[Histonet] H&E slides for HT practical exam

Thu Mar 24 08:22:03 CST 2005

Jennifer,

I understand the comment about two people sectioning differently etc and
staining can look different even when sections are all stained together on a
stainer.  However, when the pathologists who reviews (for students) the same
sets of slides and see no difference it is not as clear cut as you see it.  I
have been seeing and hearing the same story for years and ASCP does not clarify
beyond a description what they want.  What I have never understood is why the
guidelines for histology registry have not been clearly defined and with the
number of people grading given a standard of stain/slides to work from.

I am sorry that in my opinion.   ASCP takes our money and wants us to register
and doesn't take as much time for a critical to care area as they do for other
areas of the clinical and research laboratories.  I have not ASCP to either
responsive or caring about our field over the almost 30 years I have been
registered.  They only get my money yearly because they are the only current
body with a national register and I have always done CEU so that is not an
issue for me.

Pam Marcum

Quoting Jennifer MacDonald <JMacDonald <@t> mtsac.edu>:

> The fact that  two people from one facility cut and stain their slides at 
> the same time does not guarantee that they are of equal quality.  The ASCP 
> has criteria for grading the slides that all graders adhere too.  There is 
> a very fair system in place to ensure that all applicants receive fair 
> grading.
> 
> Jennifer MacDonald
> 
> 
> 
> 
> pmarcum <@t> vet.upenn.edu 
> Sent by: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> 03/23/2005 06:19 AM
> 
> To
> lpwenk <@t> sbcglobal.net
> cc
> histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu, Mark Adam Tarango 
> <marktarango <@t> earthlink.net>
> Subject
> Re: [Histonet] H&E slides for HT practical exam
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I agree with Peggy.  It is better to learn to be flexible and 
> do excellent work than adhere to policy that only produces a ridgid stain
> regime.
> The goal is to produce slides that are of the highest quality for each 
> tissue
> and stain.
> 
> Unforutnately we have seen and heard from people taking the test for ASCP
> license
> in Histology who cut the same blocks and stianed the slides at the same 
> time
> when one passed
> and one failed.  I have yet to see anyone on the grading committee address 
> this
> issue. 
> 
> Sorry to open this can of worms again however, when I took my test in the 
> "70s I
> was told
> not to submit any animal tissue (I was doing research on animals only) or 
> I
> would fail.  I know
> that has changed and I did find a way (pre-HIPPA) to get my tissue and 
> stain but
> it shows the differences 
> in how we are treated and graded over the years.  Other than what you 
> stated 
> for H&E is there a true
> standard for each stain or does it depend on the person grading and what 
> they
> like or see.
> 
> Pam Marcum
> 
> Quoting lpwenk <@t> sbcglobal.net:
> 
> > Slides can be stained all together or one at a time. There is no way 
> anyone
> > can tell.
> > 
> > In fact, time in each solution can be different for each tissue stained.
> > 
> > What is important is that EACH slide be well stained - good crisp nuclei
> > with chromatin pattern, a minimum of three shades of eosin that does not
> > overwhelm the hematoxylin, etc..
> > 
> > If that takes taking each slide through the different solutions/stains 
> at
> > different time intervals, repeating and tweaking the stain  20 times 
> with
> > different time intervals from what you normally do, and changing to
> > different times for each block depending upon the tissue/length of time 
> it
> > has been fixed/tissue thickness/etc. - then do it. It is more much more
> > important to know what to do to produce a well stained slide, than to
> > rigidly adhere to the same steps/times.
> > 
> > Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
> > William Beaumont Hospital
> > Royal Oak, MI 48073
> > 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Mark Adam Tarango" <marktarango <@t> earthlink.net>
> > To: <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 3:52 PM
> > Subject: [Histonet] H&E slides for HT practical exam
> > 
> > 
> > > Hi everyone.  I have a co-worker who insists that she must stain all 
> her
> > H&E and slides for her practical exam together at once.  My supervisor 
> and I
> > haven't ever heard this, and I'm hoping someone can give a reply as to
> > whether or not this is something that is required.  She is conviced that 
> if
> > she doesn't stain them all together (her H&E slides), someone will know 
> and
> > fail her again.    If Peggy Wenk or Jennifer MacDonald are watching, 
> we'd
> > like to her from you especially.
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > >
> > > Mark Tarango
> > >
> > >
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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