r/medlabprofessionals

I struggle so much with keeping organized when the morning rush comes. Inevitably I feel soo bad when things get crazy and I’m leaving a lot of things behind for day shift 😩 please help I’m losing my sanity here

I was hired at a small hospital a few months ago and I am expected to draw patient labs on top of all the other night shift lab responsibilities as the only tech on duty. Night shift is responsible for doing all the maintenance and running QC on all the analyzers and instruments. The floor nurses and L&D nurses refuse to draw blood. They called and asked me to draw a potassium on a patient after she finished her potassium infusion. I told them I wasn’t able to do that at the moment because the chemistry analyzer is currently down for maintenance and I can’t leave during maintenance, the longer I’m gone the longer the analyzer is down and the longer the ER has to wait for their labs to be ran, we don’t have a backup chemistry analyzer just the iStat and the ER hates using the iStat. The floor waited 3 hours for me to come down and called me at least 4 different times to draw this patient who was also on contact precaution. This is a nightly occurrence, it stresses me out and it disrupts my required tasks on nightshift so I’m behind on everything and scrambling to get caught back up so that everything is ready to go for day shift, not to mention someone is always mad whether it’s the floor for not drawing their patient or the ER because I’m taking too long getting analyzers up and going again. I think it is beyond ridiculous that I have to be the one to go draw patients when I am the only lab tech on shift in the entire hospital. When I go down there all of the nurses are just sitting around talking and laughing and sometimes playing games. I am becoming super overwhelmed and am on the verge of a mental breakdown because of it. The floor got super pissed at me when they were told by my manager that they needed to draw if I couldn’t, so the next night they brought in samples and would literally throw the bag of samples at me because they were mad. I am working past my limits and I straight up want to quit, I have such bad anxiety before every shift. I have talked to my manager about it, but nothing changes, and the floor still thinks the responsibility is on the lab because it is “our blood”. I don’t mind drawing if I am available, and I don’t have a problem helping out, but the responsibility is always solely on my shoulders.

So, fellow lab people, who do you think should be the one drawing?

Hi! I am a PhD student studying biology. Unfortunately, I have decided that I do not want to stay in academia after grad school, and am currently trying to explore my options for other career pathways. As far as I understand, going from a PhD to a MLS position would be atypical, but I am still curious if it would be a possibility for me? Finding non-academic career pathways has been challenging, as graduate school is designed for the academic pipeline. I believe that my experience could be valuable to any laboratory or scientific career— but I worry that my experience may be dismissed because of my atypical pathway.

For reference, my PhD is largely research based, while I take some classes, most of my time is spent working on research projects. My PhD work mostly focuses on ecology, evolution and animal behavior. So, I am not in a medical field or microbiology-focused field currently. But I love lab work and have a decent amount of bench work experience. I am familiar with DNA extraction, PCR, and ELISA. I have some microscopy experience, and soon will have a lot more. I also have strong data analysis, and scientific writing, and research skills.

Would my extensive research experience be enough to get a foot in the door as a MLS? Is a graduate degree looked down on (as it’s usual) or could it be helpful? I can only do so much molecular work in the position I am in now because I am not in a molecular-focused lab, but I plan to lean into the molecular and physiology sides of my research as much as possible. Lab work is the part of my job I enjoy most. Do you have any tips for how I can prepare myself for a MLS position while in graduate school?

While I am no longer interested in staying in academia, I am hesitant to drop out of my PhD program at this point. I could potentially switch to a masters, but my partner has a good job in the area that is setting him up for a good career if he stays for the next few years. I also do not pay for graduate school and have a guaranteed stipend for the next few years due to a paid research fellowship I received+support from teaching assistantships when my that fellowship runs out. I still think there are valuable experiences and skills I can learn through the program as well. The job market is a scary place at the moment… And I am very nervous about finding a fitting career after graduating, because I am worried a PhD will be dismissed as useless by anyone in industry, despite my PhD being more like a research “job” than “school”.

I don’t want to give out super specific information that could reveal who I am to people at my institution, but I am happy to clarify anything.

Hey all! I will be doing the online MLT-MLS program this fall through UAMS, and I need to take a US History or National Government course (3 hours) before I graduate. I figured it’s best to get it out of the way sooner than later.

Have any of you had to take a history course? If so, which university did you end up using? Thank you for any advice you can offer!

From what I've read, you only need to meet CLIA regulations to qualify for Florida license in the future. Will hospitals no longer require certification as a result?

Hello,

Like the title says I wanted to know any survival tips or recommended supplies not mentioned in orientation. Maybe tips like where did you guys get the textbooks for free, good study methods. Or supplies that might be overlooked, or supplies that makes being in a MLS program easier.

Thanks!!!

Hi, im a third year student. Im just sitting here studying aubf, thinking if taking this job is worth the effort, if things got better, if life is good after medtech. Im already too far to stop, I dont know. Someone pls reply? :)

I’m about to go to college to get an Associate degree for Laboratory Science Technology to become a Medical Lab Technician. I live in SoCal right between LA and San Bernardino county. I’ve been looking for a career that fits me and it seems like this might be it??
I’m also in my 30’s so I feel like I’m so late in life to be starting a career 😭😭

I need a career where I can afford to live alone and not hate myself and the job. I refuse to live with someone and I have zero interest in a relationship.
I have a lot of trouble when it comes to any sort of customer service, I just want a task/s and that is my focus.

Is the field easy-ish to get into? Or do people struggle to find job openings? Is there any tips for college or things I should know? Is there anything I should be studying inside and out and know from memory?

I’m not squeamish but I don’t want to draw blood from people or be a nurse. My sister is an LVN, she loves her job and thrives in it and she suggested this position for me, and thinks it would be perfect.
Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated 🫶

Australian RN here.

Had a Group and Hold rejected because my signature on the tube label looked different from the one on the pathology form. I collected and signed both myself, and all patient identifiers, date and time were correct. The tube signature was just more compressed because of the tiny label space.

The patient had severe anaemia and thrombocytopenia, with red cells and platelets already ordered, so recollection delayed pre-transfusion testing.

I completely understand why transfusion samples have strict requirements, and I’ve had my share of recollections from missing or incorrect details, but has anyone seen a sample rejected solely because the collector signatures are perceived to be different?

Is there usually any escalation/verification option, like the collector coming to the lab to confirm both signatures, or is recollection always required?

Curious how other hospitals/labs handle this, especially in Australia.

Right now the only thing holding me back from an MLT program and eventually sit for MLS is the pay and hours (plus limited room for growth). All I'm looking for is something that pays 35-40 an hour and allows me to work 3 12 hour shift (days). Is this realistic?

Anyone who went into an MLT program, how much did you study, how challenging was the course work, and did you have any previous degrees?

ever have a complex patient with a bunch of antibodies? we have the antibody final boss, maxed out, made every single one for their phenotype. honestly, idk if I should be terrified or impressed

In light of the Brigham nurse strike, it has got me thinking about how other MGB allied health departments feel about their situation. My MGB lab is the absolute worst. Super short staffed, overworked, depressed, literally having nightmares thinking about going back to work because of the idiot of a supervisor that we were forced on. Drunk with power, zero consideration and compassion, advocate for themselves and the corporate entity....I could go on and on and on. Anyway my lab sucks. How about yours ?

Hello, folks. So I've recently lost quite a bit of weight and have spent a lot of time in the gym. Dropped 30+ pounds and getting some muscles. I need to buy new scrubs because my current ones I keep having to tighten and pull up as I walk. Wondering if any of them men in here know of any brands that fit comfortably for a good physique. Maybe looser around the belly and tighter around the arms and shoulders? All the ones I keep finding online are baggy around the arms.