Author: Emily Sayle

I went to help a lab in Maryland and immediately found out the hematology techs had been told—by their supervisor, no less—that if a lavender tube was clotted, they should just fish the clot out, run it, and report the results. They said it like it was completely normal. I just stood there thinking, this… Continue reading Supervisors That Shouldn’t Be

The doctor went to the microbiology lab and insisted that he needed results immediately. The tech explained that it would take at least 12-24 hours. However, the doctor kept insisting that there must be something the tech could do to make it faster. To appease the doctor, the tech went to the incubator, opened the… Continue reading Impatient Doctor

One day we received a gallon jug of what smelled like cherry kool-aid in a biohazard bag for a 24 urine test. Maybe they shouldn't keep specimens with the food.😏 Submitted by:Emily SayleMedical Laboratory TechnicianUSA

The transport tech was told to get the urine specimens to the lab while they were still warm. The microbiology lab couldn't understand why urine samples with >1+ bacteria were growing <100,000 colonies. Turns out that the transport tech was microwaving the samples on the way to the lab because he was afraid they might… Continue reading Warm Urine