[Histonet] Cleanliness at the Grossing Bench(was Floaters in Waterbath)

[Robert Richmond]

It's really important to clean up as you go, when you gross tissues.
An overworked Pathologist's Assistant (PA) - who never sees the slides
- can carry over an awful lot of tissue and not realize the problem
that creates.

By ancient custom one may only have one of each kind of tool -
scalpel, scissors, tweezers, ruler - at a grossing desk. If I ran the
zoo I'd have about five of each, and toss them into a pot of water
after each case, pausing to clean the tools after every five cases.

Rinsing one's gloved hands is important.

I wouldn't want a sponge - too hard to clean - but paper towels are cheap.

I can gross much faster with the help of an assistant, but this help
has become less and less common in recent years. Unlike a dentist or a
psychiatrist, a pathologist's time is worth nothing.

Who cleans up at the end of the day? Usually whoever assists, but
lately I've had a job where I had to scrub the place after the
placentas were done. Why didn't I go into radiology?

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN