Spread the Word: A Medical Technology Student’s Perspective

This Semester

2009-11-19T14:22:00Z

This semester has been stressful. I have a full schedule and a lot of projects due. Just this semester I started the Master's program. I have stayed busy with lots of studying and reading assignments. I am taking Blood Bank, Mycology, Chemistry, Hematology/Coagulation and a research class. I must say it's been one of the hardest semesters I have had so far. However, graduation is within sight. We are in the final week of three of our classes and have finals next week. We will then continue with our...(read more)

Lab Safety

2009-11-16T15:05:00Z

As students, we are taught about laboratory safety and how to handle situations as they arise. However, you never know how you are going to react in a situation until you're faced with it head-on. It's important to realize blood products could pose a threat to you. Even the slightest cut could expose you to a lot of bacteria and infectious diseases. A fellow student of mine was cut in lab by a test tube last week. I never realized until that moment how scary a situation like that could be--especially...(read more)

Field Trip

2009-10-12T15:13:00Z

My med tech class took a field trip to Lifeblood, based in Memphis, a blood processing and collection center. The trip was very educational. I always thought when someone received a blood transfusion they were getting whole blood, but that's not always the case. Depending on the situation, the patient could just receive plasma or platelets, etc. Seeing the process from beginning to end was intriguing as well. It takes a lot of time and precision to make sure you're separating the different components...(read more)

Passion

2009-09-21T17:13:00Z

It took me a while to figure out just what I am passionate about. I was sitting in on the presentations at the GMABB meeting in Memphis, and I realized my passion. My passion is becoming a medical laboratory scientist, so that I can help people. I have a blog I started with ADVANCE to let people know about the profession and how to become a medical laboratory scientist. I am a member of ASCLS and I am the Tennessee Co-Student Delegate. I love the profession! I do not know quite yet which area I fit...(read more)

Blood Bank Rotation

2009-09-08T14:43:00Z

I am dreading blood bank, but is this worth me fretting over? Medical technologists in blood bank must be organized and accurate. I can do that! Blood bankers type blood and match it to a donor for blood transfusions. Getting more interesting! A mistake in blood bank can be fatal to the patient. This is what frightens me the most. However, blood bank seems to be a very exciting part of the lab. Blood bankers get to help people for many different reasons. People need blood for transfusions, if the...(read more)

A Student's POV: The Merger

2009-08-25T21:23:00Z

While I was in Chicago at the ASCLS National Meeting, it was announced the NCA and ASCP BOR were to merge to create BOC. I know there was some that were apprehensive about this merger. In my opinion, the merger gives more recognition to the laboratory and will help unite the profession. This was what our profession needed to help aid in giving laboratory professionals a voice and a sense of unity. This also gives practitioners control of the profession by allowing practitioners to write the test...(read more)

Rotating through the Microbiology Lab

2009-08-17T02:02:00Z

My last week in the Microbiology lab started with two days of working and reading on the Respiratory and miscellaneous bench then ending with the blood bench. I was able to determine if there was a pathogen growing on the plate versus normal flora bacteria. I saw a lot of Staphylococcus aureus and a lot turned out to be MRSA. When I came upon Beta Strep plates that came the fun of using the latex assay to determine which group of Strep it was. GC screens were interesting two, especially since we...(read more)

A Support System: Joining a National Organization

2009-08-11T21:58:00Z

The ASCLS National Meeting was an amazing experience. I met a lot of wonderful professionals and made some really great friends. I was amazed will all the excitement about the profession and how welcomed I felt. Students are the future of this organization and we need to keep this organization growing. As I discovered a lot of students are not aware of the importance of the organization and all the opportunities it provides. Being a part of a national organization allows you to become part of a network,...(read more)

Microbiology Rotation Part 2

2009-07-21T14:51:00Z

I am now on the second week of my 3-week rotation in microbiology. I started today on the urine and stools bench learning how to interpret plates and what tests to run next. This is the problem-solving part of microbiology, which so far is pretty interesting. My teaching instructor is always in a rush to get things done so I am not getting to learn as much as I had hoped. I am hoping my next instructor will be able to slow down and explain things to me. I understand the technologists are busy and...(read more)

Microbiology Rotation Part 1

2009-07-10T12:29:00Z

On the first day of my microbiology rotation, I did not know what to expect. I got a tour of the hospital and a lesson on safety. I was then put at my first station, set ups, as this hospital calls it. I took worksheets with the patient information and tests ordered and found the specimen that matched it. I then plated the specimen to the appropriate media. I also learned how Campylobacter grows in a 42 degree incubator with extra CO2. At the hospital it has its own special jar and incubator. Additionally,...(read more)

Immunology Rotation

2009-07-07T12:22:00Z

Honestly, I was a little nervous about my immunology rotation! However, once I met my instructor and started learning about the machine they used, it was not so bad after all. At the hospital I was at, they have the Centaur XP which runs tests from HIV, Hepatitis A, B and C, BNP'S, testosterones, prolactins, etc. It was actually a pretty cool machine. It utilizes competitive and sandwich assays to measure what it's looking for. A lot of the other tests, such as vitamin B12 and complement, are run...(read more)

Annual ASCLS Meeting

2009-07-01T15:24:00Z

The annual ASCLS meeting is being held in Chicago in July. This is a great opportunity for students, because of all the valuable information and connections that can be found there. This meeting will serve as an introduction to the organization and give students an idea of what the organization is all about. While there is going to be business at this meeting, there are also going to be opportunities to see new instrumentation and meet future employers. There will be booths set up at the McCormick...(read more)

Hematology Rotation

2009-06-26T11:33:00Z

My summer rotations kicked off with a good start in hematology. I was placed at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville. I really like working and learning with all the medical technologists there. There is never a dull moment! I really learned a lot about working the Beckman Coulter analyzer. After about 3 or 4 days, I was able to run the hematology section--well, except for reporting results, of course. I had to be able to troubleshoot problems that arose, such as the dreaded "platelet clumps" flag,...(read more)

Thoughts on Being a Student

2009-06-17T15:19:00Z

As medical technology students, we are being prepared for the workforce. We are being taught to perform laboratory procedures in a timely and accurate manner. We are being taught to think about the theory behind the test, not that we are just running the test to see a positive or negative. We are learning about the new technologies and the modern ways of running tests manually. Once we are out in a laboratory, we have to be able to think fast and logically and be able to work in stressful situations....(read more)

Lab Shortage

2009-06-12T14:17:00Z

Currently, there is a shortage of medical laboratory professionals. It has been stated before that the laboratory is a big part of patient healthcare, yet the laboratory is often overlooked. Therefore, how can we get students interested in the field and how can we get them to apply to the medical technology programs? Recruitment is a big part of trying to remedy the problem. Going out to the high schools and even colleges and targeting those students who are not sure what they want to do when they...(read more)