PA(AAPA), HT(ASCP)
: Histology Manager
: Carle Clinic, Urbana Illinois
:
: -----Original Message-----
: From: Gutierrez, Juan [mailto:Juan_Gutierrez@srhc.iwhs.org]
: Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 10:49 AM
: To: 'Travis Troyer'; histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
: Subject: RE: Time Off-Coverage
:
:
: What does your P.A. do?  Sounds to me like you need to put him/her to
work.
: I have the same situation here, except I have a tech not a P.A. to cover
: from 7:30-4:00.  When my gross tech is out he covers for him.  And if I
need
: him to come in early to cover for the cutters, he is willing to do it.
The
: only draw back is that when he is out I have to cover for him.  I guess I
: should consider myself lucky.
: Hope this helps.
:
: Juan C. Gutierrez, HT(ASCP)
: Histology Supervisor
: Christus Santa Rosa Hospital
: (210)704-2533
: Juan_Gutierrez@srhc.iwhs.org
:
: -----Original Message-----
: From: Travis Troyer [mailto:ttroyer@pcllab.com]
: Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 10:28 AM
: To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
: Subject: Time Off-Coverage
:
:
:
: Our lab is a smaller lab consisiting of two full time histotechs, a
grossing
: tech, and a Pathologist Assistant.  We are having a hard time deciding on
: how to deal with time off for techs when the histotech time frame is
: 5:30am-1:30pm and the grossing time frame is 11:30am-6:00pm.  We also do
: some cytology fluid prep work. I am trying to figure out a good solution
so
: that nobody gets burned out and everything is covered.  Our current
workload
: is enough that a single tech can't handle either the grossing or the
: microtomy alone.  Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
: Thank you
: Travis Troyer
: Peterson Clinical Lab
:
:
:
: