Does anyone want a tech cutting 40 blocks per hour? You can't have quality at that rate.
Sent from my iPhone On Oct 25, 2012, at 2:39 PM, "Mayer,Toysha N" <tnma...@mdanderson.org> wrote: > Another thing to consider is, is this averaged out over several hours or not. > Sitting and cutting 50 blocks in one hour of time is a stretch, but if I > average it out over 2-3 hours I can cut almost that many (40). That would be > multiple types of tissues and varying number of sections, but not just time > myself and cut for one hour and stop. Also think of how long it takes to > trim those blocks. > While the 40-50 number is high, look at how many are cut over time, it should > average out as 30+ per hour. > > Toysha Mayer > > > > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:23:07 -0500 > From: Contact HistoCare <cont...@histocare.com> > Subject: [Histonet] Number of blocks > To: "histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu" > <histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu> > Message-ID: <b23bea86-5f91-4f2b-918c-f68d3cffb...@histocare.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Hi, > > To most folks that number does seem high but I've met many old school techs > who can do this easily. One of my first learning experiences was watching a > 57 year old woman crank out tons of slides with no errors and who regularly > got praises from the pathologists for producing the most beautiful slides. > > While I have never been required to produce a certain amount within a certain > window, I have built up the ability to cut a lot more than 50 per hour. I > have even doubled this number. Of course it depends on the tissue type, but > assuming properly decalcified bone, nothing popping out of the block, and a > cold block of ice, it's very easy for me to produce a high quality slide at > 3,4,5 microns. I get compliments all the time of my slides. > > My methods are quite different from most techs though. When facing, I don't > waste movements. I actually count the rotations and spend less than 8 seconds > facing each block. I also get the right section usually in about the third or > fourth crank and I only put at the most two sections in the water bath to > pick up. > > I don't cut unnecessary ribbons just to have them sit in the water bath and > eventually have to wipe away with the Kimwipe, which in my opinion is > wasteful of both materials and time. I also make sure I have enough ice to > keep the blocks very cold and adequately hydrated. > > I'm not sure if being in decent physical shape matters but I think it gives > me the arm stamina to do this. I use only my wrists and fingers and not my > whole arm in the rotational motion. > > Hope this helps, > > > M > > > www.HistoCare.com > > > >>>> From: Dorothy Ragland-Glass <techman...@yahoo.com> >>>> To: Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu >>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 8:38 AM >>>> Subject: [Histonet] Number of blocks >>>> >>>> It was annouced by a histo lab manager that techs are expected to cut >>>> 40-50 blocks per hour. That seems to me to be rather high. I don't see >>>> quality slides being turned out. It is quantity and profit above patient >>>> care. I am old school, and I remember something about quality and patient >>>> first. Besides what kind of impact on morality of the techs, back >>>> problems and carpal tunnel syndrom is laying ahead for the cutter after >>>> cranking the microtome repeatedly that many blocks without a break. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:28:47 +0000 > From: "Bartlett, Jeanine (CDC/OID/NCEZID)" <j...@cdc.gov> > Subject: RE: [Histonet] Number of blocks > To: Contact HistoCare <cont...@histocare.com>, > "histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu" > <histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu> > Message-ID: > <df1cba3d83d9a344a7d6a045188e448433a25...@embx-clft1.cdc.gov> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > You mention how many rotations you use for facing your blocks. That assumes > whoever did the embedding did a good job. And even with no unnecessary > ribbons.....whether there are extra sections or not, you still have to keep > the water bath scrupulously clean which means wiping out with a Kimwipe after > each block...whether there are ribbons floating or not. > > Jeanine H. Bartlett > Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Infectious Diseases Pathology > Branch > 404-639-3590 > jeanine.bartl...@cdc.hhs.gov > > > > _______________________________________________ > Histonet mailing list > Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
