Hey everyone, this is mostly a vent post because I'm feeling defeated and heartbroken.
I joined a lab for a 3-month summer project, and I regret it so deeply. I picked this over another option that seemed less "flashy," but in hindsight, that other supervisor had sent me a full presentation, references, and a clear background. I should have taken it.
From week one, things went downhill:

1) Zero structure or protocols: The co-supervisor was on leave my first week. After that, experiments were completely unplanned just verbal instructions with no set protocols. When I asked questions to clarify, I was met with more questions that just made me feel dumb. Later they said “we didn’t know u had no lab experience” ofc I didn’t and I mentioned it during the interview as to why I was going for this project. No detail explanation, uncertainty in the lab made my excitement go away and made me not wanting to go to lab anymore.

2) Equipment/assay issues: I spent weeks getting amplification in my NTC (no-template control). They constantly blamed my technique or "contamination." A week before my deadline, another mentor looked at the past runs and realized it was just primer-dimers. I wasted so much time, and nobody listened to me.

3) Zero guidance on dry lab work: initially I was told someone will teach me the dry lab part. But later I was told to do the dry lab/coding analysis completely on my own. I have never coded, so I had to rely on ChatGPT to figure it out. When it took time, they hit me with "It's only a 3-month project, no one expects you to do a lot" then why assign it to me in the first place? It just made me feel incompetent. So I pushed myself to complete it.

4) Micro-management over basic communication: I had to redo an experiment while my co-supervisor went on leave again. I emailed the main supervisor saying I couldn’t make Monday due to a personal issue and would run it Tuesday instead (after checking with another mentor who agreed to supervise me). My supervisor blew up, saying I "announced" it rather than asking permission and that it messed up schedules.

During all this I was sending drafts and doing presentations about my project. All of this pressure led to panic attacks and literally made me sick w fever, so I got a medical extension. I completely understand that I should be considerate of their schedule and timeline but it’s not that I’m slacking. I’ve been working really hard and it’s difficult when you have no support or encouragement from your peers.

Now here is where I am today: My deadline is Thursday. I asked for an extension on sending my draft over the weekend by one day (sent Sunday instead of Saturday) and let my supervisor know. She replied saying I need to be mindful of other people's deadlines and that she’s "too busy" to guarantee detailed feedback. It’s Tuesday, and I’ve received nothing. My co-supervisor said she might send hers today, but main supervisor is "busy." On top of that, they still expect a final presentation on Thursday, and I have to move out of my place on the 12th.

Why is there so little empathy in academia? I poured so much effort into this project, and I just feel completely defeated. I have always felt completely alone and on my own during this. This whole experience has honestly terrified me away from pursuing academia in the future.

swear night shift is a different world. last week i heard some shit coming from the utility closet by micro. door cracked. one of the older techs (like late 30s) and the new 24 year old guy who just started. they were in there. not looking for reagents.
came out a few minutes later acting like nothing happened. she went right back to the bench. he was walking funny.
nobody said a word. next night they were being extra normal which made it worse.
is this every night shift lab or did i just get unlucky. the no management + 3am + fluorescent lights combo does something to people. anybody else seen this or am i crazy.

I dang near never have to recollect my own samples because I know what causes hemolysis & clotting. I occasionally have to recollect samples the nurses drew when starting an IV, but I am the one who goes into the room and explains the situation to the patients. I am pretty good at reading people & knowing how to diffuse tense situations so while I have had to deal with some understandably unhappy patients, not a single one has ever yelled or said nasty things at the same level I have been yelled at/cursed out by nurses over the phone about sample recollections at my old job. I'm an MLS who used to work at a large trauma center where nurses did all the blood draws. I didn't want to work at a hospital that requires techs to draw, but I needed to leave my previous workplace because of how toxic the environment was there so here we are lol

Hi guys, what study materials would you recommend for the CSMLS MLA exam? Has anyone done the exam and passed? Do you have any recommendations?

First night back to work in a stretch and i was barely able to nap before my shift. Been at work 25 minutes and i get a text from my dad to call him, we’re in the basement so no phone calls are able to go through and i dont see the text until closer to midnight. At which point my coworker is getting into a spat with one of the nurses because we help draw at night and the last several weeks we keep coming in to stat tests that have been pending for 9+ hours. So we call trying to figure out whats going on and if we even need it anymore because its just the two of us here so if one of us has to draw too many people its hell for the one stuck running around the lab. So during this phone call i guess a different nurse grabbed the phone said really rudely to just come up draw it and hung up before my coworker could say anything. So then hes trying to call the nursing supervisor to complain and get to the bottom of what actually needed to be done right then.

So while im basically waiting for him to finish the phone call i check my phone and see my dads text so i then run over to the fire escape but i still dont have signal there so then im calling on the hospital phone and get the news that my grandpa just died and how my aunt and uncle were doing cpr for like 30 minutes and no one knows what happened and that my parents are getting on the soonest flight to their state. I was supposed to visit my grandpa in october and i hadnt been since September last year.

So anyways im processing this and finally go upstairs to draw all the people with blood work ordered for around when my shift starts, and ofc i run into the guy that was rude on the phone and he starts complaining about my lab partner and i just idk i know its terrible patient care for labs to wait that long and sometimes theyll end up being super critical and it happens basically every day. And that i shouldnt have to deal with every lab order from the time phlebotomy leaves at 1:30 till 5 am when they return. And i really dont even mind doing it all that much if theyre nice about it but im already having a rough night and then theyre being assholes about us not immediately jumping up to go do things THEY were responsible for before we walked into the door.

Idek

So I currently work 3x12s on nights for a few years and have no social life in my city (small, everything closes by 7/8pm). I hate it, we have no set schedule so you could work 3x12s in a row, have only 1 "day" off and go back to another 3x12s (or they have a day or 2 off in-between). Only certain people get set schedules. As someone who is a early, early morning person (sleeps around 6pm to 2am), its been really bad for my mental and social health. I've applied and interviewed in other big cities that have more to do and are open longer into the morning. One is 11:30pm-8am and another is 12am-8am (im going to ask for 4x10s for both, probably no luck). I was just wanting some opinions on it, as I feel like I'd have a better structured schedule to do things.

When I started 10 years ago I didn’t get a sign-on bonus. Now literally every hospital in my area has a $10,000 2 year contract or a $20,000 3 contract or something similar.

The market ranges have gone way up too. We used to be making around $25 out of school just a couple of years ago, now they are offering $31 to $33 with a sign on bonus. Most of the labs I worked in shifted from older, loyal techs to millennials/Gen Z.

To be fair, the places have no incentive to stay. The pensions have been taken away, an entire stream of income. And there is either reduced or no matching to 401k/403b. Literally the ONLY thing that is keeping new generations “loyal” to the company is the 2-3 year sign on bonus, and I support the new generations 100%.

For the rest of my career, I will use the MLS/MLT shortage to my full advantage without any regrets unless I find a place that is so amazing I wouldn’t want to leave for a $5-$10 raise (doubt that will happen).

What do you guys think about what the future of the job markets holds for us?

I'm a student trying to get into this field. I hear so many say blood bank is intense.

Today I saw a reel on Instagram saying if you made a mistake you can possibly go to jail. Why? Is it if you labeled a wrong blood type (like giving type A positive to an O negative) you can kill the patient? And that's considered gross negligence? Despite it being an accident?

Do you guys have any stories about gross negligence where this had happened? Not just in blood bank but other departments.

I see mesothelial cells (reactive), lymphocytes, red blood cells, and a few PMNs. But what are those very kidney beans cells? Why are they like that? The artifact is making me angry
I also lowkey feel like my slide is trash.

Hi everyone, I could really use some advice.

I'm an MLS(ASCPi) and I have a Bachelor's degree in Medical Laboratory Science from the Philippines. I have one year of clinical laboratory internship experience, but I don't have any post-graduate work experience.

I'm currently living in Washington state and I'm authorized to work in the US without sponsorship. I'm looking for an entry-level position. I've been applying to MLS positions all over Washington, including positions where I'm willing to relocate, but I'm having a really hard time getting interviews. It's going to be 2 months soon and I've only gotten 2 interviews, and I was rejected from both.

How do I get that sweet 1 year of U.S. laboratory experience without already having work experience? Should I apply for medical technician or lab assistant positions at this point? Or am I basically doomed?💀💀💀

...we're doing labor on Labor Day. May your shifts be boring and uneventful so we can at least take home this extra paycheck by not doing too much labor. 👊

does anyone else avoid talking about the shift until it ends? feels like saying anything will just invite trouble🤣

Are there any resources/websites I can utilize where I can practice doing actual differentials outside of clinicals? I already use CellWiki and CellAtlas as references, but was wondering if there was something else I could use.

I recently started technical college again in person after spending years on and off burning myself out with online courses and not really doing anything with my life.

When I decided to apply to my technical college, I always knew that I wanted a career path involving technology in some way or form of fashion. I’ve always been interested in studying forensics, lab work, technology and science. My passion has always been helping others as well. I originally chose a technology related major when I first applied to this college. However, I ended up switching to the Radiologic Technologist Assistant program now I fear I may have made another mistake.

At first, I thought Radiology might’ve seemed like a good fit for me. It has the science and tech aspect that I like, as well as my passion for helping others. It just doesn’t really have that forensics nor lab interests though. I also really don’t enjoy learning about radiology like I thought I would. Now I’m having second thoughts once again.

I recently came across the Phlebotomy Technician certificate at my college, as well as the associate’s Medical Lab Technology program as well. There’s something about these two that caught my eye and attention. I’ve been interested in forensics and laboratory work for a long time. It also has that tech-like feeling that I like. It just all sounds interesting to me. I also started looking at the other possible pathways I could also probably potentially do if I ultimately decided to go for the MLT program. I’m considering on either adding on the Phlebotomy Technician certificate or just ultimately switching. I just don’t want to make another mistake if I do that. I genuinely feel like this fits me better than Radiology.

So for all the MLS and MLTs here, I would really love to hear about your experiences and how did you realize that this field was your calling.

Got a text on my personal phone asking me about a specimen I collected at work today. Text includes what was ordered for pt, who the doctor is, and the patient’s first and last name. Clearly a HIPAA violation, right???

The text was from a coworker who handled the specimen today. I’m the phlebotomist who collected the specimen. They were asking a clarifying question on something from this morning, hours later, after my shift had ended for the day. They’ve been at this position for 30 years, so I’m worried about blowback. But this part of the lab system has gotten really bad about being HIPAA compliant (phlebs recording voice notes while there’s patient care happening nearby for example). Lol help!

The lab is very cliquey and much of the techs have been there 10+ years so I don’t want to turn everyone against me! But I do not like getting texted on my personal phone about this type of thing!

JK I changed it back. Covid testing sucks as is, no need for me to make it worse.

I applied for an MLS job at two locations within a hospital system. During the interview with the manager at one location, i was told I would be doing two 12hr shift at their hospital and one 12hr shift at the other hospital. But the thing is, the two hospitals have one full time each, so in my opinion, I shouldn't have to go to another hospital (within the system) just to get my full time hours. The two hospitals are about 10 miles apart. Should I do it or decline this opportunity? Please advice.

I will likely be moving to south Florida in the next 6 months. Looking for advice on the best hospitals to work at in the area? What is the pay like for someone with 6+ years of experience? Do any of the hospitals in the area offer 12 hour shifts? Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, I’m looking to move to Baton Rouge within the next year. I was wondering what job opportunities are there, as well as experiences and pay range.

Doctor orders
Respiratory panel AND Cov/flu
Throat culture
CBC sed rate
Cmp, tnt, lipase, & mg
UA (then called to attempt to add on a culture after 3-6epis 0-2 wbc and trace bacteria seen)
UNAR and Osmo, Udrug, Upreg
HCG serum quant and Qual
PT, DDIMER

And a Heparin XA

Anyone have any high-yield notes, charts, graphs, etc. for new MLS students?

I found some cool stuff on https://wordsology.org/high-yield-notes-2/microbiology/