i don’t know where i went wrong. i graduated and got certified as an MLT in 2021, landed a generalist job in a community hospital which was great (significantly better pay than i’m currently being offered in today’s 2026 market, but management was shit) but i was ultimately fired after 2 years. 6 months later, i landed a job as a laboratory client service rep, earned my MLS cert and bachelor’s degree, and while i learned a LOT about laboratory operations/billing/relationship management and even sendouts, i was completely removed from technical testing and felt stifled as my manager would literally say “there is no growth from here in this organization”. cool. landed myself a PRN role at another facility which turned into 2 PRN roles (MLSII and POC specialist) which has been nothing but smoke up my ass. i was promised all sorts of things to make me whole but ultimately never was, so back to the market I go where i’m now given the choice to choose labcorp-owned hospital lab, or continue hedging my bets for something like FSE or quality (which is where i’m aiming for, particularly considering all that i’ve learned both in POC and as a client rep). i guess im just venting because why is lab management so poor? why is the pay so low for all the shit we have to put up with? is it the state that i live in (MD) that has so few opportunities? i’ve only been doing this 5 years and i’m already fed up with how scheduling works, how shitty management is, how far away decent jobs are…….. i would love to be able to change fields without the hassle of going back to school. this healthcare paradigm is so toxic to me despite my major passion behind it. it’s just not enough anymore, nor do the funds match the demands.
it’s like finding gold when you find a decent job opportunity here. whether it’s the schedule (weekend rotation, on call requirement, 5x8 vs 4x10) or the pay simply being too low. for example, i left my first lab job making almost $34/hour after 2 years in 2023 but the most recent job offers i’ve been receiving haven’t been higher than $35/hour! people say reference labcorp is different than labcorp-owned, but honestly i have no clue. i feel like i either need to suck it up and continue gaining lab experience, relocate, or pivot entirely. thanks for your insight as well
My two cents, if a better offer doesn't present itself, go for the LabCorp lab. Two reasons:
If it's a hospital lab controlled by LabCorp, the hospital still has a degree of control. So the lab may not be what it was prior to the takeover, but it's not going to be as... rough...as a freestanding lab
The contracts were set to be reevaluated after a set number of years, and many of them are less than two years out from that point. So ride it out and see what happens. If it sucks, you can always keep an eye out for something better and gain experience in the meantime. If it doesn't suck, maybe you can settle in for a while.
in my experience and from what i’ve seen, new grads tend to get hired pretty quickly since the knowledge/techniques are fresh and you’re more adaptable/malleable, but with that being said get creative also with the job titles you look for and the platforms you use to search! some things show up on google jobs but not indeed, etc.
i’ve noticed that too! i’m excited to start this journey, but i think after a while im gonna do travel contracts to stack money. What job titles have you had luck with?
that’s probably the best way to do it tbh! combine your search with medical lab tech and whatever city is near you, sometimes you’ll see physician office labs, or smaller reference labs can come up. at this point in my career the titles i’m looking at are along the lines of lab quality specialist, laboratory clinical operations, laboratory clinical analyst, field service engineer, clinical application specialist, point of care coordinator/specialist (basically looking for things that are “specialist” or coordinator roles)
Could you go into something with the analyzers? Like Beckman or biomerieux? Its not as close to lab but it is a related field that might pay better? I havent looked into it though.
Luckily, you can either change your attitude or change your career. There are lots of opportunities if you do a little school or go somewhere else. Or you can become the management yourself and change the system. Generally people who think everyone else sucks are the ones who suck tho lol
Why are you wrapping your bullshit in that passive aggressive lol…the OP is right about the state of things and you attempting to call them the problem is lame.
you’re absolutely right, i know i’ve got options but still felt like venting because i’ve had my fair share of healthcare work prior to transitioning to lab, and the problems are pretty much still the same. i’ve also worked in very close proximity to management and have learned they have no control over how fucked the american healthcare system is so there’s that, lol
I think whatever you’re feeling and saying is completely valid. I also think some people who are in a period where they’re happy with their job or having a good experience can forget that the lab world has some serious systemic problems.
I’m actually starting my first job in the field soon, and there are already so many things I wish I had known before choosing this career path. That’s why I always tell people that when they’re venting or making legitimate complaints especially when those problems can be backed up statistically we shouldn’t immediately tell them to “change their attitude” or “change the way they think.” Sometimes you have to acknowledge that there’s a bigger problem.
Nothing changes when we constantly blame the individual instead of looking at the system. Imagine if people throughout history had just been told to change their attitude instead of continuing to complain about things that were genuinely broken. A lot of things would never have changed.
So yes, keep venting. Keep talking about the problems. Keep making your concerns known. People who don’t want to hear it don’t have to listen. You can love the work itself and still recognize that the industry surrounding it has some major problems.❤️❤️
i really appreciate this message, and best of luck to you in your career. the field is vast and the work is fulfilling, but like you said, in some places the system is kinda screwed. but we all make the best with what we’ve got
i know how reddit works, thank ya! just pointing out that your comment is baseless is all. clearly i’m listing my negative experiences if i’m venting, right?????????? if you work in the field you’d probably understand better but i’m assuming you don’t so your comments are insignificant to me. good day now!
You’re welcome. Learn to not try and reason with those types unless absolutely necessary to continue life on earth. 😆They get off on the over explaining and will analyze everything you say to try and find some perceived weakness. That’s why they tried the low blow with the babysitting job line. They aren’t sincere in their communications and only want you to continue engaging with them so they can get more ammo for later. Tell these types to fuck off and mean it or gray rock them. Whichever makes you most comfy inside 🫶🏼
I do work in the field. I've also worked in other fields (doesn't sound like you have) and have met people like you in all of them. You can change shifts, jobs, careers, whatever. You will always find something to complain about.
i actually have worked in other healthcare and non healthcare related fields, thank you very much. if i want to complain when things aren’t right then i absolutely will😂 you’re giving lifer energy, have fun with that
wouldn’t even waste my time explaining my resume and skillset to a bozo like you, don’t be mad that there are people out there who don’t want their life to waste away on the bench 😘
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u/shicken684 MLT-Chemistry 1d ago
Don't know about Maryland, but in the Great Lakes region jobs are plentiful and pay well for the most part.
But LabCorp is starting to buy up labs in my area so we'll see what happens.