[Histonet] Staffing to work ratios

[Kim Donadio]

I agree Jan. Ive always been leary of the one block per minute thing( and I was asked/and done that when I first started my career). My rule has always to expect an average of 25 blocks per hour. In 4 hours a good Histotech should be able to cut 100 blocks and have time for a break in between. Rest of the day spent doing other task. (give or take 20-30 min, some tissues are testy)
 
and even to do this, you cant be all talking all over the place. it requires focus or somethings going to get messed up.  :(
 
my 2 cents
 
Kim



________________________________
From: Janice Mahoney <mamawooo <@t> hotmail.com>
To: b-frederick <@t> northwestern.edu; mpence <@t> grhs.net; stacy_mclaughlin <@t> cooley-dickinson.org; histo net <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Friday, November 4, 2011 1:13 PM
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Staffing to work ratios


I believe the NSH published standards a few years back that suggested the average for embedding is one minute per block and 2.5 minutes for sectioning.  
My personal opinion is that one minute is too fast for sectioning, unless you have already faced in and are just taking a section off the top of the block. It can be done, no doubt, but for how long and at what expence?  I would think that after about an hour the quality would suffer as well as the tech from repetative motion.  I hope you are taking your ergonomic breaks.
Jan Mahoney
Omaha, NE


> From: b-frederick <@t> northwestern.edu
> To: mpence <@t> grhs.net; mamawooo <@t> hotmail.com; stacy_mclaughlin <@t> cooley-dickinson.org; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> Subject: RE: [Histonet] Staffing to work ratios
> Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2011 16:36:28 +0000
> 
> I wish! Try at least 100blk /day. And that is on an easy day. Can I work with you all? We were taught to cut a block a minute, levels or not. At slowest, one ice tray of 14 blocks in 20 minutes ,with quality. And yes ,I can still do it after all these years. When I started I had 3 months (probation) to get the quality and quantity of techs that had been around for at least 10 years and I was straight out of histo school. Well taught, I might add. 
> 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 Mike Pence
> Sent: Friday, November 04, 2011 11:16 AM
> To: Janice Mahoney; stacy_mclaughlin <@t> cooley-dickinson.org; histo net
> Subject: RE: [Histonet] Staffing to work ratios
> 
> That is only 20 blocks per working day (Mon-Fri)!
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Janice Mahoney
> Sent: Friday, November 04, 2011 11:05 AM
> To: stacy_mclaughlin <@t> cooley-dickinson.org; histo net
> Subject: RE: [Histonet] Staffing to work ratios
> 
> 
> 
> I have always used the 5000 blocks per HT for the year. (not including IHC staff)
> 
> Jan Mahoney
> Omaha,NE
> 
> > Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 13:03:44 -0400
> > From: Stacy_McLaughlin <@t> cooley-dickinson.org
> > To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> > Subject: [Histonet] Staffing to work ratios
> > 
> > Hi,
> > 
> > I know this subject has been discussed before, but I'm having trouble 
> > finding the info I need from the archives.
> > 
> > Would anyone know where I can find the work to staffing ratios for a 
> > Histology laboratory?
> > 
> > Our volume was ~9750 surgical cases (2010). The majority of them are 
> > biopsies (GI, GYN, skin, etc) but we do some larger complex cases.
> > 
> > We had 2569 billable IHC tests, 254 billable group I special stains,
> > 722 billable group II special stains.
> > 
> > #blocks:
> > 
> > 23,380
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > # H&E slides : 49,524
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Thank you for your help!
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Stacy McLaughlin, HT(ASCP)
> > 
> > Histology Supervisor
> > 
> > Cooley Dickinson Hospital
> > 
> > 30 Locust Street
> > 
> > Northampton, MA 01060
> > 
> > (413)582-2019
> > 
> > Stacy_McLaughlin <@t> Cooley-Dickinson.org
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
> 
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