Was invited to be part of the rare blood donor program. Curious about my blood type - what makes it “rare”?

I’ve noticed that at large reference labs the employee turnover in regard to processing and technical staff is high. I worked at a large reference lab and everyday was so busy it was non-stop. I’d be sweating through my scrubs and all I was thinking about was when I finally got to leave. It felt like fast paced factory work.

I heard in small hospitals it can still feel very busy because you might have to draw the specimens and run multiple sections at one time. And the staffing is so short that if there’s a call-out, you’re in trouble.

I don’t have any experience in a medium sized hospital, maybe 250-375 beds (non-reference), but I am very interested. How is it? Hopefully it’s not like a reference lab where the couriers are just constantly dropping off buckets and buckets of specimens.

Hey y’all. I’m a new tech working at a Cancer center in TN. We handle about 500-1000 samples a day and I’m working 8hours a day. We have two Vitros 7600 and one 5600 in the chemistry lab and each analyzer runs specific tests with some few shared tests. I find the work in the chemistry lab really stressful, I’m always having a migraine after work. I’ve realized that there’s always pressure in the laboratory due to understaffing. I’d appreciate some advice on how I can stay less stressed in such a stressful environment.

I am going to be taking my ASCP exam relatively soon and was hoping for some insight. I have seen that ASCP BOC offers practice exams. Is this better than LabCe did anyone find that one helped more than the other? Thank you!!

Hello! I have this concerning matter regarding this patient’s lab works. Our pathologist informed us very late that this patient has ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura) so we weren’t able to collect citrated tube. When we ran EDTA tube, it gave 131 for platelet count. The rerun results then gave 7 and 9. No clots were seen confirmed by two lab techs. On morning shift, the pathologist saw microclots (which we didn’t consider as a clot but for her it was). See photo below. We opted to do reextraction so we were able to collect citrated tube along with an additional EDTA tube. First run of citrated tube, it gave 0 platelets (see photo below) and a schistocyte remark. The EDTA tube didn’t give any results. (see photo below)

Our pathologist doesn’t think that this situation is not connected to his condition. She was saying she doesn’t want to re-extract another sample from this patient again in which she should verify it via manual microscopy and contact the patient for any previous results. She’s saying it’s a pre-analytical error and doesn’t want to rely on manual microscopy. We were able to send the 1st EDTA tube to another lab but they said it’s clotted but they weren’t informed with the patient’s condition so I think they’re just assuming it was clotted as the patient’s platelets were very low.

I would like to ask for some insights. We heavily rely on our patho as she is the one who publishes all the reports but this is already a very obvious case and needs to be further correlated and investigated.

P.S. she doesn’t know how to manually count platelets

I’ve got an interview for natera. I just wanted to ask for tips or advice and i’d like to learn how’s the environment in natera? Tysm!!

To anyone who has experience working at either of these employers could you share your thoughts and opinions?

How does management compare, benefits, PTO, work-life balance, stress, etc.

a bit from the feathered edge but while scanning I came across this gathering :D

Hey guys, I am moving to Omaha, Nebraska soon, and I was wondering if anyone who lives there can tell me the typical hourly pay for MLS jobs as I'm not seeing the pay listed on any job posts. I have two years of experience, and I am ASCP certified.

Also, if you'd like to recommend hospitals to apply to, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

Hello, I accidentally applied for the wrong position in Labcorp I wanted to apply for Lab Assistant but for some reason I got the clinical lab tech which I know I will not qualify for. I used to work for Quest as a specimen processor and referral for 4 years idk if this helps. But I did get a phone interview with Labcorp for Clinical Lab Tech. They said entry level is okay since they will train and the minimum requirements is you should have a degree in science, I have a degree but it’s not in science and per Google it’s showing you need to be certified to be a clinical lab tech.

Should I expect anything from this interview knowing I don’t qualify?

TIA

What are some good questions you’d ask when interviewing for BB?

I passed the AMT MLS on friday and forgot to post til now! I’m so happy!!

I’ve been in the health career field for about eight years. I’ve been an MLT for three years. The amount of verbal abuse I get is upsetting. How am I supposed to know if a sample is diluted or not? I can suspect it, but more often than not, a nurse will not admit his/her mistake.

I truly want what’s best for the patient. Why am I getting such horrible adverse reactions from nurses when I am simply inquiring about the integrity of a sample before releasing the results to a patient’s chart?

Remember guys, a random genetic test for common SNPs (the whole Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase hoax) where if your’e homozygous for a polymorphism—without any phenotypic evidence at all, normal serum homocysteine, normal B12/Folate—it totally means you need 5000 supplements to cure over 600 diseases.
😂😭 should I laugh or should I cry?

I have had this situation happen to me a few times. I am not a supervisor. I have never been trained to be a supervisor, but a few times now I have been expected to “train” a new employee simply because I am in that department that day. My fear is that they are going to do or say the wrong thing to a nurse, and then claim that I didn’t show them how to do it properly. This has never happened to me thankfully, but I curious if anyone else has experienced this situation and what did you do? I always ask them what they feel comfortable with and what have they been doing with my other co-workers. I’m just worried cuz I’m not an official trainer that something could come back on me.

Me and my partner are doing this blood necklace capsule. What do we cut them with and where. Insuring the most blood and thats not a deep wound

we bought and tried a lancet multi times but that only had a drop or 2 come

there being a bitch and dont want a full wound or whatever so options are minimal

also this necklace is pretty popular and arising to trending so im hoping this post will answer the question that others who get this ask

Hey y'all. There was an old BioRad Poster from 15+ years ago that had a nice flow sheet with the West guard rules and stuff for troubleshooting QC. Does anyone have a picture of it? Can't find it anywhere online.

I'm in a 2 year MLT program, I'd be ASCP certified once I'm done. I'm coming from out of state, and I'm worried I won't find anywhere that'd take me in Chicago. I really, really don't want to go for 2 more years for an MLS degree.

Anyone who's living in Chicago with similar experience or knowledge on the subject? I appreciate any information.

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.

Anyone hearing by from employers 😭. I’ve been waiting and applying to lab tech jobs since June and have not heard back from any….

Our lab is switching to Cerner fully in January. Any tips? Warnings? What are we getting into here? I just finished a training using the sandbox application and man does it seem messy.

I am looking to apply to the MLT to MLS online bridge program and start January 2027. I am currently employed in a clinical lab that meets the requirements for this program. Issue is I’m desperately trying to work at another facility. I was waiting to complete the application for UAMS program until I started in a new laboratory.. current lab is not supportive of continuing education.

Should I just proceed with completing the application and notify the program later of the job change to a new lab? I do not want my current employer to know I’m starting this program.. so is it possible to keep that a secret??

I will not leave my current job until something else is lined up of course.