There are many people in my life that aren't really aware of what I do for my job. Family and friends know I "work at a hospital" or "work in lab." I can't blame anyone--I've never had extended conversation about my career. So here it is... This is my job. This is my love for work. This is my everything outside of my family. This is me.
I am a Medical Lab Tech. Now many people assume I'm a nurse, but I'm not. I do not really get to see patients in the hospital at all. I went to college and studied laboratory science. I am accredited by ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathology.) The ASCP allows me to work in any lab in the United States.
Someone called a phlebotomist (which I was all throughout lab college) collects blood samples from patients and delivers them to the laboratory. (Or a nurse collects a urine, or a poo, or some spit -- you get the idea...) This is where I come in. I am the tester, the counter, the mixer, and (one of many) thinkers. I am a behind the scenes lifesaver really. I can (help) tell a physician his patient's appendix or gallbladder is or is about to explode. I can diagnose a urinary tract infection in minutes, pneumonia, mono, pregnancy, strep throat, salmonella, and leukemia just on my short list. Of course a doctor's expertise uses laboratory information along with clinical data to officially diagnose, but I am the "Wizard behind the green curtain in OZ" kind of a scientist. No one knows who I am back there, but I'm there -- doing things.
I am considered a generalist. I work in the departments of
1. Chemistry
Cardiac enzymes will tell you if you have just had a heart attack (or are about to.) Your kidney and liver function tell us "it's okay to do that MRI or CT Scan! This patient will pass the dye just fine!"
Your electrolytes are very important for many reasons (heart, brain, kidneys, etc) The slightest change can have major outcomes. Monitoring potassium is a very important part of my job for critical care.
2. Hematology
This is the study of blood. You have blood cells, platelets and water flowing through those veins. Analyzers and microscopes help us to see each one and diagnose anemias, cancers, parasites like malaria that live in your red blood cells, as well as blood clotting factors that are essential to life.
3. Serology
The antibody complex that come with this department were difficult for me to grasp in school. It's taken 12 years of lab to be able to effectively explain this department to our students! In this area I can test for hepatitis B, mono, influenza A and B, stool occult blood (GET YOUR COLONOSCOPIES, PEOPLE!!) giardia, cryptosporidium and rotovirus (the colon cleansing stomach virus we call the "chucky cheese" virus 'cuz little people spread it to eachother with dirty hands!! Steer clear of that eatery - trust me.)
4. Blood Bank
This is best explained with one of many examples:
When patients need surgery it's sometimes necessary to give them blood if they've lost it. The process of getting a patient's blood type, arranging donor units and making sure they're compatible OUTSIDE the patient body before we transfuse the whole bag of blood INSIDE is an art in itself. Many nurses and doctors bypass the thought of the work involved when it comes to getting blood ready for their patients. We actually take a little sample of blood and basically mix it with reagents, incubate in a warmer, examine it under a mirror light and check to see if the donor unit is going to flow naturally or if it will clot up (and cause major damage in veins/heart/lungs) This department is VERY strict and very careful. Disastrous things can happen if a patient gets the wrong blood type. Lab techs are here to make it safe! We love it!
With all these analyzers and the potential to break down...we must know how to take them apart and fix them. So, not only am I a "blood and guts" sort of a girl, I'm also a bit of a mechanic. After tweaking and twisting and fixing the issue, careful calibrations and quality control must be done before patient samples are run again. Quality control is done whether there are maintenance issues or not. This is a very important part of our job. If we're not putting out reliable results, why are we testing in the first place?
Love your lab tech!! NATIONAL LAB WEEK IS APRIL 20 - 26.
No comments:
Post a Comment