Category: LOL Moments

It was a typical day in the lab until we received an order from the ER. It was a STAT order for two units of packed cells and for us to do a "Clay Howard". What the heck is a Clay Howard test? We were all confused and even tried searching for it on Google.… Continue reading The Clay Howard Test

One day, I went to the ER to collect a flu swab on a patient. When I got there, the patient told me he needed to go to the restroom. I asked the patient if I could swab him really quick before he goes to the restroom, because the doctor is waiting for the result,… Continue reading Coughing Accident

You know that saying “Don’t judge the book by its cover”? Well, as lab techs, we also have our own version of it. In the lab where i used to work, we do heavy multitasking and ECG is part of the job. That part where the patients have to somehow expose their chest area for… Continue reading At Times It’s QNS

Nurse: I want to check the results on a urine culture. Me: That specimen was submitted earlier today so there are no results yet. Nurse: But I ordered it STAT and the doctor is waiting on the results. Me: Cultures require an incubation period and take time to grow so they are not considered a… Continue reading Urine Culture STAT

I had a nurse call for the results of a blood culture 2 hours after it was collected! I told her it takes 5 days to be completed (faster if it turns up positive). She said “But it was ordered STAT!” I said “Oh, I didn’t realize that. I will put Miracle Gro on it”… Continue reading Miracle Grow Fix

Long time ago when I was a phlebotomist, I went into a room and asked the patient what his name was. He said, "Watt". Then I asked again, "What's your name?". Again, he said, "Watt". This went on for a while before I realized his last name was Watt!!! 🤣 🤣 🤣 Submitted by:Carol SteinbockMedical… Continue reading Watt’s Your Name?

Nurse: “How long does a sed rate take”?  Me: (we have the analyzer that does them in 20 minutes) “20 minutes from when we receive it”  Nurse: “What if it’s stat”?  Me: 20 minutes  Nurse: On a stat too?  Me: You do know i can’t speed up a test where we are literally measuring a… Continue reading STAT Sed Rate

Many, many years ago in the early 70s when we were allowed to smoke in the lab, one of the male techs used to smoke a cigar. Most of the time it wasn’t lit, he would just keep it in his mouth. One day, we took the cigar dipped it in gentian violet and put… Continue reading Gentian Violet

We used to do sterility testing for the bone bank. Of course, we called any positives to them. So there's Randy calling a positive donor bone. He says... 'Hi, this is Randy. I have a boner' ... His head drops as we howl in the background and he says... 'I'll call you back'. OMG... still… Continue reading I Have A Boner

This happened back in my home country where I took my first job as a Medical Technologist. At the time, I was a Med Tech Intern and was assigned a month at our Clinical Microscopy Department. The lab wasn't huge, but we have a fair share of patients, including some newborns. Some weren't even named… Continue reading Name Confusion