Stepwise Success : Professionalism

Use the Gram Stain

Scott Warner — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:18:00 GMT

In microbiology we learn to use the Gram stain results of a direct smear to check specimen quality (usually by a count of squamous epithelial cells) and any predominating organisms (e.g. lancet shaped Gram positive cocci on a sputum) that suggest what...(read more)

Ageism in the Laboratory

Scott Warner — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:57:00 GMT

Pardon the pun, but it’s an old story. According to the Hospital Council of Northern & Central California, “The average age of a CLS in California is above 50. There are not enough new CLSs in the pipeline to equal the numbers currently working but...(read more)

Is Scripting Bad?

Scott Warner — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:03:00 GMT

We encounter scripting all the time. When calling customer service, at the end of the call, the representative says, “Have I answered all your questions today?” In a restaurant, a waiter will say, “My name is Matt, and I’ll be your server.” And at the...(read more)

Self Control

Scott Warner — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:00:00 GMT

We all have moments when we lose self control, usually under stress of some kind: frustrated by highway traffic, pressed for time, shopping in a crowded store, irritated by arguing. In a similar way, stress in the laboratory can cause us to lose self...(read more)

I Didn’t Get Your Email

Scott Warner — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:19:00 GMT

For managers, email is either a lifeline or bane. Sometimes, it’s both. I imagine it’s even more irritating for staff without a dedicated office space to handle email. Whatever the setting, there are only so many emails we can take. According to a Harris...(read more)

Bad Handwriting

Scott Warner — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 11:11:00 GMT

Nurses may complain about doctor’s bad handwriting, but we see it plenty. Often, it’s difficult to decipher a test or diagnosis on a requisition, and like a game of “Telephone” the message can be completely garbled if ordered by a third party on an inpatient...(read more)

Don’t Bother the Blood Bank Tech!

Scott Warner — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:11:00 GMT

We have a sign in our lab that says Do Not Talk To the Blood Bank Technologist . It reminds us all of the nature and danger of distractions in our work: beepers, timers, telephones, instrument alarms, sensor alarms, doorbells, personal issues, and (not...(read more)

Ask the New Guy

Scott Warner — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:05:00 GMT

From Black Friday until after the holidays, it’s bargain hunting season. Like most bargains, a new hire in your laboratory can be good or bad. And your lab will play “Ask the new guy” to figure it out. If management does its job, the news is good. Great...(read more)

Gossips and Grapevines

Scott Warner — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:12:00 GMT

Recently, an administrator told me something “on the q.t.” and swore me to secrecy. Naturally, by the time I returned to the laboratory everyone was talking about it. And when I denied any knowledge of it, everyone laughed heartily. It’s amazing how quickly...(read more)

Sell Your Lab

Scott Warner — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:14:00 GMT

Physician demands can be infuriating sometimes. Physicians can order testing that is obsolete, not indicated, or in a grape shot of requests. As I pointed out in my last blog, we should be happy to perform whatever they need to make treatment decisions....(read more)

Put People First

Scott Warner — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:19:00 GMT

Technology is amazing. When my wife and I dine in the kitchen, we often turn on the corner TV. This TV is connected to the DVR two rooms away, which we control using a smartphone app to sometimes watch recorded episodes of The Suze Orman Show . Fast forwarding...(read more)

Tell the Truth

Scott Warner — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:11:00 GMT

The flip side of liars at work is, of course, telling the truth. We’re a culture so obsessed with liars -- at least until November 6th! -- that it’s worthwhile to simplify the issue. Lying ranges from a wee fib about someone’s new doo to sink testing...(read more)

Liars At Work

Scott Warner — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:21:00 GMT

There are two ways to take this blog: liars AT WORK, meaning colleagues who do their work by lying about it; LIARS at work, meaning those who fib regardless. Fibbers range from exaggerators (their parties are the best, their kids are the brightest, they...(read more)

Junky Cultures

Scott Warner — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 10:13:00 GMT

It would be great if we received cultures from only sites expected to be sterile: blood, deep wounds, body fluids. In areas where the immune system gobbles up microscopic critters, properly collected positive cultures are instructive. The physician is...(read more)

Lab Order Sets

Scott Warner — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:12:00 GMT

Traditionally, an inpatient medical record contains handwritten physician orders that are a mix of transcribed orders (e.g. a doctor telephones a nurse to request lab tests), free text orders written in a stream of consciousness style, and printed forms...(read more)