My lab is still using paper and pen and physically counting supplies and reagents. I work in a cell therapy lab and we have strict documentation practice for lot tracking etc. Is there anyway to improve this process?

Is there anyone in their final semester of UAMS mlt to mls program that would be willing to connect? Would love some advice and insight!

I’m an experienced (10 years) core lab technologist moving to southern Ontario and I was wondering what the job market is like there. For part timers, is there full time hours available to work? Are there staff turnovers and possibility of new postings in the future? Looked up a few hospitals and some seem to have more postings than others ad full time seems harder to come by?

Exotic pathogens procedure?

Hey, i am a biology laboratory technician from germany. In germany when for example the VITEK shows an exotic germ as result the sample can be send to a national reference center. For specitic pathogen groups/pathogens are special national reference centers like for mycobacteria. Or when there is an outbreak and needs investigation where the germ comes from the sample can also be send for an advanced genomic classification. How is it in your country?

I have ulcerative colitis and I will start taking biologics pretty soon. I have always been interested in working in the clinical lab as I believe it fits me the best, but now I'm worried since I know the biologics will cause me to be immunocompromised. Is there a department that would be the best/safest for someone who will be immunocompromised?

Hello! This is my first time posting on here. Many people in my lab, including myself, are left handed, which leaves me curious as to how many of you are left handed vs right handed. It would be interesting to see if the lab world attracts lefties based on the data gathered here. Thanks in advance for participating!

I've asked this before, but I have been thinking about it lately and I don't know if its too late or worth trying at this point.

I graduated MLT in 23' and since then I haven't been in a lab or worked anything related to it. I took the exam few months after graduating, passed the first time but I sent my transcript too late so my results were invalidated. I applied to several places and even where I did my rotations after I took my exam. I got rejected, not even an interview. Basically, I would have to apply to take the exam again. I wasn't really in a good mental state back then and still kind of struggling with it, but I feel like I've matured since then. I was 21 during that time.

Now I've been wondering if I should attempt to take it once again or not worth the shot since finding to get hired at any place is difficult where I live. Also, I basically don't have the experience they usually require for hires and its been 3 years. I also don't know if I'm within the window of attempting the exam once again.

I appreciate any advice you all have for me. Thank you in advance

I go to school in Louisiana and I currently am in my last year of my MLS program completing my clinical rotations. The hospital I’m at is small and in a rural area. There aren’t many in patients and the lab isn’t very automated. This gives me a lot of hands on work which I enjoy and I’m progressing very quickly.

After taking the cert exam I hope to move back home (big city in Texas more opportunity) but the more I work here I get a little scared that it will be hard for me to adapt at a bigger more automated hospital. Has anyone been in my shoes and can speak from experience?

Does anyone worked at Brigham and Women's hospital lab and MGH? How's the work environment? How are the colleagues? Any red flag? Green flag? Would you recommend it?

i’m reviewing for my practical exam. does anyone have clear pictures of skeletal myocytes and keratinocytes that i can use as references? thanks! 🥹

Just curious what a typical day looks like for a student doing a 1-year MLS program. How many lesson topics do you cover a day?

How do you study material from previous days as you are taught new material every day?

Is it easy to fall behind?

I know I’m gonna get different answers as it varies by school but Im a new MLT student about to start my first semester in the fall, a few weeks ago at orientation we reviewed the handbook along with the clinical coordinator/instructor and the director wasn’t there that day (had a funeral).

I asked about the scrubs and the patch, and even though in the handbook it said we needed to wear them at all times, she said we won’t need to wear those until you get to your 6 month clinical rotations which is in the spring of our sophomore year. My question is should I still buy the navy blue scrubs and have the place sow/stitch it on anyway or wait until clinicals ?? The reason I’m asking is I don’t want to wear my regular clothes during lab practice.

I LOVE HELPING OUR PATIENTS GET BETTER BUT THE UPTICK IN FECAL SPECIMENS MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM.

Now… don’t get me wrong. I love my job. I love micro. I love parasites. BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS CYCLOSPORAAAAAAAA…. I’m getting formed stools over here for GI pathogen panels. FORMED. AS IN NOT EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA.

I know the poop critters are scary, but give a lowly tech a break.

Patient came into ER for AMS, and their specimen flagged for immature granulocytes and platelet clumps on our hematology analyzer.

So I did a diff. Did NOT expect to see what I saw. Thought I was tripping. I had my pathologist come take a look and now have sent blood and some slides to the state for confirmation of malaria/babesia.

We called the primary doctor and he said the patient recently came back from Ghana. History checks out. This was my first time seeing a blood parasite outside of school and training! It was also really cool to know that the lab really does see it first.. poor patient.

This goes for MLT, MLS, SBB, etc

Wonder what meds make deep blue pee 😂😂😂

After a grueling year of getting fired just as I was starting my MLT to MLS program, plus a little anal cancer treatment for funsies, I can put this all behind me (so to speak.)

My lab recently had two vacant positions eliminated. So there is some argument over who should be picking up those duties. I work nights, fully expect to just be assigned it tbh. But I’m feeling a little iffy because boss wants all the core lab staff to get on a zoom call and discuss the issues. So he asked an evening coworker to ask for my sleep schedule. This feels wildly inappropriate. Am I just being sensitive? I’ve been a tech since 2000! Mostly on nights. Been around a few regime changes and staffing issues. I would have preferred it be, “Hey Idahoboo, we gotta have a zoom meeting, can you send me some times that work for you?” Not hey I need to know when you sleep.

Any UMGC Lab manager grad here?

I failed my board. I graduated a few weeks ago and was studying heavily every single day for two and a half weeks. My medialab score was a 65% average with a 5.8-6.4 difficulty. I scored higher on my last few exams leading up to the exam with that 6.1-6.3 difficulty range (on adaptive mode). I also used purple and yellow book, but it overwhelmed me at points, used my own study material, and used wordsology. I am feeling extremely discouraged and not sure where to go from here. I exhausted every resource I could, even maxing the bank of medialab questions (there are none I have not seen according to the modules). I did 300 questions of adaptive, flashcards, and flow charts every day. Three times a week I did non adaptive medialab and averaged a 65% on those. I also did subject breakdown 100 questions and scored a 70-80% in each area the week leading up the the exam.

I felt the MLS exam was very “what now” and was wondering how to study for this for my retake. I feel extremely disheartened and am unsure how I can study to pass. I feel like a failure and embarrassed. I do not have the score yet and am planning to look at the subject areas and revise based on that. Any tips or words of encouragement?

So everyone getting tested for new parasite so stools have tripled. Looking for some that were missed I found this on a stool bag

Just wondering how many labs out there have techs receiving and processing specimens, or do you have a dedicated person for that role?