Lab Perspectives: Forums

Job Shadowing

Lauren Stady — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:48:30 GMT

Hello,

I am an undergraduate student studying molecular biology. I plan to apply to a CLS program in the Fall of 2014. Before I do, it has been suggested that I conduct a job shadow with a CLS to give the applications committee the impression that I am very interested and know what the job entails. This sounds like a good idea, but I am having trouble contacting labs. Who am I supposed to ask for? I have tried calling a few local hospitals to no avail. If anyone has advice in this regard it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Clinical Laboratory Business Start-Up - Insights wanted

Devin Ginther — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:24:17 GMT

I am in the process of evaluating the start-up of a clinical laboratory in Texas and greatly need some advice. I've personally been in business development and medical device commercialization for over 12 years but honestly know very little about clinical laboratories. I'm considering putting a large portion of my personal savings into this start-up venture along with 2 other investors. This is a very exciting but stressful decison for me as I would leave my job and invest a great deal of my savings. The existing investors already have 2 laboratories in LA, but I'm looking for completely independent feedback. Most importantly, I'm looking for insight into gaining and growing the business, pit-falls, etc. I ultimately will be responsible for marketing and sales. I'd love an opportunity to speak directly with you or email you if that's ok. My personal email is dev.ginther@gmail.com

How do general or family physicians make decisions on who to send their lab work?

Or maybe the office manager is making these decisions?

What is the criteria for choosing a specific laboratory?

What are the big name, franchised labs lacking in terms of service delivery and customer support?

What would be the large selling points for getting a practice to switch to another laboratory?

How type of volumes can be expected in terms of routine test requests? Daily or weekly testing? (Sorry, I'm getting a concise list for our clinical consultant).

Essentially, I am trying to understand the selling points for getting practices to switch over to another facility and any potential pit-falls in getting into this business. The existing owners feel that can offer better personal service than the big name labs, more reliable report times, more flexibility, lower pricing, etc. I don't know enough about the customer base to clearly understand the true selling points or value proposition for laboratory services. Sorry, I'm a businessman, not a clinician so thanks for your patience.

need Cuviello's Reference Manual

Naeem Kanakri — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:17:05 GMT

hi, from where can i buy Cuviello's Reference Manual ?

Correlation of Manual vs Automated body fluids - Is it necessary?

Samantha Henderson — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:22:24 GMT

Hey all,

Currently in our lab we are performing 20 (yes 20!) body fluid correlations per year. I am wondering if this is really necessary.

Here's the backstory:

We have 2 LH 780s, validated for body fluids with body fluid mode, WBC low end linearity >2.0x10^3, RBC low end linearity >0.01x10^6. WBC below linearity defaults to manual (hemacytometer) count.

Does anyone know of a specific CAP requirement for this correlation?

My rational (for not performing these correlations) is this: both methods (manual and automated) have been independently validated, QC is performed daily/shiftly, and all scientists are subjected to yearly competenices and, of course, up-to-date certification. So, what are these correlations proving? I feel as though it is a waste of time/energy/money/etc because we only ever perform manual counts if the auto count is below linearity (i.e. we would never perform a manual count of a body fluid with a WBC of 40,000), so what is the use in correlating that?

Insights to what your lab does, supportive arguments I can use to change this practice, or justifcation for this practice are much appreciated!

High bias on sodium with the Vitros 350

CHRISBROWNMLT — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:14:41 GMT

Is anyone else experiencing a high bias on their patient sodiums only?

Hiring of certified entry level mlt's & MT's

Richard Covington — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:45:11 GMT

Are Laboratory Managers Really Concerned with The Shortage in Medical Laboratory Personnel? Their Hiring Requirements Seem to Dictate Otherwise.

Why aren't lab managers or directors willing to give entry level MT's/mlt's a chance? Some of us struggled extremely hard to obtain certification yet we run into those lab managers or directors who require experience that we don't have or certification through a specific certification agency. Are lab managers really concerned with the shortage in medical laboratory personnel? Their hiring requirements dictate otherwise. Why they're not willing to hire and train certified entry level MT's or mlt's continues to be a matter of pure conjecture, more so selfishness. Not long ago while conducting a telephonic interview with a Colorado lab manager he informed me that he wasn't allowed to hire AMT certified mlt's and that he doesn't hire candidates who have no instrumentation experience. AMT considers its certified mlt's to be entry level laboratorians who work under the supervision of a MT. AMT expects lab managers to hire its certified mlt's. If lab managers are really concerned with the shortage in medical laboratory personnel they should hire and train MT's or mlt's whether certification is through ASCP, AMT or NCA.We can learn how to operate the instrumentation in your laboratory if you give us a chance by hiring and training us! Please let us in the door so that we can start our careers. Curbing the lab personnel shortage starts with nondiscriminatory/fair hiring practices

Have a BA need to upgrade to BS

Kirk Talbert — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:34:42 GMT

Fifteen years ago switched careers. Have a BA in Business, went back to school and picked up my Science classes and was accepted into a one year Clinical Rotation. Passed my boards and was certified as a MT by ASCP. Just recently laid off and have been denied a couple of positions because I do not have a BS. The college that I attended has dropped their Med Tech program.

Anyone have any suggestions as to any programs that I could enroll in to pick up the few classes that I needed to have a BS? Or have any experience with this?

Salary Information

Kerri Penno — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:00:50 GMT

ADVANCE is gearing up for our next clinical laboratory salary survey! We poll your peers about their titles, salary, region, gender and more to get the latest statistics. Is there anything you would like to see in this year's survey beyond the traditional data? Let us know by leaving your comment below.

How to Become a Medical Laboratory Technician?

Alexander Phillips — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 02:04:29 GMT

Aspiring to become a medical laboratory technician is as good as aspiring for any other health care profession. In order to become a medical laboratory technician one has to meet certain prerequisites. One of them would be that the candidate should have biology, chemistry, and mathematics. For more information you can go through www.medicallaboratorytech.com

MLT Wages

Lisa Ronglien — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:36:11 GMT

I am frustrated!!! I would like to know the best way to increase MLT wages. I work at a small rural facility and we do the work for the hospital, clinic and nursing home. I have been with the company for 14 years. I have an Associates degree. The Rad Techs and RN's also have Associates degrees. The Rad Tech starting wage is $4.00 and hour more and The RN wage is almost $10.00 an hour more. Someone please tell me why we are so under compensated!! I realize that responsibilities are different and supply and demand are reasons for the differences, but....Help me understand!!

ascp certification and outside US acceptance

Dwight Schoonover — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:51:55 GMT

Looking at possibilities for broadening my life experience. Have thought about maybe working for a few years outside the US. Was wondering if the ASCP certification was accepted by other international healthcare agencies? What is the reality of our training, degrees, and experience being just as good in another country as it is here? Where does one start when looking for employment in labs outside the US? Many questions to be answered and would appreciate any unforseen situations that need to be considered.

Thanks for any help,

Dwight L Schoonover, MLT, ASCP

international med technologist?

Amber Jones — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:36:56 GMT

I am a freshly certified med technologist (ASCP) living in the US, and I'm interested in working in other countries. I'm not sure how it works, and I'm having trouble finding information. Most interested in Europe, I'm so eager to see the world while gaining experience in my career field in any continent.

Ideally, I'd like to work in the US for a year or so to get some experience with a company that has international locations that I could transfer to. Is this possible if I'm willing to obtain licensure for specific countries? Where can I find information on the matter?

In the US there are organizations for traveling med techs that help find and fill temporary positions across the country. Are there any options like this internationally?

Urinalysis-What is considered contamination?

Nicole Bohlman — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 16:06:10 GMT

I am interested to know how many labs are skipping the microscopics in urine and reflexing to culture purely based on dipstick alone. I know there are automated methods but that is not an option for our lab at this time.

Do other labs consider the number of epithelials per hpf in microscopics? Do you consider the urine contaminated if there are too many epithelials, and how many is too many?

Seeking MT or MLT

Jennifer Starks — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:10:31 GMT

We have an opening for an ASCP certified MT or MLT on night shift (11pm-7am). This is a small generalist hospital laboratory performing chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, blood bank, and limited microbiology

For more information go to www.stjohnheathsystem.org and choose facility Regional Medical Laboratory

MT CUVIELLO REFERENCE MANUAL.

rey pore — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:02:54 GMT

Does anybody know where to buy patrick cuviellos reference manual book?pls. let me know you can contact me on this # 9042948938 or email me at sheilapore@bellsouth.net.

Blood draws vs. Tattoos

meg3575 — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:02:17 GMT

Will lab tests be affected if blood is drawn through a tattoo? I have been asked this question along with many variations of it and have not been able to find a real concrete answer to it. I have contacted ASCP and Mayo clinic, both of which are not able to provide an answer. I am waiting to here from Dennis Ernst as well as the Cleveland Clinic. My question is, has anyone ever seen results that where definately affected because the venipuncture was through a tattoo? If there is a known study that you could direct me to I would greatly appreciate it, I have spent too much time Googling this topic without information supporting or disproving it. I know in the past we avoided tattoos so that we didn't cause scarring, which could effect the look of the piece. We would also avoid doing Tb testing there when they were concerned with how much erythemia the site had. I just cannot provide a clear answer, besides, thats just how it has always been. Thank you in advance for any insite on this topic!

WHAT BOOK TO USE FOR STUDYING FOR AMT EXAM

Crystal Loska — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 03:28:04 GMT

I need help to figure out what book to study from for my AMT exam for MLT? I have study with the NCA program, but I missed it by 5 points. If any one can help please reply.

spock

Advice for Potential Student in CA

JB — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:19:29 GMT

Hi everyone, I'm an undergrad in CA debating between pharmacy school and CLS. I've already been admitted to pharmacy schools here in CA but I am concerned about the high cost of tuition (around 150K) and the buzz going around that pharmacy is really saturated and there are no jobs. Considering CLS because I like microbio, I can complete internship within a year and (hopefully) find a job easier than pharmacy route. My concern with CLS is that I don't want to feel "stuck" after X amount of years - I'm pretty ambitious person who likes learning and the type of person who wants to move up and so on. Any advice? Thanks.

Share Your NMLP Story

Kerri Penno — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:23:12 GMT

National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW) wouldn't be complete without sharing your celebration event photos and stories with ADVANCE. How did your facility celebrate last year's NMLPW? What's in the works for this year's celebration? How are you getting the word out about the importance of laboratory work in honor of this year's NMLPW?

Share your stories below, and e-mail us at khatt@advanceweb.com to share your photos, flyers and more. Happy NMLPW!

Cover Letter and Resume

Hannah Lambert — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:40:09 GMT

Hello! My name is Hannah and I am an MLT student in my clinical rotation which will be completed at the end of June 2011. I am starting my job search and have a few questions. I have never put together a cover letter and resume, so any advice one could offer would be great!

Being that I am a student, with no lab experience outside of my clinical rotation, what can I do to catch an employer's attention? I've had many jobs, but they are not related to lab science. Should I still include them, would they offer any insight into skills I may have? Would including my GPA and any academic awards be worth putting on the resume?

Thank you for any help you may offer!

Hannah

Laboratory Testbeds Needed

Anthony Pelaez — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:10:02 GMT

Hello All,

I am putting the finishing touches on a laboratory turnaround time software package. The package will include turnaround times, of course, graphing, exports to Excel or other formats, easy usability, custom configurability, archival for long term data collection, reporting, emails to a designated person or multiple people when a threshold has been reached, and other features.

The software is very portable. It can be run from an usb external hard drive, usb flash drive, or on a PC, although the PC is the best solution.

I am looking for testbeds so I can work on the connectivity of the software to a LIS system. I am looking for Cerner, Soft, McKesson or other lab testbeds so I can get this software implemented.

In turn for your generosity, you will have free access to this software. As I will be updating the software constantly with additional features and newer versions, all updates and new versions are included. Basically you will get to use the software forever at no cost to you.

If anyone is interested, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Regards,

Tony Pelaez

817-886-8518

email: anthony.pelaez@clinistar.com

Phlebotomy: Use of "c" or "window" anchoring for venipuncture

Christine Lopez — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 22:00:05 GMT

The use of "c" or " window" anchoring for venipuncture is poor practice because of needlestick risk, but who says? Looking for the CLSI standard, OSHA requirement or other professional agency standard. thanx.

Resume help

Nicadia Gilles — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:07:03 GMT

I need some help devising the attention-getting resume. I graduated in July 2008 with my MLT, and I already have a BS in Biology and a MPH. I've been working as a Lab Assistant until I can get hired as a MT. Oh I am certified and licensed as an MT. Any ideas how to play up my 2 1/2 yrs as a Lab Assistant?

Nicadia

MSU Certificate in Molecular Diagnostics

ChocolateAgar — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:35:23 GMT

Who has taken the first part of this program?

I start on 09/01 and would love for someone to front me a syllabus. PLEASE!!!!

Over-educated - what now?

Kimberly Boyts — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 00:37:09 GMT

Hi everyone,

I was recently hired as a phlebotomist (certified in May 2010, didn't find a job until Oct 2010!) at a local hospital. This was a big step up from my last job - retail asst. manager - and before that I had been unemployed for 3 months after losing my job in clinical research (compliance & research site coordinator). While I love my job, I know I can't see myself doing it for more than a year or two...or three if I had to...but I have sort of "snotty" reasoning: I hold a Bachelor's in Molecular Bio and Master's in Forensic Science - just couldn't find a job, believe it or not (and I don't have the option of moving out of CO).

Here's my question: As a perpetual student, I'd love to go back within the next year or two for either my CLS or CLT/MT. I feel like I absolutely have the background already to immediately go for the CLS, but of course the CLT/MT would be cheaper and faster - and after 6 years in school that resulted in two seemingly useless degrees, a big part of me really leans toward the easier, cheaper route. But I also wouldn't want to come out of yet another degree without getting looked at twice by employers simply because I didn't take that next step for the CLS. Thoughts? Is there a difference when employers today look at resumes/credentials? I don't want to assume that my background will make up for that higher degree as a CLS.

Thanks,

Kimberly