[Histonet] interview

Thu Jan 10 11:53:38 CST 2013

I will try and stay off my soap box while doing this. 

I was asked my opinion by one of the remark presenters that I obviously took issue with.  Ok, as far as interviewing since that was the original question (thanks Rene for reminding me), I did get off topic.  I too ask questions about special stains, fixation, processing, embedding, sectioning trying to hit all the areas, but usually in a way to view there hands-on knowledge while I show them around the lab.  I also perform a embedding and section test for them, having them embed and cut tissue that I have personally placed in the cassette for their ability to be hard to cut and obtain good sections on.  I also, give them small pieces of tissue and later melt it down to see how far they cut into in obtaining complete sections.  Everyone has a way of doing things, no one way is right or better.

Back to OJT!!

Bill give some great advice, I search for someone I think will be a good fit and is excited to learn a trade that can serve them well in life.  My experience with people with degrees is they usually want to be paid for the degree and not the work experience which is non when they are interviewing for a OJT job.  I have had a lot of good employee who didn't have a degree yet but were working their way through.  One lady I hired with a number of college credits but was not quite enough for her degree, she has since gotten her certification and is a manager at the job where I trained her (great job Stephanie!!  Very proud of you!!)

Don't be scared off by the OJT route, sure its a lot of work and time consuming but we have a lot of great Histotechs out there for went this route.  All the ones that trained me were OJT and later grandfathered in to take the HTL test.

No disrespect meant to anyone, just give good sound advice, get off the soap boxes, be helpful and maybe this forum will not be such a "boxing match" in the future.

No back to work people!!

Timothy N. Higgins, HT (ASCP), QIHC

Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:44:51 -0800
From: rjbuesa <@t> yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [Histonet] interview
To: joelleweaver <@t> hotmail.com; thigginsht <@t> msn.com; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu

Why, I wonder, every time an issue like this or similar surfaces in HistoNet it becomes a contentious issue?
The original question was simple: a potential interviewer with little interviewing experience was about to interview 3 applicants without any histology experience for a histotech position.

And that started a torrent  of advises that went from asking about histology even when that was impossible due to the fact that the interviewees were histology ignorants, to a series of unrealizable advises.
One thing is training on the job (that was NOT the question) to many other suggestions having nothing to do with the original question and many "give and take" of answers/counter answers leading to Tim's request to "give advise, and stop the ridiculous remarks!" that I happen to agree with also.

HistoNet is a very valuable resource but sometimes it becomes a place where some people want to impose their particular view points and that is not the objective of this forum.

Just receive the questions, if you think you can help with a sound and honest advise, please do it, but do not try to convince others that your view point is the "Gospel" or that you have to counter any other advise or opinion different to yours.

This is not a "boxing ring" but a place where professionally originated answers are offered for the benefit of all, and especially for the benefit of those posting a problem.
At least that is what I always try to do!
René J.

From: "joelleweaver <@t> hotmail.com" <joelleweaver <@t> hotmail.com>
To: Tim Higgins <thigginsht <@t> msn.com>; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu 
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2013 11:07 AM
Subject: Re: [Histonet] interview

You can always delete if not interested

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

----- Reply message -----
From: "Tim Higgins" <thigginsht <@t> msn.com>
To: <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Subject: [Histonet] interview
Date: Thu, Jan 10, 2013 8:47 am

Gale and Pam, people on Histonet love to sit on their soap box and spew out ridiculous statements without any thought behind them at times.  

To say you need to "scale the volume down to a point where it is manageable" (tell that to your boss!!  Whatever!!) is coming from someone who obviously has no working experience in the private sector.  That might work at a research facility but I doubt it, or to say bluh bluh bluh something to do with peanuts and monkeys and the final one is, "The situation in histology will never get better otherwise", REALLY???  

OJT is sometime a necessary route we as supervisor of labs that are experiencing a staffing shortage have to take to acquire the personnel we need to perform the work given.  You have to do what you have to do, find someone to train if that is your only avenue.  In a perfect world we would have qualified Histotechs knocking at our door every time there is an opening and an employer that is throwing money at us.

Please give good sound advice, and stop the ridiculous remarks.  It gets old real fast!!

Good luck Gale!!

Tim

Message: 4
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2013 18:37:36 +0000 (UTC)
From: Pam  Marcum <mucram11 <@t> comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Histonet] interview
To: joelle weaver <joelleweaver <@t> hotmail.com>
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu, galel <@t> unionhospital.org
Message-ID:
        <117995865.193203.1357756656174.JavaMail.root <@t> sz0001a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

I totally understand hiring only experienced people however; I have a question.?? What do you do when you have no one available and the institute you work for will not help with moving expenses or sign on bonuses??? 

Believe me I know about training OJT today when you are shortstaffed and can't meet salary demands.?? 

Pam Marcum 
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