The Fun Side of Clinical Laboratory Professionals
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
I was working nights in the lab and my phleb thought she heard a sound coming from the boiler room. I told her to go find out what's up and she said no way was she going to do it alone. So I stopped what I was doing and we trekked down the stairs and… Continue reading We Find Dead People
I went to draw blood on a combative female patient. Although the patient was restrained, I still needed some help holding the patient while I draw the blood. Three (3) cops and 2 nurses helped me—that’s how combative the patient was. I kid you not, while I was drawing the patient, the patient asked me:… Continue reading Take The Cobwebs Out of What??
I was assigned at the patient receiving section when a sweet old lady came up bringing with her a crackpot that is still warm to the touch. "What do you have for me today?", I asked. She replied, "Well, my doctor told me to bring in a stool specimen. I think it needed to be… Continue reading Keeping It Warm
Back in the day when I worked as a phlebotomist, I had the most interesting encounter with a demented patient at the nursing home. I introduced myself and told grandma that I need to draw a blood sample. The patient was telling me something about "killing". In my mind, who got murdered? When I got… Continue reading She Killed The Light
One day, I received orders for a bunch of bizarre tests and a request for a blood typing. I asked what's going on because I haven't heard of any wounded or any mortars that day. Nurse turns to me deadpan, someone stuck something in their A$$ and it ain't coming out... Submitted by:Vic Ubaldo
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
Join the Fun! or