Mmmmmm, you think they work in a factory??   I quit working at a lab just
because of this type of attitude from the boss.   I met the guidelines, I
just didn't feel like I wanted to be in factory work.     Productivity and
competency are NOT the same.     Quality should be the issue.   I would
rather have excellent slides produced in a longer time frame than slides
done to meet the quota, that have to be recut later.   Your off base on this
one Roxanne.

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Soto, Roxanne [SMTP:RSoto@covhealth.org]
> Sent:	Thursday, November 14, 2002 4:54 PM
> To:	Histonet (E-mail)
> Subject:	COMPETENCY vs PRODUCTIVITY
> 
> I know that this subject has been brought many times before, but I really
> need some advice.  I had to develop competencies at my organization
> because
> the techs have not had to be in several years, nor have they been help
> accountable for anything.  To come up with an objective number for
> embedding
> and microtomy, I watched them for several days and timed them all.  I came
> up with a "lab average" and to be competent they had to be within 70% of
> the
> lab average.  For example, the lab average for microtomy was 84 slides per
> hour and to be competent they had to cut 59 slides per hour with less than
> a
> 2% error rate (error rate is based on depth and wrinkles, etc.).  I have
> several employees that are well below that number.  They think that I am
> being unrealistic in my expectations of them.  My manager and I disagree
> on
> what competent means.  He feels that I am asking for productivity and not
> competency, I think they are one in the same.  He feels that to be
> competent
> that have to show they know how to do their job, I told him to be
> competent
> they have to be productive.  He asked me today if there were any articles
> about productivity standards in histology.  So is there such a thing?
> Now I have other things on my competency as well, such as, accessioning,
> frozens, special stains, processing, microwave processing, etc.  My next
> question is, what do you do if you have a tech that doesn't pass the
> competency?  I have been told that I have to re-train them, even if they
> have been a tech for 30 years.  How does your organization handle this?
> On the down side of this, is my techs.  They don't care about the
> competencies because even if they are not competent, nothing will happen
> to
> them, so they don't care.  One tech can come in and bust there butt and
> they
> will get the same benefits and raise as a tech that comes in and does
> absolutely nothing.  I have been trying to change this since I got here,
> but
> until I have documentation to back me up, I am stuck.  
> You advice would be greatly appreciated.
> Roxanne
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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