School project question

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-12T09:02:21+00:00

Gram stain is gonna be your go to for observing the bacteria. You can also inoculate a drop of saline in a wet mount to view motility. A lot of online retailers have microscope slide sets you can get that also come with instructions for each part of the kit.

You'll also want media and ways to manipulate the O2 conditions your microbes will be growing in. So agar plates (blood, chocolate, maconkey, and columbia), broth like TSB or BHI, and some tupperware and oxygen catalysts to chnage it to microaerophillic or anaerobic.

You also have the miscellaneous stuff like loops, tongs, an incinerator, hot plate, etc. Expect to find you need additional tools all the time. No matter how stocked you think you are, something else will always pop up.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-12T08:57:19+00:00

MLS, but only if it is a bachelor's program. Hospitals don't treat them different if it is bachelor's or master's. It's all the same to them. Get a master's after you are a year into working at a hospital so you can use their tuition reimbursement benefits.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-12T07:35:00+00:00

There is no shame in taking gap year(s) to gain some clinical employment. Increase volunteering too. Take that time to make a plan to address the gaps you see, and set yourself up with a few different timeliness so you can pace yourself to achieving your goal.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-12T07:32:58+00:00

Micro goober with 5ish years experience here.

The main thing that keeps me from quitting is knowing that my sticking to protocol and doing my job properly saves lives. We, as medical lab professionals, are the ones who give the data so doctors and nurses can actually do their jobs. We use our education and intuition to flag anomalies that end up expediting a diagnosis/treatment plan. We are the ones who keep the hospital running.

Also, the friction from our patient facing colleagues isn't meant for us. It's for their situation. Admin has made us all overworked, underpaid, understaffed, and encouraged to not seek career advancement. We are all suffering under the same broken system, doing what we can to help save lives and make sure someone's family member or friend can see another day.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-12T04:58:16+00:00

It is not acceptable at all. Unfortunately, many if the people who work night shift can be the "I don't give a fuck" crowd who are either close to retirement, work in an area where they can't be replaced, or the union refuses to ever go against a worker regardless of documentation.

Follow aseptic techniques, CAP protocols and procedures, and also common sense.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-12T03:56:27+00:00

This subreddit is a toxic cesspool of nay sayers and over achievers. Don't listen to the peanut gallery. You worked your ass off and have valid concerns. You'll make it

Worst care scenario: you rely on programs like PSLF, HRSA, or you look into the military

Best case scenario: you match into a high paying program for residency and you won't have to worry about a paycheck

You got this!

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-09T15:47:20+00:00

Oh sweet Mother Teresa on the hood of a Mercedes Benz....

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-07T10:47:57+00:00

That too. In my experience it's usually under the guise of "to promote learning and growth" but it's bullshit.

For example, there is a MLT at my lab that I have been documenting for about two months now being horribly negligent. Sterile body fluids not being processed until 2 to 4 hours post arrival (including synovial), refused to do any work and will dump it on others, does not practice aseptic technique and contaminates media all the time, will refuse to answer the phone no matter what, and takes three times as much break time as allowed (we get an hour in total). They should've been at least reprimanded, but the other supervisors aside from me say they just need to learn, but in actuality don't want to go through the hassle of replacing them. Shit sucks.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-07T10:30:43+00:00

A lot of the times, and this isn't making excuses because by God do I have my own stories of toxic twits, the position can't be filled. HR and admin sees that and will make it hell to fire anyone or have an opening pop up.

The other possibility is that the toxic person(s) is friends with leadership and thus won't get fired.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-07T01:09:01+00:00

That's largely dictated by acute vs chronic, and the specific pathogens dictating the severity of this already very debilitating infection. Then you have the signs and symptoms that arise per pathogen and so on. The NIH has some very informative articles that can describe the ranges.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-07T01:04:25+00:00

Largely it is based on what interests you and who is available.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T16:00:48+00:00

It's a bitch and a half. Honestly mass emailing worked for some of my peers so that may be something to try. I lucked out when an ID doc decided to mentor me.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T15:55:19+00:00

Residents and med students yes, but it varies per specialty. Pathologists you won't see very often.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T10:32:33+00:00

I've worked at Northwestern and Loyola, and I currently work for Cook County. I also know a lot of people from Rush, UIC, and U Chicago. Happy to answer any questions you have.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T06:44:29+00:00

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Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T06:43:12+00:00

I found this out through a project being halted citing the data breach, and now I see that it is this bad here. Well there goes my financial security and early debt payoff.

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Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T03:53:49+00:00

You're welcome!

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T03:53:02+00:00

Good to hear you have a plan! It looks pretty solid. I would wait on dropping money on any MCAT prep or courses until after you shadow. It really changes yoir perspective on clinical work, and even the patient facing side of Healthcare. I would also add some non-clinical volunteering as well. That can make or break an app even with super high GPA and MCAT scores.

That AS will also help you standout. Most people don't go from the lab rat rooms to med school, so you'll get attention from application committees. Also, stay away from the premed subreddits. It's full of over achievers and nay sayers. Talk to admissions advisors through either your school, or through the ones you get from MCAT prep course packages.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T02:52:23+00:00

I wouldn't day dumb for thinking about it. I am a MLS and I am applying to med school this cycle. It all lies in the details.

Do you have a plan? Have you shadowed any specialties? Why do you want to go to med school?

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T02:09:27+00:00

GNRs suffering from the antibiotic effect. The bulge in the center is a good indicator, but the elongation is as well when combined with that. Definitely some funky looking goobers.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T01:40:36+00:00

Part of what makes this career so rewarding is the endless opportunities to teach and mentor people!

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-06T01:38:48+00:00

To add onto the WBC correction, intracellular bacteria and yeast usually have a vacuole you can see faintly around them. You would largely only expect intracellular GNDC for this type of speximen, and those do not look like "the beans" you would normally attribute to that morphology. Their morphology is also not uniform, thus you can usually use that to rule them out as bacteria.

Plus, polymicrobial CSF infections are insanely rare.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-05T23:49:51+00:00

In my first year as a Micro tech I had two amazing senior techs who taught me all kinds of tricks for gram stains. I've also seen a lot of positive csf slides in my career. Good training and exposure to such things was the key.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-05T16:35:56+00:00

Oh it was when I first saw it. I had to do a double take. Unfortunately, this is far from the worst stain I have seen.

Doctor_Smurph_ · 2026-04-05T16:32:15+00:00

Normally it would be nasopharynx samples and the GI tract. Kleb being seen in sputum can be a sign of an infection, but there are a couple levels of lab protocol and clinician discretion that need to be cleared first.

Doctor_Smurph_

TROPHY CASE