[Histonet] peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical

Tue Aug 30 09:29:42 CDT 2011

I have been required to cut slides at every job interview I have ever
been to.  I think this is good practice to follow because if you know
what you are doing you should be fine and have no worries.  If you are a
book tech and have no practical experience then you should not be hired
over someone who does.  I think the practical should come back as part
of the exam!!  I had to do it...when you cut 900 slides to get 9 that
are perfect, you learn a thing or two on how to modify yourself to be
better!!
Just my two cents =)

Sarah Goebel-Dysart, BA, HT(ASCP)
Histotechnologist
Mirna Therapeutics
2150 Woodward Street
Suite 100
Austin, Texas  78744
(512)901-0900 ext. 6912

-----Original Message-----
From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of
histotech <@t> imagesbyhopper.com
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 6:48 PM
To: joelle weaver
Cc: Histonet; <madary <@t> verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Histonet] peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical

Interestingly, I have never been required to section tissue in a job
interview. I have worked at four hospitals, three private labs and one
research facility (hubby moved us around a bit!)

I just recently hired two techs, directly out of school with no real
world experience. I did ask them to cut some slides for me!  ;o)

Michelle

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 29, 2011, at 9:05 AM, joelle weaver <joelleweaver <@t> hotmail.com>
wrote:

> 
> 
> I was required to know and understand all this as well. I often have
had to perform various aspects on an interview, and had no problems with
this.
> Joelle
> 
> Joelle Weaver MAOM, BA, (HTL) ASCP
> 
> 
> From: b-frederick <@t> northwestern.edu
> To: lpwenk <@t> sbcglobal.net; madary <@t> verizon.net;
histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:35:50 +0000
> Subject: RE: [Histonet] peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical
> CC: 
> 
> I remember having to know, regarding Peggy's comment on why a reagent
was on a piece of tissue, for my HTL what was going in every step of the
retic (oxidation,reduction,toning etc) and believe me it was on the
exam. We were taught to know the why from the techs that trained us and
had taken the exam. If you chose to ignore what they said, it was on
your head.
> 
> As to the microtomy during an interview, I'm all for it as I have done
it in the past (as an interviewer and interviewee)  and most recently,
as we had a tech come in from Romania and how were we to know what she
knew? Their program is a CLS degree and she chose histo from that. Great
tech by the way- histo is not much different the world over, from what I
can see.
> 
> Bernice
> 
> Bernice Frederick HTL (ASCP)
> Senior Research Tech
> Pathology Core Facility
> ECOGPCO-RL
> Robert. H. Lurie Cancer Center
> Northwestern University
> 710 N Fairbanks Court
> Olson 8-421
> Chicago,IL 60611
> 312-503-3723
> b-frederick <@t> northwestern.edu
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Lee &
Peggy Wenk
> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 6:41 PM
> To: madary <@t> verizon.net; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: Re: [Histonet] peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical
> 
> Now add in a few other things, that I didn't directly mention in the
original 2006 HistoNet reply.
> 
> How many people are now using:
> - automated H&E stainers
> - automated special stainers, including IHC stainer
> - automated coverslippers
> - automated microtomes
> - disposable blades
> 
> Can you see why nearly everyone passed the practical? If they could
cut a half-way decent section (with better microtomes and blades, easier
to do), just put the slide on a machine and let the machine stain it. To
fail, they basically had to NOT follow a LOT of directions, such as
submitting colon for small intestine, submitting autolyzed gall bladder,
doing the wrong stain (like doing a Prussian blue for iron, instead of
the requested colloidal iron), grossing the tissue too small,
microtoming too thick, putting the institution's name on the label, etc.
Automation makes it easier to produce better sections and better stains,
particularly if someone is a mediocre tech to begin with.
> 
> As to whether the person understands the theory when using automated
stainers - well, the fact that many of the people submitting the
practical could pass the practical but would fail the written - that has
been going on since "ancient" times, when staining was done by hand.
They could follow the directions, but didn't know the reasons. Pour on
solution A for 5 minutes, pour it off, pour on solution B for 10
minutes, rinse it off, and it's done. 
> No idea what is in solution A or B, or what chemicals are binding to
what components in the tissue, etc. Whether someone is doing the stain
by hand or by machine, it's up to the person to have the curiosity to
find out what is going on. Some people don't have it, and don't feel the
urge to learn.
> 
> That's one of the reasons I like going to state and national meetings,
and reading HistoNet. These people WANT to learn! Hurrah for them! And
there are a lot of people in the histology community willing to help
people who WANT to learn - answering HistoNet, giving talks at state and
national meetings, being a mentor, etc. Hurrah for them too!
> 
> Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
> Beaumont Health Systems
> Royal Oak, MI 48073
> 
> The above are my opinions and not those of my institution.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: madary <@t> verizon.net
> Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 2:23 PM
> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: [Histonet] peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical
> 
> 
>    The  dropping of the practical was explained so well by Peggy Wenk.
I
>   never  got  into  the  debate(glad  I  did  not  after  reading
Peggys
>   comments),  I  would  have argued to keep it.  That said, indeed it
is
>   outdated.  The  fact  that  we  were  the last to do it I guess
speaks
>   volumes.  I did struggle getting tissues for it for sure.  Modern
day,
>   modern  thinking.  Thanks  for the information Peggy and of course
all
>   you do fo this field.
> 
>   Nick(Rocky) Madary, HT/HTL(ASCP)QIHC
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