Over the of my career When working the night shift I have been called to draw blood from the ED patients that are drug addicts. One female patient said the only vein she had was on her breast . One male patient told me under his tongue, and another one was between his right toe. I… Continue reading Unusual Veins
Category: LOL Moments
Wet Mount Entertainment
I was working the graveyard shift and received a wet prep specimen. The order specifically said to check for those nasty swimming flagellates, Trichomonas. Instead, I found a single sperm cell that was still alive. My entertainment for the next few minutes was to watch it swim and find its way around the slide. Unfortunately,… Continue reading Wet Mount Entertainment
Baby Food Storage
I used to work at this hospital where the ER beds are right next to each other, separated by a mere curtain. To keep things "private", the curtain is drawn so at the very least the patients won't be able to see each other, but unfortunately, you can still hear some of the ongoing conversation,… Continue reading Baby Food Storage
Don’t Let It Clot!
I used to work in a 1200-bed hospital back then in Texas. Great hospital, with a few not so great staff mixed in. Here's a little background for my story. The hospital's NICU unit had a pretty awesome crew. Believe it or not, we get along with most of them. Each time they put an… Continue reading Don’t Let It Clot!
The Amputated Leg
So this happened quite a few years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I work at one of the large teaching hospitals in Philadelphia, in a satelite facility, and this occurs around 6p on a Friday afternoon in the summer. We get a call from the OR that they have an amputated… Continue reading The Amputated Leg
Proper Labeling
A lady came in one day with an order for a 24 hour urine protein electrophoresis. The order was for his dad. I told her to stick around so I can get everything he needed for the collection process. I came back with a 24 hour urine jug and a specimen collection cheat sheet, which… Continue reading Proper Labeling
Size Matters
About 6 years ago, I was working in the molecular department at my lab when a coworker and I were talking. He was telling me about wanting a new TV, wanted to get a 50 inch. I told my coworker, "I wonder how big Bob's is (male coworker whose real name I withheld)". So, he… Continue reading Size Matters
Blue Monday
When I was fresh out of school and had just started my new job as biomedical lab. scientist, one of my tasks was to manually count leukocytes in spinal fluid. We used a blue powder which was located in a small brown bottle on a shelf above the work bench. This bottle had a screw… Continue reading Blue Monday
Pillow Sex
I started out a phlebotomist before I got my MT degree. I love phlebotomy and direct patient care. And of course, I can’t forget some of my patient encounters back then. I was doing my fair share of morning draws. Nothing unusual happened during my shift ,until I came to this patient room where I… Continue reading Pillow Sex
Never Been Touched
Back in my internship days in the Philippines, I had to do my clinicals at this mid-sized hospital in my home town. We were short staffed one day,and I was assigned to work at the records release section. That was back in the days when patients have to pick up their results so they can… Continue reading Never Been Touched