The 11th Association of Anatomical Pathology Technology annual conference took place in Inverness earlier in the year. This one-day event covered a range of subjects from evisceration and Ebola to DNA fingerprinting and forensic fiction.
The Association of Anatomical Pathology Technology (AAPT) was formed in 2003. Since that time, the AAPT has made great strides with the education and training of anatomical pathology technicians (APTs) and organises an annual conference with a scientific lecture programme and commercial exhibition. This year the event was held in Inverness at the Centre for Health Science, and was the 11th meeting to be organised by this maturing and confident professional body.
Evisceration: what to look for
Jill Hamilton chaired the morning session and introduced the first speaker, Dr Kirsty Lloyd (Imperial College). She considered the fact that APTs are often responsible for teaching evisceration techniques to trainee pathologists, who can find the mortuary very daunting and may have many fears and concerns. The APTs are able to offer help and experience, while helping to install confidence, as long as this is carried out properly.
Trainee pathologists are experience physicians but will require help and patience so that they become comfortable and confident while eviscerating. An APT can help by:
• offering helpful evisceration advice
• encouragement
• repeating steps until trainee pathologists are confident
• allowing enough time for evisceration to be completed
• stepping back slowly.
However, an APT can hinder by:
• being impatient
• rushing and applying unnecessary pressure
• making flippant and unhelpful remarks
• leaving the room.
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