It’s easy to make solutions more complicated. When there are holes in a schedule, one can create multiple rotation lists with conditional rules. When quality control is out, one can apply more Westgard rules than are needed. And when microscopic cellular elements are evaluated, one can apply criteria that are too detailed to be ...

  It is that time of year when we celebrate National  Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW).  This is a week when the various, often competing, laboratory organizations join forces  to honor the more than 300,000 medical laboratory professionals around the country who perform and interpret more than 10 ...

A million monkeys on a million microscopes probably couldn’t bang out an accurate WBC differential in a million years, but a lab tech could teach a gibbon to run a chemistry analyzer in about ten minutes. I’m kidding. But the subjective variability of microscopic analysis versus objective reliability of engineered automation is known. WBC ...

The introduction of new drugs that combat disease and infection at the genetic level has been a landmark breakthrough, both for laboratory science as well as for patient treatment plans. Cell-based therapeutics, on the other hand, stand to become influential in the coming years. A recent story from Newswise reported cell therapy as the next ...

Stress is big trouble in all our lives. It seems to me that we can handle stress at work or home but not both. Life being what it is, stress seems to jump from one to the other and seldom sits still. At home, family can help us cope with stress. Does a work family do the same thing? Many employees have told me, “We’re like family here. We ...

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 supermarket the checkout person will ask, “Did you find everything you were looking for ...

A common task we are expected to perform is checking expiration dates on reagents, controls, and other dated materials. Boxes are crowded with different languages, vials are smaller, and eyesight fades with age. I remember vividly the moment when I couldn’t immediately adjust between a crossword puzzle and the wall clock. What if we miss a ...

Since the ASCP took over the popular and progressive NCA in 2009, I have periodically received emails from medical lab professionals not happy with the merger for various reasons.  Prompted by this overwhelming response, I have previously blogged about this subject. I have also addressed the mixed response to the move. Recently I have ...

I remember when the Body Worlds Exhibit came to my local museum. I couldn’t believe it -- those were real people. My dad laughed when I told him about it and said, “That’s why you really have to read the fine print when you sign up to be an organ donor.” Being an organ donor, I was horrified. As genetic research continues and breakthroughs are ...

Meetings are supposed to be opportunities to realign, reassess, and repurpose. They can be a pit stop for a team to check the map, kick the tires, and make sure the bus is on track. But we’ve all been to too many meetings that end up being a demolition derby of mud slinging, tires spinning, fender benders, and totally pointless destruction. I ...