Category: LOL Moments

I work in a microbiology lab. Currently we are swamped with covid testing. On the covid requisition, there is an urgent section that the healthcare professional can tick off and needs to provide a reason (e.g. urgent surgery or patient coded) and it has to be approved by a microbiologist. Of course, 98% of the… Continue reading Urgent: Patient Needs to Smoke

We had a nurse who stuck her patient SIX times before calling a phlebotomist. The phlebobomist noticed the patient's veins were HUGE and asked the RN if they rolled. She says.... no I got blood very easily, but the gold top kept clotting so I just had to keep throwing them away..... SIX TIMES PEOPLE!!!  … Continue reading It Kept Clotting

A middle-aged guy came in for blood work one day. He's the chatty type with some pretty good stories to tell. He shared with me an experience the last time he had his flu shot. It was a busy day at the clinic with a bunch of kids waiting in line to get their flu… Continue reading Screaming Prank

One time, I put mustard in a stool specimen container, went upstairs, and sent it down the tube system. It was unlabeled, but marked from pediatrics, and as such was brought to my attention. We tried to work with pediatrics because we know how hard it could be to recollect a new sample. When the… Continue reading The Mustard Prank

When I was a teenager, my first boyfriend dumped me for another girl. Broke my heart! 20 years later, I was running RPRs and guess whose serum came in? It was my ex from 20 years ago, and it was positive! I knew right then I have the best job in the world! This was… Continue reading Karma’s a Bitch

This is an SOS —send help! I work for a hospital—-and they hire nurses here. Called because I had some spotty result for a mint green and a grey no big. Clearly IV contamination—-so I thought. I’m not a nurse so who's to say I could be wrong .  Read back results and the “medical professional”,… Continue reading Bad Sample

Had a patient who was mean and rude, and I had to draw blood on her. She actually threaten to punch me if I hurt her. Tried my best to be professional with this lady. Blood draw went great, no problem. Then the stool collection was next. For some reason, she didn’t want her boyfriend… Continue reading Inseparable

While working in hematology, I received a microtainer from our newborn nursery with orders to perform a CBC. As per our protocol, I checked it for a clot and finding nothing, proceeded to run it through our analyzer. The results were quite abnormal, low RBC, WBC, Hgb and almost no platelets. I was highly suspicious… Continue reading Clotted? That’s Impossible!

It was the last month of my internship days and I was assigned in Microbiology department. I love it here. It seems like we’re a bit separated from the main lab drama. That’s up until Dr. Jones (real name withheld) came into play. Dr. Jones was red faced while walking into the lab. Each step… Continue reading Culture It Now!

I was drawing blood on a female patient. Her husband was in the same phlebotomy room. I did my usual pep talk to the patient. One specific phrase I told the patient was “Don’t worry, I’m using a small needle; you’ll probably won’t even feel anything!” To my surprise, the patient responded “That’s okay. I’m… Continue reading I’m Used To It