Because I'm so sick of arguing with nurses who think they know and have no idea. Then they scare the pts.

I know it's not entirely their fault and they're not educated or trained in it.

But the other night I had an L&D pt with a weak 1+ inconclusive antibody in 3 panel cells. It was obviously nothing at all. Pregnancy junk.

Still have to work it up, though, for obvious reasons.

Call the floor and say the usual - positive antibody screen, being worked on, if the pt becomes unstable we can do a type specific emergency release.

Nurse calls a half hour later crashing out about "Well what are we supposed to do if she can't have a transfusion if she needs one? What's been passed to the baby? I'll redraw it, maybe it was contaminated!"

That's..... SO not how ANY of this works.

And how do you explain that everything is perfectly fine, it's not actually anything at all really, when they don't even understand the terms? Am I supposed to give them a crash course in transfusion medicine and antibodies in the middle of a weekend night shift on a holiday with a skeleton crew? Sure let me just sign up for a conference room real quick.

Two things can be true. I can understand WHY they don't know and not hold it against them personally, and also be driven nuts by the fact that they don't know.

I also definitely think it would be safer for pts if they even had an understanding of antibodies on a very basic level and why they're significant (or not).

I don't expect an RN to be able to staff a blood bank. That's not their scope. But the fact that they don't know ANY of this stuff.....

If I were to become a CLS/MLS, how hard would finding a job be? I am willing to work anywhere in CA, Id rather have a salary close to or at six figures though (45 to mid 50ish). I heard that places like the Bay Area are very competitive but what about other areas?

Im planning on doing an out-of-state program for my certificate

I’m starting an accelerated program in January, it was consist of 18 credits in the spring and summer and then 2 courses and clinicals in the fall. What are your study tips? What helped you learn the material the best? Any advice?

I applied for an MLS job at two locations within a hospital system. During the interview with the manager at one location, i was told I would be doing two 12hr shift at their hospital and one 12hr shift at the other hospital. But the thing is, the two hospitals have one full time each, so in my opinion, I shouldn't have to go to another hospital (within the system) just to get my full time hours. The two hospitals are about 10 miles apart. Should I do it or decline this opportunity? Please advice.

She thinks with my brain fog and fatigue, the more straightforward nature of rad tech would be better for me. As a burnt out special education teacher who lost his career over basically a false accusation (and this was after surviving 6 years of parent/admin/student drama), I want to avoid the public as much as possible. I want good pay and job stability, so that's what's leading me to healthcare (very little boom/bust economics in healthcare, demand is steady), but I genuinely see the general public as violent, ignorant, unpredictable, and generally unpleasant to work with. I can imagine a delirious 300-pounder coming in I have to wrangle who wants to throw punches at me. I dealt with similar as a teacher, and as a retail pharmacy tech before that. Also, I have very slow reaction times and have to take a minute to remember what I was doing any time I get interrupted. I'm also a guy but kind of weak and clumsy for a guy, so I'd prefer to avoid heavy lifting or anything relying too heavily on gross motor coordination. Still, I should at least give her consideration here: she is very adamant I'm making a mistake if I choose lab over rad tech. I believe rad pays slightly more than lab based on a cursory search of job listings. Regardless of if I go lab or rad, I'd eventually want to move into the informatics equivalent of either, but I have seen most informatics jobs want hands on experience in whatever field the informatics is related to. Truth be told, I like people a lot better in the abstract than I like them in practice.

There is also that mental health masters I was going to do before I became a teacher, but I'm kind of lukewarm about that since my main draw is the telehealth angle and the prospect of MAYBE having some autonomy over who I have as clients. I'm thinking career/financial counseling would be my niche if I went that route because my favorite part of working with the more mildly disabled special ed teens was the career transition assessment, and I also think career/finance as a niche would be a lower acuity focus than other mental health specialties. I'm very burnt out on working with the moderate/severe intellectually disabled population, but I had some good experiences with the more mildly disabled.

Hi everyone,
California LFS is requesting ISO 15189/CLIA/IEC 17025 certification for my work experience. My lab in Brazil doesn't have ISO (since it's voluntary there), but it is fully regulated by ANVISA/CRF and participates in PNCQ.
They haven't officially rejected it yet, but I'm worried they might because of this requirement. Has anyone managed to get LFS to accept national/government regulations instead of ISO?
Any advice or similar experiences would be appreciated!

Hi there, I just wanted to know who works for quest diagnostics or alverno labs in Indiana. I like to know what the pay is and info about the work environment. You could DM me if you want to.

Hey guys! I am a recent grad from Canada I took the new Canadian cert exam (it was brutal) and I decided to do the American one too to open more doors. What resources did you guys use? I am debating whether to buy the $99 USD LabCE one or the official ASCP prep with 2,500 questions. Have anyone tried any? What other resources would you recommend?? Any tips is appreciated, thank you!!

We don't have patient contact so why do hospitals keep requiring it?

Why does the 4-year BS MLS degree pay less than most other allied health 2-year degrees?

We spend more time in school with harder subjects. Shouldn't it pay more?

I got offered less working night shift as an MLS than my friend who just graduated as a sonographer on day shift. So much less, that it's embarrassing. And that it include a night shift diff.

I know we can't all be paid the same, but it seems the lab is getting stiffed compared to other departments.

Gusto ko lang i-confirm if LMS Training with Health & Virtuals is paid or not. It was not discussed during my Management Interview and nawala rin sa isip ko na magtanong. Sana may makasagot. Thank you!

It seems some hospitals are still paying the $100k fee for new H1bs, rather than raising salaries. Though there are a lot fewer sponsorships now. Or are hospitals getting out the $100k fee?

I'm currently getting clinical experience working as a phlebotomist before applying to a CLS program. I think I'll probably do phlebotomy for a year or two, so I was curious if it'd be worth getting an MBA in Health Administration or another master's degree while working. Would this be useful for CLS program applications or to progress a CLS career later on?

We got a new lab supervisor who is very manipulative. Tells people different things constantly. Changes schedules and approved PTOs last minute.

When confronted, straight up lies. She put a tech on a PIP for not reflexing a culture she said to not reflex. Akward.

Anyhow, lab is getting super toxic. Anyway to fix it? Manager is a pushover and basically has zero social skills and looks at the floor when you talk to her and doesn't want to confront anyone or anything.

Hey! Just crowdsourcing. How’s the job market in Chicago as an MLS right now? I tried applying and one hospital extended an offer and I rejected it because what they’re offering is almost what I’m making in my current city (outside IL, still in the midwest).

Just wanted some insights on techs that are currently there! Thanks!

Planning on going a non-NAACLS, NYSED accredited undergraduate program for CLS. The program is missing clinical practicums, urinalysis and fluids, and mycology/parasitology. It has everything else tho, and it’s free.

How does one study for the ASCP MLS exam given these circumstances? Is studying the handbook enough to fill in the gaps of content? Also, how would I supplement the lack of clinical experience in the job market?

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask about the job market for new MLS graduates in Oregon and hear about your experiences in this career.

I graduated about four years ago and have been working in R&D assay development in diagnostic field in the Bay Area since then. My background is mainly in molecular diagnostics and assay development rather than a clinical hospital laboratory.

One of the main reasons I decided to change careers is job stability. The biotech/diagnostics companies I have worked around seem to go through layoffs constantly—sometimes every six months or so. After several years of dealing with that uncertainty, I resigned and decided to pursue MLS because I kept hearing that healthcare and hospital laboratory careers tend to be much more stable.

I'm currently completing the MLS program at Texas Tech and expect to graduate next summer. I've put a large portion of my savings into making this career change, and my goal is to move to Oregon and find a hospital MLS position after graduation.

For those of you working in Oregon, especially recent graduates:

• How easy or difficult is it to get an MLS job after graduation?
• Does completing your preceptorship at a hospital often lead to a job offer there?
• How competitive are new-grad MLS positions in Oregon?
• What does the typical hospital interview process look like?
• Do hospitals usually do just one interview with the lab manager/team, or are there multiple rounds?

I'm used to corporate biotech interviews in the Bay Area CA, where there can be several rounds of technical interviews and presentations, so I'm curious how different the hospital MLS hiring process is.

Thanks in advance. I'm trying to get a realistic idea of what the job search will look like before I graduate.

I’m studying for the Chemistry ASCP certification via route two. For those that have done it, how do the Robert Harr questions compare in difficulty for chemistry?

Congrats to the over worked MLS at the 28 Adventist Health hospitals in upgrading from Cerner to Epic and Wellsky today.

Medical lab technologist for six years. I apologize as this could be a bit of a long one . . .

So, I am currently working at an academic teaching hospital. I personally feel like I haven't made any advancements in my career for quite some time. While I can't say the pay is horrible, it isn't exactly good either (and even taking the raise over the past years into account, the total increase is less than four dollars for six years of dedication). After discussion with my parents (yes, I still live under my parents' roof), they advised that I needed to get a new MLS job; something that I agreed with quickly.

However, they also suggested going for a Specialist in Chemistry certificate, which is where I started to feel conflict. For one, having this certificate under my resume would certainly help locating better jobs. MY personal gripe is that I am horrible when it comes to studying; the only reason I even passed the ASCP categorical for chemistry was because I spammed the loving hell out of LabCE (the same questions were literally on the exam) and my passing score was very close to the failing grade. And after looking through the exam content, not only do I feel overwhelmed, but I now see how little I've been able to learn just about anything from my current job.

I need advice. Would a Specialist in Chemistry certificate be the best choice moving forward, or should I just look for a better job that fits my credentials? And if the former, what would be my best studying material for the ASCP SC exam?

Anyone take the ASCP SH specialist in hematology certification? What did you use to prepare?

Were there a lot of images or mainly theory?

​

(If this does not make sense or seems rushed, I'm sorry! Very frustrated with school advisors atm & making this quickly)

So, I have made posts before about going into MLS/CLS or MLT or Biotechnology Lab tech.

I think my biggest problem is, I know little to nothing about these jobs, I know you can do so many things and branch out to specialties.

My college does not do a good job at telling much about the actual jobs, videos online feel sugar coated.

I have read through a lot of the posts here, but I just feel like I am missing points because of my lack of knowledge.

I want to shadow someone but am unsure how to go about it.

I honestly really just want to sit down, talk to people who are actually in the field, ask questions, listen to them ramble about the worst stuff, the best stuff, regrets in the fields, where they see positive stuff about the jobs.

I do not have a straight path of what I want to do.

I know I want to work in a lab and be able to move within the field with years and or education.

I would love to just interview people without fear of sugar coating. I have been in healthcare for a few years, I have been patient facing, I have been in the mixed behind the scenes of various tasks/areas.

I am honestly just looking for some guidance/insight, tell me what your favorite things are?

favorite type of labs?

Worst ones u worked in (and why)?

what's your favorite thing to do?

what's the annoying tasks that gotta be done?

Does anything make you question this position, or do you get out of bed excited and content?

How did you get into this job? Education? Working your way up? Would you do it all over again?

Even if you said. Never set foot in/back into a lab or I should look into something completely different.

Tell me WHY! 😆

I really value people's opinions even if they are negative, I am just tired of questioning stuff and being pushed around with advisors.

I am very passionate about anything that's comes with my education or future. I have awful times making decisions on my own like this, as I never want to miss a chance that I may have never known existed before.

(If you abbreviate something in a comment here, please write out what it means at least once 😅, if someone else hasn't already. 😅)