I work in the Pennsylvania State University's Animal Diagnostic Lab.  We
have 2 technicians our average load is similar.  We start the processor at 4
and it is finished at 8 when we both come in.  On most days everything is
cut and stained by noon.  If it is a two rack staining day by 2 PM (we have
an hour lunch 12-1).  We also do the parasitology and a few other small
tests.  The other technician is also one of the necropsy techs so she is
usually not in the lab in the afternoon.

For us the necropsy cases are not as urgent as the biopsy cases.  We seldom
get more than 8 or 9 biopsy cases.  These are always done first but I don't
stain them until the rack is full.  Most of the cases I don't really
consider priority like the one we just received and the veterinarian wanted
it done as a rush because they had it in their office for a week and the
owners were going to be calling soon for results.  (Procrastination on their
part does not constitute and emergency on ours)  It was done as normal.

If there is any other information you want just ask.  For 5 years I did all
this myself plus cutting at 50 -100 frozen sections for FA testing.  I was
beginning to go crazy and it took 3 years of hollering that I need help
before I got any.

Roberta Horner HT
Animal Diagnostic Lab
Penn State University

-----Original Message-----
From:	Christine Lee [mailto:C.Lee@Mailbox.uq.edu.au]
Sent:	Wednesday, May 12, 1999 9:20 PM
To:	Histonet@Pathology.swmed.edu
Subject:	work organisation

I would be very grateful to hear from other Veterinary diagnostic histology
laboratories details of therir work organisation.

We have 1.5 technicians.
Our processor starts at    5.50pm.
              finishes at  7.00am.


The junior tech. starts work at 7.30. Our workload averages 30-40
blocks/day.
Last year we cut 27,000 slides.

I  expect the tech to have finished embeding and cutting at 9.30.
(a)   So that the turn around time is consistant.
(b)   To avoid any risk of R.S.I.


The slides are dried for 30 mins at 60 degrees then H&E stained on an
automatic staining machine.

I expect that the staining and coversliping and labeling will be completed
by 11.30a.m. although mostly it is finished more kike 11.45.

 I would be very grateful for input from other Veterinary diagnostic
laboratories and in particular University laboratories.

I am being accused of "harsh supervision" as these performance measurments
are I am told, "ok for the human medicine world but the expectations are
unrealistic for the Veterinary world. I disagree as our main clients are an
trainee Veterinary pathologists/animal hospital, with clients waiting
anxiously for the diagnosis on their pets. These are the only reference time
frames I stipulate.

Could other similar Veterinary diagnostic laboratories let me know how they
operate.

Christine Lee,
Senior Scientific officer,
Veterinary Pathology and Anatomy,
University of Queensland.
C.lee@mailbox.uq.edu.au