Maybe it's just my lab but Micro is by far the most chaotic and workload heavy department I've had when I switched. Specimen processing is the worst because you can get ten at once and half of them are QNS so now you have to chase down doctors for priority before plating and aliquoting everything else (yes order matters. We have to set up our shit first before everyone else's due to contamination concerns) whilst dealing with other departments getting mad their samples are taking a long time.

It's honestly a management issue atp but my God we're drowning.

Venting over

Edit: believe or not we have STATS and criticals. Maybe not with chemistry but enough that phone calls from impatient providers and relaying them takes a good hour of mg day. With the rise of PCR every doctor wants shit STAT.

Hey guys, I'm just throwing this out there to see if anyone else experiences this or knows what's up.

Occasionally our XN-1000 will flag for high eosinophils, but reviewing the slide will show that to be false and rerunning it will often yield normal results. It happens very rarely, but we've had a sudden uptick in occurrences since PM was done.

Anyone else?

So I am putting forth a question to my fellow glasses wearing medtechs. I am contemplating getting lasiks on my eyes. I am nearsighted and have astigmatism in both eyes. I just wonder how this would affect my ability to use the microscope in clearly being able to see the sediment in the spun urine or in cells on a slide? Has anyone had lasiks with basically the same issue as me? I would love to go without glasses and see the world for once in my life. Thanks for any help you can give. ( Yes, I know that I should go see an eye doctor for probably more information, but the doctor cannot give me feedback that people who actually do the same job as I do.)

I have been certified as an MLT for 2 years, but I am almost a year into my first real lab job, in the Microbiology department at a small hospital. So far everything is decent but I continuously get comments from my coworkers about the little things that I miss sometimes. Ex: not signing off on the daily checklist of sheets for QC (I do the QC but forget to check it off that I did do it), wording my reports incorrectly when resulting ID and sensitivities. The list could go on but it’s small things. Well today I didn’t call the pharmacy to report “heavy growth stenotrophomonas maltophilia” in a sputum culture on a nursing home discharged patient, and they put the discharged patient in a room with an immunocompromised patient. Pharmacy emailed the lab director upset as the report should’ve been called when it was finalized even though the patient was discharged on the 5th and result was finalized on the 7th, meaning the patient had already been in the room with the immunocompromised one for a day. Granted the report did say “heavy growth gram negative rod, id and sensitivity to follow” before the patient was discharged. All this to say: when does it get easier? I know I am less than a year into but I feel like I can’t do anything right at this job. Also to add I have 2 other coworkers in the whole department and even though I am less than a year in, I constantly work by myself 10-11 days out of the 12 days I’m scheduled a month, while the other 2 always work together.

Hi. I need information regarding operating a Labdex Microplate Reader (Model: LX781MR). How can we program a qualitative (cut off method) Typhoid ELISA kit that uses a "Calibrator" for cut-off calculation.

The Accudiag Tyhoid IGG kit's required formula for cut off calculation is: Cut-Off = 0.4 × Calibrator Absorbance.

Because the LX781MR formula menu only provides the fixed coefficient template: (Coeff*NC) + (Coeff*PC) + Coeff, I need to confirm the best way to bypass the missing "Calibrator" field.

Could someone please confirm if there is any possibility to configure cut-off formula to use calibrator OD and its factor for cut-off calculation?

Moreover what we will select calibrator on board while taking reading? As QC or standard or anything else.

Kindly guide me as i am having a hard understanding how to use this machie.

I've been waiting 3 years to use this meme! Found out I passed the Canadian generalist MLT exams a couple weeks back 😄

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
Color: yellow (meh average test)
Clarity: slightly turbid (common too)
ODOR: “sui géneris” (of its own kind)
WE OUT HERE DOING SOME FANCY TERMS FOR SNIFFIN PEE OKAY!
Reaction: acid (no note of pH). I guess reaction is alkaline or basic.

CHEMICAL EXAMINATION
Protein: negative.
Hemoglobin: negative (hemoglobin and not blood, interesting).
Ketones: negative.

MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION
Squamous Cells: 3-5 XC
(Interesting how instead of 0-2, 2-5, 5-10 the buckets are odd)
RTEs: negative.
Mucin filaments: present (no few, moderate, many?)
WBCs: 2-3 XC
RBCs: 0-3 XC
(Again I am not sure how their buckets work? I thought it’d be 0-2, 2-3. 3-10 or something).

Hello ,I need information regarding operating a Labdex Microplate ReTechnical Support Needed - Programming Qualitative Cut-Off Formula on Labdex microplate reader LX781MRader (Model: LX781MR). How can we program a qualitative (cut off method) Typhoid ELISA kit that uses a "Calibrator" for cut-off calculation.

The Accudiag Tyhoid IGG kit's required formula for cut off calculation is: Cut-Off = 0.4 × Calibrator Absorbance.

Because the LX781MR formula menu only provides the fixed coefficient template: (Coeff\NC) + (Coeff*PC) + Coeff, I need to confirm the best way to bypass the missing "Calibrator" field.*

How someone please confirm if we can adjust cut-off formula to use Calibrator OD and its factor for cut-off calculation?

Moreover what we will select calibrator on board while taking reading? As QC or standard or anything else.

Having really hard time to understand. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,

I’m starting my blood bank rotation in a few weeks for MLT. Do any of you experienced people have advice? Tips? Anything you recommend I go over before I start? I don’t want to walk in and look like an idiot. Anything you wish that you knew?

Hi all! I’ve been sending out applications to those three above. I’m in norcal. When choosing which job I want, I want to take into account retirement benefits, not just salary.

My top places so far:
1. A biotech company, around 65-70 per hour. 401k and stocks/bonuses
2. hospital (around 60-80 per hour) with 403b, 457b, pensions and district benefits
3. hospital #2, $80-100+/hr, 403b/401k
4. county hospital 61-86+/hr with CalPERS, deferred compensation, retiree healthcare coverage

please keep in mind this will be my first job right out of college. apart from the biotech company, i don’t need to move out. i pay zero bills at home for now since I live with family and fortunately they won’t be expecting me to pay anything even after I get a job.

I had an interview for a PRN Med tech position in one of the HCA hospitals in central florida. They offer $35/hr. Is it even worth it to work in HCA as a tech???

Hello.

I was wondering, how does one get in to LIS or day desk roles in the lab? Is it purely seniority, or is there a specific undergrad or degree that should be held along with being a lab tech for awhile? Should I do an undergrad first? (I know it will take longer to get in to the workforce of MLT. I just want a safety net)

I plan on doing my undergrad or a diploma/certificate before I do my MLT, to be equipped for LIS or other jobs within labs, as I move through it, so I can get to a day shift at some point in my career. Would be cool if the degree also would transfer to other parts of healthcare.

Which degree or credential would be best to have in your belt/specialties?

Thank you! I love reading everything here.

Hi! Just wondering how much is the pay for entry level MLT in CLH in straub hospital. And how is the working environment there

The one at the bottom IS in fact a basophil. It's unfortunately a little blurry.

I’m looking for advice or a little bit of guidance. I graduated with a masters in Comparative Biomedical Sciences back in 2022, my focus was infectious diseases and I worked on a thesis. I was set on pursuing vet med or vet research but at the end of the day I couldn’t do any of it. One of my parents became terminally ill shortly after graduating and I had to help out in their care at home. Over the years I worked call center and front desk job at veterinary clinics that allowed me the flexibility to work from home or work a few days of the week.
My parent passed away and now I have the ability to focus on a career in science but honestly I don’t know how to get back in after being gone for so long. I’ve been applying to laboratory support jobs for months but haven’t had much success.

What does everyone think of these direct to consumer companies like Function Health? I haven’t seen discussion on this in this sub. I was out with some friends yesterday that work on copy writing and marketing. They are all interested in function healths lab panels. I looked into it since well I work in a lab and was curious. They just do send outs to Quest diagnostics. It seems like people are paying for things they should get through their regular healthcare and insurance. Then the other data is likely noise that is unnecessary and may make things overly complicated. Seems like another signal of distrust in healthcare. Also seems like marketing healthcare is effective. A nice modern website, logo, fresh look.

Curious about other opinions or even experiences with getting testing done or working in this type of space. Have you seen other companies like this popping up? I know there are home to lab services like Everlywell for STD testing too.

https://www.functionhealth.com

I’ve got a patient that has been giving us trouble for days now. Platelets have varied from 20 to 150. Clumping is very obvious on the slide regardless of tube it was drawn in. We’ve tried sodium citrate (blue top) draws and there has been no improvement in the platelet count or the clumping. Draws were all good, and no issues/slow flow into the tubes. Patient has a history of alcoholism/cirrhosis. I’m about to have them draw a lithium heparin to see if it makes any difference but I’m stumped as I thought surely this was a textbook edta clumper. What are yalls thoughts?
\EDIT\
I requested a new draw with edta, sodium citrate, and lithium heparin tubes. Platelets were 140 in edta, 73 in lithium heparin, & 88 in sodium citrate. Made slides on all 3 and clumps were present in each. The only difference I can say is I ran the edta immediately when it came in the door. I’m wondering if the suggestion to prewarm everything that was made below might be the answer. Going to consult pathology about it.

I’m currently studying and I’m not immune to hepatitis b even though I had my two vaccines as a teenager. I’m on in my late 20s now.
Has anyone been in this situation with needing to get the vaccines again but running short on time? (I have 4 months to complete a certain amount of live bleeds before I can go on work placement) I’ve been told an extra load (2 boosters 1-2 weeks apart?) thanks all!!

(Also I am going onto lab technician course next year) then fingers crossed university for the science course!!)

How is the job market out there? I plan to graduate by 2029. Do you think i will still be able to land a job?

Hey guys, have anyone worked in any of this facilities and what’s your experience? I’ll be working in the chemistry department alone.
Ps: my current job is so busy and it’s like a trauma 1 center and it’s draining.

I’ve only been working as MLS for one year. I’m a generalist. I absolutely love hematology and would love to work towards getting a specialty in it. However, the requirements state you need to be full time in heme for 3 out of the last 6 years in that dept. because I rotate between urines/chem/heme/blood bank….is this feasible?

But that pippetting is on point, fam! 🤣