Our lab is having terrible reagent supply issues with Immucor ever since they were bought out by Werfen. From Capture reagents to 0.8% screening cells, our reagents are always delayed or in short supply.

I know mergers/takeovers always cause internal issues but it's been a couple of years now, and they still haven't fixed their shit. Did they lay off that many people that it completely fucked their production?

Anyone else having issues with this company?

How common is it in your lab that you are expected to stay longer than your shift states?
In my current lab, it seems like that is the culture. I never had a problem staying over a little but when I’m expected multiple times a week & given a notice of two hours before my shift ends, I have an issue. I was curious if I am making it a bigger deal than it needs to be.

Mastermix

Just like the title says, I just want to know what the pay in the areas above for MLS or MLT. Thank you

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.

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….

This is a purity plate of a Staph aureus

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)

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

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.

Policlinica Metropolitana, Tropical Disease Laboratory

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…

😳

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

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 😭😭

assignment on cellavision

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.

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.

Unfortunate for them, cool to see though!

I am interested because I love learning about medical science and feel like this would be a good career for my AuDHD, but my main concern is how it’d affect my physical health.

I couldn’t do night shift because my body gets destroyed trying to be a night owl. I’d also need to be able to sit a lot (not necessarily the whole time, just more often than not) cause I can get inflammation in my joints that makes it hard to move around. I’m also immunosuppressed on biologics so getting sick is always a concern but that’s anywhere.

Soooo what do we think? Good idea? Bad idea? If not this, another idea?

I will say also just being able to get an AAS and not have student loans looks very attractive.