The Fun Side of Clinical Laboratory Professionals
I was doing inpatient phlebotomy at the time and went up to the cardiac step down unit. Basically, just people on heart monitors under observation at this point. I went into this elderly ladies room to draw her blood and saw her naked standing in the middle of the room throwing feces against the wall… Continue reading Hell No!
A patient needed to collect a stool specimen, so I handed out a stool kit along with some detailed instructions. The patient brought back the hat and says they didn't need it. The patient pooped right into their hand with a glove on, and brought me a glove with a turd in it. Submitted by:Colton… Continue reading Poop in Glove
A lady showed up at our lab’s registration area with an order for a 24 hour urine calcium. I went back to grab everything she would need for the collection process. When I got back, I gave her the supplies and some very specific step by step instructions on how to properly collect a 24… Continue reading On the Rocks
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 time we had a patient who was checked in to the laboratory for various stool tests. They brought in a stool specimen that they scooped out of the toilet, toilet water and all, in a Kool-Aid man cup. They even left the straw in the cup for us. How thoughtful!😆 Submitted by:Dawn HarrisMedical Technologist/ScientistArkansas,… Continue reading Kool-aid Stool Container
I entered an elderly patient’s room in the wee hours for blood draw. He had an IV in his right arm, so I automatically went to his left side. I introduced myself and began preparing for the draw. After verifying his name/DOB from the wristband, I noticed the patient’s left arm was under the cover… Continue reading Ward Rounds – Go Fish
As a new tech years ago, I was working evening shifts by myself in micro and the transporters would drop off pathology specimens after hours without me knowing it. I came back from break and saw a bag with a leg in it on my bench. It really looked fake! I thought my supervisor was… Continue reading Not a Prank
An older patient came in the lab and handed me a crumpled grocery bag, indicating he wrapped something inside. I asked him what it was. He told me the doctor told him to drop it off in the lab after he collected the sample. When I opened it, I saw the popsicle stick (the one… Continue reading A Hurtful Misunderstanding
We all get them, unlabeled tubes. What do you do with them? Throw them away, right? I'm always one to have a great teaching moment with our friendly nurses that want pop down to grab them up and label them like it's no big deal. So, I have a drawer full of unlabeled tubes. When… Continue reading Pick A Tube
Nurses can be just as nasty. I was an overnight Phleb at my previous hospital. One night, I came down to the lab after my midnight draws so I could help out the tech since it was such a chaotic night. The phone rang and since the tech was super busy, I decided to answer.… Continue reading That Nasty Nurse
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