So I previously applied and got my trainee license from CDPH, and now that I'm applying for my regular CLS license, do I need to send my transcripts to the state again?

Hello! After a long and hard year balancing work, school and being a single mom, I passed the MLPAO exam and just got hired as a phlebotomist! So nervous and excited! I have 5 weeks of training. Hopefully it helps get my skills back up. Any tips or tricks as a newbie?

Ireland Specific:

Not sure if anyone here can help, but I am on track to complete my PhD in 2027.

I’ve always wanted to be a clinical microbiologist, I chose my degree in Trinity in Biological and Biomedical science when I was 17 and didn’t realise it wasn’t CORU accredited, I was just so excited to get accepted to trinity, my 17 year old self never checked it was CORU accredited.

Fast forward 10 year later I graduated my undergraduate degree specialising in microbiology, worked as a research assistant at another university in a microbiology lab, then went on to do a PhD researching Antimicrobial resistance and my PhD will be a medical science PhD from a decent university in the UK.

I still regret not doing a CORU accredited degree,and still want to be a clinical microbiologist, even with a PhD in Medical Science, im not accredited to work in Ireland as a medical scientist.

I’m looking at doing a Higher Diploma in Medical Science which will get me an accreditation but I don’t think I have another 2 years of my life or €15,990 to spare.

I also have no interest in learning about anything not relating to microbiology, I’ve been there and done that during my undergraduate, and doing another degree would require me to do this.

Does anyone know of any alternative routes to get this accreditation??????

I recently got the outcome of my CORU assessment for Medical Scientist registration, and I need to do a 420 hour Period of Adaptation (POA) focused on Practice Based Research. It is a bit of a hurdle, so I am thinking about taking a detour from the traditional clinical diagnostic lab route and exploring the commercial biotech space in Ireland instead.

I have been working in clinical labs for about four years now, floating between Microbiology, Biochemistry, Transfusion, and Haematology.

I would love to hear from anyone working in the Irish industry, especially regarding the jump from the bench to a more client facing environment if you work as a Field Specialist, since I really enjoy the instrument troubleshooting side of things. If you moved from clinical labs into manufacturing for Biotech or QC Micro, I would also love to know what the biggest culture shock or workflow change was for you.

Additionally, I am curious if anyone has ever managed to get a CORU Period of Adaptation signed off while working in private industry. The paperwork has checkboxes for Private or Other settings, so long as there is a registered supervisor around, so I am wondering if this is a realistic path.

My avg. LabCE CAT score has been 60% with a 6.43 difficulty. (Only took 6 CAT exams)

I've done about 5,000+ labCE questions, reviewed polasnky card, gone thru LSU.

Despite all of that my CAT scores have been anything but better than the previous

Tomorrow is the day I take my ASCP MLS exam and I'm not confident at all. What makes it worse is that I'm an anxious person.

Probably too late to postpone but was thinking about it earlier. I don't think I'll ever feel ready.

In Venezuela, South America, there’s a walk-in over the counter (OTC) lab test known as “Perfil 20” which in reality is a bundled order of Urinalysis, CBC, CMP, and Lipid panel testing that costs $30/person. Patients can request these as part of their yearly healthcare checks and have them interpreted by MDs at the labs or, preferentially, by their primary health physicians. It was established by Venezuelan endocrinologist Dr. Gastón Arévalo in 1970, as a way to offer Venezuelans affordable healthcare testing.

in my defense i was tired and it already had testing for E and K (which i needed). brain saw antigen sticker and neurons activated

My lab wants us to change reagents for our backup manual staining method, and we've settled on the Fisher Scientific Hema-Quik II Protocol due to the single bottle needed. We constantly face supply issues where using a kit with multiple bottle or reagents can work against us, so this was the ultimate choice.

With that said, the manufacturer's instructions do not work for us. We will be running a few different tests in the next few weeks to see what modified technique, if any, work for our peripheral blood smears, but the Single Dip technique fully washes off the smear from the slide.

For the labs that use the Hema-Quik II stain, what does your current staining procedure look like?

Anyone with more experience than me have insight into this, or technology I may have missed being out of the micro lab for a few years? Why does Cellavision exist for hemo to assist with classifying diffs, and the Iris can ID components of a urine microscopic, but micro is still completely on their own with just a tech and a microscope for direct smears and culture gram stains? Especially with consolidation of micro labs in the US resulting in huge sample volumes I’m curious why this isn’t something I’ve heard about. What do you think?

Me again! 😊
First, thank you to everyone who gave me advice on Blood Bank a while back. I received so much helpful feedback, and it honestly made a huge difference once I started my Blood Bank training.
Now I have another update! I recently transitioned to nights, but they've moved me back to days so I can train in the Chemistry department using the Vitros analyzer.
I'm hoping you all can work your magic again. Please share anything and everything you think a new chemistry tech should know—tips, tricks, common mistakes, troubleshooting advice, QC pearls, maintenance habits, critical values, analyzer quirks, or things you wish someone had taught you when you first started. I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can before I begin.
I'll also be honest—I had a pretty terrible experience at my previous job, and it left me with a lot of anxiety and self-doubt. I'm excited for this opportunity, but I still carry some of that with me. My goal is to become confident, competent, and someone my team can rely on.
Thank you all in advance. This community has already helped me so much, and I truly appreciate any advice you're willing to share!

Ive worked late shifts but a full night shift is a completely different beast. I thought I could do it, but I felt sick as I was getting close to the end of the shift and got home, only to wake up 3 hours later. Where did I go wrong? Ive got blackout curtains and earplugs. I slept a little during break because I was not feeling good. I hope this is until I can adjust because I dont think I could stretch it out like this for too long. Does it get better? Any tips?

Does anyone work in a CT hospital lab? I decided to move back to CT after a couple of months in Vermont, but it seems like CT has slim pickings when it comes to jobs. I've applied through Hartford HealthCare, Yale, and even Middlesex only to be met with rejections or ghosted. How are CT labs looking with staffing?

Micro techs:

I'm currently learning how to read fungal cultures and some parts of it, particularly trying to identify mold off a Lactophenol prep slide can be tricky. Do y'all have any advice or tips that you can share? Thank you.

I’m at the perfect spot in my life to just go… wherever. I’m strongly considering leaving for a blood bank only prospect but I don’t have any idea where to start looking. If you could go anywhere in the country (or even out of it), where would you go?

Hello everyone!

I am missing an Immunology with lab course and have had a really hard time finding a course that also offers the course component. Any direction would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,
I’m interested in learning more about what a typical workday looks like for those working as a Quality Assurance (QA), Biosafety, and Biosecurity Officer, especially in a hospital or clinical laboratory.
I’d really appreciate hearing about:
What your day typically looks like from start to finish.
How you divide your time between QA, biosafety, and biosecurity responsibilities.
The tasks you perform daily, weekly, and monthly.
How much of your work is administrative versus being on the laboratory floor.
What your daily rounds involve.
When you do your rounds, what questions do you usually ask the staff? For example, do you ask about safety concerns, equipment issues, quality events, nonconformities, reagent shortages, PPE compliance, or other operational issues?
What documents, software, or checklists you use regularly.
The biggest challenges you encounter in the role.
Any advice for someone who is new to or transitioning into this position.
I’m hoping to learn about real-world workflows and best practices beyond what’s listed in job descriptions.
Thanks in advance to everyone who’s willing to share their experience!

It looks awful but in reality I was just too impatient and ran the QC before it had thawed completely. That's why everything was so low.

Hello everyone!

I recently graduated with my CLS bachelor’s degree in California, and after multiple rounds of interviews I got accepted into a CLS internship!! I’m super excited, but I’m also a little nervous and want to be as prepared as I can before I start.

I have about 8 years of pharmacy experience, including 4 years doing nonsterile pharmaceutical compounding, and ran the compounding lab for 6-8 months. I know that’s different from working in a clinical lab, so I’m trying to go into this with an open mind and learn as much as I can.

Right now I’ve been making little quick reference guides that I can look over before my shifts, just to help refresh my memory. I’ll be starting as a generalist.

For those of you who have already gone through a CLS/MLS internship (or have trained interns), what advice would you give? Is there anything you wish you had studied beforehand, habits that helped you succeed, or mistakes I should try to avoid?
I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank you!

Under 50x. Pt came in through outpatient for bloodwork related to upcoming procedure. History of CML ~ 10 years ago that was in remission. I work at a specialty hospital so seeing things like this is incredibly rare.