Blog: A Little Mohs Respect

The Mohs surgeon's right hand must be as steady as the surgeon's own, capable of working with the most minute wafers of tissue, just a cell or two thick. A natural tinkerer who can adjust a highly complicated machine whenever its temperamental temperament gets out of whack. A perfectionist whose urge for the precision can never be shaken by deadlines, fussy patients, or cranky docs who just want to get out of there already.

At a Mohs surgery training course, sponsored by the American Society of Mohs Surgeons, I learned first-hand (no pun intended) about what the tech brings to this fascinating area of surgery.

Alexander Lutz, the owner of Travel Tech Mohs Services, Inc., Carson, Calif., said: "It's a rare relationship between physician and non-physician, even more so than a surgeon with his surgical nurse or tech. The nurse might be helping the surgeon, but you aren't depending on them to complete the surgery. With a Mohs technician, you are."

A physician who wants to learn Mohs surgery can choose to hire and train a formally educated lab tech or histotechnician – or pick a staff person to train. It can be a nurse or medical assistant, or even the office manager.

Mr. Lutz gave some pointers on picking the right trainee. Two characteristics are key: manual dexterity and a perfectionist personality. "In my experience, good Mohs techs have these things in common. I always ask if they have a hobby that shows dexterity-like knitting, musical instruments, or even juggling."

And though the perfectionist personality part might drive the doc nuts in a personal relationship, it will serve both well in the surgical suite. The success of Mohs surgery – and even the life of a human being – depends on those beautiful clear margins. The surgeon can only create those margins if there are plenty of beautiful slides to guide the surgery. And only a dedicated, skilled technician can make those beautiful slides.

— Michele G. Sullivan (@MGSullivan on Twitter)