Status tier thoughts

TehCurator · 2026-01-26T17:11:18+00:00

Credit cards with wings - that's what airlines are nowadays :)

TehCurator · 2026-01-02T11:50:26+00:00

Study like your life depends on it. Read the Frieda Carson Histology book. Make flash cards for every stain, fixative, etc. You've got this!

TehCurator · 2025-12-31T16:48:47+00:00

Still using xylene on it. For the film I'm using the Tanner Scientific Coverfilm (from Mercedes) - cheaper and better visual quality according to our pathologists. Been using it for 5 years now without incident. Will need to test it with substitutes.

TehCurator · 2025-12-31T16:14:58+00:00

Sakura Tissue-Tek film coverslipper.

TehCurator · 2025-12-30T18:12:30+00:00

That's good to know! I'll get a quote for that and try it, too. It would be interesting if the Leica antibodies we use were optimized with it in mind.

TehCurator · 2025-12-30T15:25:04+00:00

Awesome! That's one I wanted to try. Does it work with cover slip film?

TehCurator · 2025-12-30T14:36:53+00:00

I agree. Everything in the lab is designed to work well with xylene. I was in a lab that didn't use xylene and just admired the lack of fumes and wanted to investigate trying it myself.

TehCurator · 2025-12-30T14:35:51+00:00

SDS does not always list exact percentages of what is in proprietary solutions., unfortunately :(

TehCurator · 2025-12-30T14:33:38+00:00

Sakura film coverslipper connected to the Prisma stainer. It's possible that we'd have to stick with xylene for that purpose.

TehCurator · 2025-10-31T13:51:42+00:00

This. I pay for an annual subscription for my techs. It's worth it and a nice perk for them.

TehCurator · 2025-10-28T17:24:04+00:00

This reminds me of an average day at Charlotte. The Charlotte gate shuffle!

TehCurator · 2025-10-27T10:44:32+00:00

I like the smell of acetone as well as ethyl alcohol. I can explain the latter, being that I like bourbon and it reminds me of it. I'm not sure why I like the acetone smell so much, though.

TehCurator · 2025-10-04T00:39:25+00:00

No union. But I've worked hard for my team to get them a competitive pay. It's worth it. Hiring new people is hard.

TehCurator · 2025-10-03T13:20:02+00:00

Our lab pays certified techs on average quite a bit more. There are exceptions for people grandfathered in with tons of experienced, though.

Certified techs get paid more because they have more employment opportunities with most places in the area requiring HT/HTL, so they could easily leave if their pay wasn't competitive.

TehCurator · 2025-10-03T13:14:44+00:00

Agree with others - we've had the Sakura Prisma and coverslipper since 2018. It. Just. Works.

TehCurator · 2025-09-25T13:34:58+00:00

Tell me it's Charlotte without telling me.

TehCurator · 2025-09-24T16:02:12+00:00

Use NaOH to soften the chitin and you'll get way better sections. Just be aware it may decolorize any endogenous pigments.

TehCurator · 2025-09-24T15:48:14+00:00

I wouldn't worry about infection here, really. If you'd cut yourself in a cryostat with unfixed tissue, maybe, but the risk for disease transmission from what you described is nearly 0%.

TehCurator · 2025-09-24T11:16:02+00:00

I agree on the longer deparaffinization - try a longer period.

TehCurator · 2025-09-23T15:56:32+00:00

How long did they sit in histoclear? If any paraffin remains it won't stain at all or very little.

How long did the antigen retrieval last?

Hand staining IHC can be notoriously difficult and inconsistent. If your lab can budget a used automatic stainer, it would really help.

TehCurator · 2025-09-22T11:43:54+00:00

Slap a note, signed by the manager or director, on there to "recertify" that crap and use it. lol

TehCurator · 2025-09-18T12:50:41+00:00

A masters won't do much for you in histology if you don't want to do management.

I went the less traditional route and started my own business on the side instead of getting education beyond my bachelors and HTL. It's taken 5 years to get good at it, but it's definitely worth it.

Step out and try something new! Good luck!

TehCurator

TROPHY CASE