[Histonet] Re: Diff-Quik

Wed Jan 27 10:35:31 CST 2010

I find this an interesting subject.  I have worked with many techs over my 30+ year career and have found that about half the techs could care less about looking at slides at the scope.  When I first came to my present facility and put a scope on the special stain counter some of the techs thought I was "full of myself" acting like a Pathologist.  I would never suppose to compare myself with a Pathologist but I'm personally not going to turn in a special stain that I am not sure worked properly.
I think the major problem is that those techs that don't care to "look", don't know what they are looking at.  Dr. Richmond is correct, most Pathologists will not take the time to teach techs.  That is why we have to teach each other and make good use of the Pathologist who are willing.
Workshops at the NSH that deal with tx id and special stains are usually packed full.  There is a real need out there for this basic training.
Like others, we look at and document that our controls worked before sending slides to the Pathologists.  It was a struggle with a few people who are still not sure of themselves but they keep trying.
We, as professionals, need to keep teaching our own.  Support your National and local societies, and if you know something, mentor somebody who needs the help.
Jan Mahoney
Omaha

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Mike Pence
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:09 AM
To: Kim.Donadio <@t> bhcpns.org; Robert Richmond
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu; histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Re: Diff-Quik

Give it a rest!  Dr. Richmond 'sort of apologized' for his comments. He
does explain his views and why he stated them. That should be the end of
it!

Mike

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
Kim.Donadio <@t> bhcpns.org
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 9:53 AM
To: Robert Richmond
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu;
histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Re: Diff-Quik

I'm going to have to agree with Cheryl on the comment. This may be your
experience but I can tell you my techs always look at their stains
before
they send it on to the Pathologist. It is a requirement that they
understand what they are looking at in order to know if it worked. Each
of
them are also trained to know all tissues microscopically and all stain
components microscopically. That is after all the purpose of being a
Histologist.

I am going out on a limb here and I normally don't, but you are digging
yourself in to a rather rude hole to insult so many professional
Histologist.

Just saying.............

Kim Donadio
Pathology Supervisor
Baptist Hospital
1000 W Moreno St.
Pensacola FL 32501
Phone (850) 469-7718
Fax (850) 434-4996

Robert Richmond <rsrichmond <@t> gmail.com>
Sent by: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
01/26/2010 07:38 PM

To
"histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu" <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
cc

Subject
[Histonet] Re: Diff-Quik

I sort of apologize for this ill-natured comment, which long-term
readers of Histonet know I've made before.

I do locum tenens work, mostly in rather small pathology services - I've
worked in perhaps 60 of them in my life. Only rarely do I observe that a
histotech ever looks at a slide. I've just acquired a new client with
particularly difficult slides. The tech doesn't even have a microscope.

The more quality assurance paperwork I have to do, the worse the slides.

The lack of feedback from pathologist to technologist is a really
widespread and serious problem. Most pathologists are completely
unwilling to take the time to do it, and the usage has never established
itself. It would be much easier if we had double headed microscopes,
which seem to be prohibited in small pathology services.

Did Edwards Deming live in vain?

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN
*************************************
On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 9:03 AM, Cheri Miller <cmiller <@t> physlab.com>
wrote:
> Every slide I stain, special stains, IHC or otherwise I check under
> the
scope...I have taught all my techs to do the same, other than batches of

 H&E and then we check the 1st slide in each rack. I know this to be a
common procedure with many histology professionals. The attitude can be
left in your lab please. Thank you
>
> Cheryl Miller HT ASCP CM
> Histology Supervisor
> Physicians Laboratory Services
> Omaha, NE. 402 731 4148
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Robert
Richmond
> Sent: Monday, January 25, 2010 7:50 PM
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] Re: Diff-Quik
>
> Thanks, John Kiernan, for your explanation of Romanovsky stains.
>
> "Diff-Quik" (please note the spelling) is the trademarked name of a
> staining sequence consisting of a fixative, eosin (Diff-Quik I), and
> an azure (Diff-Quik II), done in that order in three separate
> containers.  I'm not sure who the trademark presently belongs to - it
> seems to change with the phases of the Moon.
>
> There are a number of generic equivalents, which in my personal
> experience all work as well as trademark Diff-Quik. For most ordinary
> pathology services, it isn't worthwhile to try to brew your own.
>
> I don't think I've seen bone marrow stained with such a sequence.
> Proper staining of bone marrows requires that the histotechnologist
> examine the slides under a microscope, a practice too many find
> abhorrent.
>
> Bob Richmond
> Samurai Pathologist
> Knoxville TN

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