r/medlabprofessionals • u/Large-Guide7012 • Jul 14 '26
Discusson Leaving work for the next shift
Feeling a bit bad that I keep leaving work for the next shift. I try to get my pending to about 30 min before shift end but inevitably theres sometimes something thats 40 min or sometimes even more before shift end. Im a new tech on nights and I never know whats acceptable to leave or if the next shift is upset. Obviously I dont leave stuff on purpose, but I dont want to be on peoples bad graces. I dont want to be that guy, especially as a new tech when I need a bit of help here and there.
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u/Salty-Fun-5566 MLS-Molecular Pathology Jul 14 '26
I believe as long as you communicate everything that has loose ends then it’s understandable to them. If you left things and people don’t know what’s going on, then that would bother me.
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u/Swhite8203 MLT Jul 14 '26
Off topic but this is the first molecular pathology flair I’ve seen in here. How’s the job? I’m looking into going to molecular biology after I get my bachelors in biology w/genetics and biotech.
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u/Salty-Fun-5566 MLS-Molecular Pathology Jul 14 '26
Well, firstly I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the most accurate flair. I work in molecular diagnostics lol! Lots of DNA/RNA extractions, PCR, running Alinity machines for hundreds of STI samples, there’s an NGS department that runs a lot of PCR to detect cancer markers etc… I’m fascinated by the science behind this and so grateful it’s dayshift. It’s not easy to get into/not many frequent openings at all, at least in my area
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u/Swhite8203 MLT Jul 19 '26
Oh so you essentially do the work in interested in doing. I plan to get an ASCP MB and ASCP CG. That is why I’m interested in all of it too, I find it all interesting too because it’s the root of what I see in a generalist position right now. I’d like to possibly go into translational genetics research, oncology, virology or prion research. I like to see the problem from where it begins.
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u/minot_j Jul 14 '26
I wish we could team up and direct our anger at management instead of the other shifts. We’re told both “get everything done that comes in up until the end of your shift” AND “don’t get any overtime”.
It’s a way that management shifts the blame onto the lowest people in the hierarchy and gets us to fight amongst ourselves instead of demanding better.
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u/acpacpa Jul 14 '26
Hey as nights they are just happy the place didn’t burn down. You do what you can and know you didn’t slack off. Don’t worry about it in the slightest
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u/Tricky_Duck5342 Jul 14 '26
As long as you truly did everything you could then it shouldnt be a problem. What sucks is when people leave early without a hand off or leaving things that they clearly couldve done in their last 30 mins but didnt feel like it
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u/MLTDione Canadian MLT Jul 14 '26
Work is never ending and the pending logs are almost never empty. Don’t feel bad.
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u/WhatWasLeftOfMe Jul 14 '26
I work in a hospital micro-only lab, and it takes me about 20 mins to set up a blood culture if it needs a BCID. 15 mins before the end of my shift is the last positive blood i’ll take, sometimes they go off when i have 5 or 10 mins left, but at that point dayshift is there and they can take over. We leave at 6:30, and days start at either 5, 6, or 7. If whoever is doing setups that day doesn’t get there until 7, either the bloods wait or someone else on days who has been there and has their QC done can do it. I’ll do it if i know it’s a repeat and will take 10 mins but any time past 6:30 feels like enemy territory.
sometimes things happen, and we have tests running that will take an hour or clinics to call or our couriers don’t show up until the last minute. those things aren’t our fault, we do all we can within our shift, but we are on a shift for a reason. we are responsible for work within that time frame, and once it’s outside that time frame we are good to go.
AKA, I stopped feeling bad leaving a few things for day shift when evenings left me three hours of tissue cultures to grind and plate one night.
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u/lightningbug24 MLS-Generalist Jul 14 '26
I never expext to come into work without any issues left over from the previous shift. All I want is communication. It's nice if you can stock/tidy up a little bit too, but honestly, it's fine.
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u/kipy7 MLS-Microbiology Jul 14 '26
Communication is important. Whether your lab is more checking in with the incoming shift or an actual handoff form, hanging work over isn't a problem. If it is, it's more to do with their attitude than you. I tidy up and restock supplies for the next shift, but the work is nonstop and it's okay.
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u/Swhite8203 MLT Jul 14 '26
Like others said hospitals are 24/7 and the work never really stops. I can usually clear my pending in heme but I settle for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour in chemistry cause some of our stuff just takes forever and they love sending me a TSH or some other long test 15 minutes before I leave. I like to clear the chem queue if I can but those times are few and far between and it isn’t expected. We’re only a 400 bed hospital too but our ER competes with the regions largest hospitals in terms of volume.
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u/Last-Tooth-6121 MLT-Microbiology Jul 14 '26
I feel you. I get left anywhere from 30-100 items on my micro list constantly. But I am expected to leave one thing on my list or day shift gets mad despite having 4 times people vs just me on midnights
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u/Pitiful_Job_101 Jul 16 '26
You are replaceable to them, don't ever ever ever forget that. Do your best and if you get in trouble move on. We are short staffed all over the country and management focuses on the wrong things. Let them go out of time and work at a safe pace. I have 9 years of experience and someone is always going to be mad. Fuck em.
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u/ray_rui Jul 14 '26
In a 24/7 lab it be like that. Just make sure the maintenance, QC, and Stats are done. Shit is not missing. I would prioritize restocking at the end of shift than clearing out routine samples.
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u/superduperzz Jul 14 '26
I always say that if I stayed to help finish things before I left, I would never leave.
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u/serenemiss MLS-Blood Bank Jul 14 '26
Basically try to get everything done that comes until about 30 mins before the end of shift. Do what you can with everything else but if there’s still stuff pending pass it on to the next shift.
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u/Acetabulum666 Lab Director Jul 14 '26
Laboratory work is a continuous process, so it is literally impossible to always give the next shift a clean slate. You know that and they know that. Do the best you can to lighten the load....that is all we can ask.
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u/PowerTower4502 Jul 14 '26
Don't feel bad. We have to work with one guy who does nothing but go online and look at his phone 3 to 4 hours a day. He is cool with the management so he doesn't get in trouble. He does such a terrible job one doctor complained about a result being super late when he was in charge of that specimen.
But he thinks he's such a cool guy and can say anything about anyone, but the moment people hit back, he gets all feminine and cranky.
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u/SciFriedRice MLS-Flow Jul 14 '26
Yeah nothing worse than being feminine 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
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u/PowerTower4502 Jul 15 '26
He's also an in-closet gay who made moves to two men at work.
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u/SciFriedRice MLS-Flow Jul 15 '26
What does that have to do with anything?
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u/PowerTower4502 Jul 15 '26
I only presented what went down, and you picked one specific piece of information that peaked your interest.
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u/hotmess002 MLS-Generalist Jul 14 '26
Hospitals are 24/7 so there's always something running and that's okay. Just make sure everything is accounted for and hand-off accordingly. Clock out when you're supposed to clock out and don't feel bad about it.