Author: Rodney Lopez

A home health nurse left shortly after dropping off a green top tube for a potassium level. Soon after, I processed it, spun it down, and ran it in our chemistry analyzer. Minutes later, I got a potassium level of 9.7 mEq/L. Wow! I called the nurse and this is how our conversation went. Me:… Continue reading Incompatible with Life

This story goes back to our Medtech internship days back in our school in the Philippines. The "Chikoy Boys" is what we call our group, has this habit of stealing the Microbiology Department alcohol spray and spraying it on the toilet bowl. We would then light it up, wait for the bluish flame to dissipate,… Continue reading Rear End Vaping

A couple came in the lab asking questions about how to collect semen for semen analysis. Of course I had to explain to them the procedure. I have to admit, it was (and always is) awkward for me to explain the collection process to a couple. Out of nowhere, the wife asked me a question… Continue reading Specimen Collection By Mouth

I work in a lab that does a lot of Covid-19 testing. Sometimes when a patient is really sick and not getting better, a doctor can request a Cycle Threshold value from our PCR test to get a better idea of the disease course. This special test needs a microbiologists approval.  I get a call… Continue reading No Psychos Allowed in the Lab

Another busy morning in the lab and I was assigned to work at our phlebotomy area. I called the next patient by her first name and this elderly grandma came up. She was quite nice and enjoyed a good chat. I did my usual small talk to make the patient feel more at ease with… Continue reading Poke Me Any Time

A patient walked in to the lab to have his blood drawn. He sat down and I noticed that he was wearing a brown shirt with a small embroidery on the side that says "Kiss My Bass" I tried to work up a conversation and made a comment, "Sorry, but I'm not going to kiss… Continue reading Kiss My Bass

The hospital I work at has a neuro unit where patients suffering from neurological conditions are admitted.  One day, I have orders to draw blood from a patient in this unit. Patient was in her mid 20's who just delivered a baby. However, she is also suffering from a severe case of post partum psychosis.… Continue reading *Cough* Corona!

Working in a small town is great! You become familiar with patients, and eventually start calling each other on a first name basis. The drawback? They become over familiar with you and start making peculiar requests. It's usually busier on a Monday morning than any other mornings during the week. I'll call my next patient… Continue reading Peculiar Request

I work in a small town hospital with team members taking turns doing overnight calls. It was my turn to take calls one night and I got called in for an ER patient right around midnight. I went in, drew his blood, and stopped by the ER physician's office to find out what the patient's… Continue reading He’s Just Tired

All is well in the laboratory until I realized a patient needed to collect a urine sample and it was missed. Nothing like a simple phone call can't fix. This happened when I just started working in the US and I admit I had a bit of an accent back then. When I called the… Continue reading Telemarketer Troubles