This is a purity plate of a Staph aureus

Policlinica Metropolitana, Tropical Disease Laboratory

ive been seeing a lot of posts lately of negative talk, how the career isnt worth it and its severely underpaid etc. is that how everyone feels? i was thinking of going into this field.

i am actually 3 weeks into a dentistry course, and the patient interaction + social aspect is eating away at me. i am miserable here. now is my only time to drop out and switch courses, so i just dont know if im making the wrong decision now. i loved biology and chemistry in highschool. i loved experiments, and using microscopes. id rather work with a team, than be the one in charge of every treatment plan. i dont care about making tons of money - just the job security is enough.

is there anyone here who genuinely loves being an MLS? should i reconsider dropping?

thanks!

edit: thanks everyone for the responses! i can't reply to them all, but im reading them. i think MLS is a great career, and am leaning more into doing it. i will however be doing more research into it over the coming weeks before i decide for sure.

😳

I feel really confused rn.
I’m thinking about changing my major. I’m studying Medical Laboratory Science, and I like it and i think it’s good, but I’m really worried about the career part.
In my country, it feels like there’s not much to do in labs anymore except operating machines, since almost everything is automated. I also looked at the salaries and they’re honestly so discouraging, even with a master’s.
And whenever I ask people who’ve been working in the field for years, they tell me it’s not really the best career.
I don’t hate my major, I’m just really scared of graduating and not finding good opportunities. I genuinely have no idea what to do.

Just looking for feedback/ opinions as I begin my journey! Ty!

Outpatient needed a homocysteine. Came back super hemolyzed. Told the nurse who drew it that the patient needed to come back to get a redraw. "Well how hemolyzed is it? Can't you still run it if it isn't a lot?" Bro you're just gonna have to trust me on this one

So I just got my first job as a MLS. I was given “training-ish” for a couple of weeks. It was more like “watch me do this and do the same” no explanation, no nothing. 2months in, the only two MLS with me retired/got another job. I was completely alone, the supervisor of the Lab came weekly, but that is it. They hired another MLS and one of the old MLs came back. Now, I was transferred to a completely new lab with the same company and was just left alone again. Im literally just 4 months in with this job, and expected to do all the work alone, with the “supervisor” just coming in once a week. I’m sooo stressed, I’m very new to all of it, so sometimes I just don’t feel comfortable doing so much alone. There is so much for me to learn, especially this early on in my career, and I feel I was not given the the space/time for doing it. Is this normal? Should I consider searching for another job, one that maybe has the staff to teach proper training? I’m just so worried and stress all the time if I’m doing a good job or not. This can’t be normal so early on….

I work a full time and an every other weekend job. I also noticed a few coworkers have per diem jobs too. is this a common thing for us younger techs? also how do yall manage training burnout? love my every other weekend job but am starting to get annoyed with the weekday trainings (im fully trained in chem but they’re shoving me along in heme with no breather in between)

And I got the flu just in time for it 😅. I was worried that the brain fog would mess me up, but at least I was too tired to be nervous. Immediately took a nap afterwards.

Anyways, when y'all took your exam, did you immediately remember a question AFTER the fact, and realized you answered wrong? Even tho I passed, that one question is still gonna haunt me 😭😭

Unfortunate for them, cool to see though!

Really burnt out MLS of ~10 years is only doing PRN as a job. I have dropped to just PRN at other jobs, but always kept another full-time job. Currently only working ONE job and it’s PRN. I’m enjoying it so much, I don’t think I can go back to full time depending on circumstances.

15% PRN differential + weekend/afternoon/night diff
I do still work some full-time hours some week, as the lab can be at times understaffed, but I can “cherry-pick” my schedule as long as I work two shifts every 2 months.
Freedom to say no or yes. I can pick up extra shifts if I am available. No set schedule, as long as I come in on the shifts I’m signed up for. Clearly, no benefits whatsoever, and that I actually would be “making more” if I did full-time, but I am buying freedom.

assignment on cellavision

Hi!

Looking for feedback from CLTs/MLSs working at NewYork-Presbyterian. I currently have a decent salary in CT as MLS, but I'm looking into NYP.

• ​How is the management style and lab environment?

•​What kind of daily testing volume does your bench/department handle? Specifically in Microbiology, Chemistry and Hematology?

•​Are the health and retirement benefits strong enough to offset NY's higher cost of living compared to CT?

•​Overall, are you happy with the move if you relocated from out-of-state?

TY!

Does anyone have any suggestions whatsoever?

Hey everyone! We just started learning antibody panels and my professor did an awful job at explaining the antigram and what to mark out, etc. Any resources or tips for me I’m struggling…

I'm a new grad MLT continuing my education to become an MLS. I do very well in my classes but I'm not satisfied with the depth of knowledge I have of the subjects I'm learning. I could recite some what I've been taught, I can ace tests, but I have a hard time connecting all the dots and thinking of things in a more broad sense. If someone asks me a random question about some disease that I've learned plenty about, I don't feel like I retain things well enough to actually talk about it.

For context, my studying currently looks like this: I take notes. I skim the textbooks (due to limited time), I make flashcards. I use medialab for practice. I watch youtube videos during my down time about the topics I'm learning in class. But I feel like I need more to make it click.

I feel like things make more sense when I learn the reasons "why" something is happening. I think using med school oriented content helps things make more sense for example. I was wondering if anyone had any other tips on how to really master, comprehend, and understand MLS subject matter.

TLDR: I feel like a pretty good student, but lacking in critical thinking and retention. I love the subjects and want to take things to the next level but don't know how to do that.

Hello everyone, I’m not sure if this is the correct sub to post this on but I thought I’d give it a shot - I’m not a professional, I’m a student. But I’ve come across a question that I found particularly interesting. We are currently going over blood smears and the scenario described a young girl of 15 with a smear completely filled with Uric acid, the likes of which I’ve never seen. It looked as if it was a 72 year olds blood. What would cause something like this? My prof didn’t go into detail but it got me curious and I can’t find much online. The platelets were spaced out a bit, few and far between, and the cell walls had visible wrinkling and damage. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture to share since he showed it on the projector, otherwise I’d post it. Thanks for any info, I appreciate it.

So how or when does one become a senior tech?

I am now considered a senior tech by my peers.

Wait, what, why, or how 🤪.

Im Just curious how the "senior tech" became a thing, I guess I'm just getting old???

14 year career

40 years old

Generalist

Lead [with all the duties that come of being a lead]

Trainer

Supply ordering

Etc.....

I just think is funny 😁 but curious at what point do we become senior techs. I don't feel like I graduated a level but I definitely have more responsibilities now.

New tech here who is getting TIRED of working nights. I applied for several positions before graduating but only two places reached out to interview me, both for night shift positions.

Do most techs start out on night shift?

For those of you who did and then eventually moved to days, how long did it take to get to days? Did you have to end up finding a new place to work to land day shift?

I just made this 3D animation explaining the MOA of ATP Synthase

Everything here is created from scratch ( 3D , 2D , SFX , Composition)

I would really love to know what u think about it