[Histonet] The monkey cranking the microtome

[Paul Bradbury]

Ooohh! I am sure that this will not be the only response you get to your 
e-mail !!

For someone who has been qualified only since December, you are taking a 
very condescending attitude toward a profession that you obviously do 
not fully appreciate. If your only experience of histotechnology is that 
of section cutting and mass producing sections, you have overlooked 
major portions of the responsibilities of being a technologist.

I am sure there are some workers out there who do "just crank the 
microtome" and who do not have any other career ambitions. These are the 
same people who describe themselves as "just a histotech", as though it 
were something to be ashamed of.  If this is truly your attitude, I 
would suggest that you find another profession ... and quickly.

The difference between "just a histotech" and a true histotechnologist 
is the same as the difference between an unmotivated short-order cook 
flipping hamburgers and a well educated chef preparing a gourmet feast. 
To the "just a histotech", it is just a job, a way of making  few bucks 
without having to expend much effort. To the true professional, it is a 
career that requires a sold background in chemistry, biology, 
immunology, and physics, along with a wide range of experience.

A well-educated histotechnologist is a vital member of the diagnostic 
team, without his/her participation and knowledge, an accurate diagnosis 
will not be possible.  A diagnostic pathology laboratory can only be as 
good as the technologists who work in it. If they are minimally trained 
and unmotivated, they will not be appreciated, and the standards of the 
laboratory willl reflect that. If they are well-educated, knowledgeable, 
and enthusiastic about their profession, they will be respected by the 
other members of the diagnostic teams, and their advice will be sought 
in determining the best procedures for diagnosis.

In the few months since your qualified, have you had chance to do any 
immunohistochemistry, frozen sections, renal biopsies, lymphoma studies, 
muscle biopsies, histochemistry or immunofluorescence?  These are the 
skills required of a qualified technologist ... these are the 
investigations that can determine the future course of a patient's life.

The success of any endeavour, whether it is a career, a sport, or a 
relationship, will be proportional to the effort that is put into it. If 
you are not willing to put effort and dedication into this career, you 
will not achieve any level of satisfaction ... and you will fail. Go to 
the nest NSH meeting, I defy you to say that "there was nothing I did 
not already know". You will gain a new (obviously much needed) insight 
into the profession of histotechnology.

Paul Bradbury
Kamloops, BC