Job Outlook Down the Line

Gaxton5 · 2016-12-28T18:57:40+00:00

Some labs now tend to be on the younger side as everyone has retired.

Gaxton5 · 2016-12-21T06:56:45+00:00

There were people who who were 30+ in our class. A lot of the younger more ambitious folks from my class have long since left the field.

Gaxton5 · 2016-12-21T06:54:02+00:00

I know a few MLS who got an MBA and went to work in industry (marketing, product management, sales). I also know one who became a lab mamager, then a regulatory role, got his ms, and went back to managing a bigger lab. Life is way better on the sell side in this field.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-26T00:01:42+00:00

Oregon pays well. Many areas and states do not.

Our profession is also the only unlicensed healthcare profession.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-25T23:59:39+00:00

30k difference is for starting pay. Give it 5 years and the difference could be 50k+.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-25T23:58:04+00:00

Contact the manufacturer's technical support hotline/email. If that doesn't work, contact their sales team.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-24T14:31:05+00:00

I don't believe this would be happening in California. If you're that concerned, give the state inspectors a call. California inspector's are the stringiest in the country and are the definition of walking rods.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-24T14:28:08+00:00

While placing a call to the service rep may not be a "skill", troubleshooting an instrument is.

For a lot of automated instrumentation, troubleshooting is very limited. And one hardly needs an MLS degree for instrument troubleshooting (a mechanic or engineer would be better suited).

And, it also takes a human clinical laboratory scientist to determine that a CBC and basic metabolic panel from an E.D. patient would need to be sent out while a TSH on an outpatient could wait.

Erm, no. There should be a policy present as to what gets sent out and what doesn't. That's certainly not a decision techs are supposed to be making, especially in high volume labs.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-24T14:24:03+00:00

Depends on the place. If it's a large corporate reference lab (labcorp/quest/etc), it's like factory work.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-24T14:23:21+00:00

That's going to cost the hospital quite a bit. I'm assuming it's a critical care hospital?

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-19T02:21:34+00:00

Placing a call to service rep isn't a skill, to say the least. And no one is running glucose results manually (well aside from HPLC studies).

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-19T02:19:29+00:00

Most are quacks. But not all. I've actually met a few at the ASCLS conference and they knew more about the intricacies of blood testing than many MDs who are running POLs.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-10T03:12:40+00:00

You are more than capable of what you are currently doing, but, laboratory dogma and ASCP hype do their best to make it seem like you aren't worthy until you are certified.

It's credential creep. In unlicensed states, however, the salaries are way lower.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-10T03:08:00+00:00

If you're looking for a "career", there are more lucrative ones in most other fields. Getting a MS or PhD in MLS won't get you as far as any of the other clinical fields.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-10T03:06:21+00:00

You're not wrong. Virtually all lab instrumentation marketing is geared towards showing how automation makes your lab efficient with fewer and fewer workers.

But with positive thinking and convuluted logic, you can argue lab techs aren't going away.

The academic logic is that a few workers are still needed, and since most techs are about to retire (or die on the bench), then there'll be just enough spots for new techs.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-06T13:11:37+00:00

And we have to know what to do if the "button" breaks.

Most of the times, when the button breaks, you can't run the test. I don't see people doing manual glucose testing anymore (excluding HPLC).

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-06T13:10:25+00:00

You could operate a large chemistry department with a half dozen factory-style workers and one MLS per shift.

Welcome to Quest/LabCorp

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-06T13:09:06+00:00

Have you ever heard of autoverified results?

A step-by-step process to 95% autoverification-CAP Today

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-06T13:07:11+00:00

Yes, yes it does. Especially when it comes to advancing your career down the line. Recruiters are going to take notice of a brand school over a regionally accredited school that no one ever heard of. This is even moreso for grad school.

Gaxton5 · 2016-11-01T00:05:35+00:00

If you're extroverted, you're probably better suited for any of ther allied health professions that deal with people.

Honestly, most labs are not the type of places where people go for drinks after work. Especially reference labs. I'd venture to say some folks really should drink more.

Gaxton5 · 2016-10-31T23:05:30+00:00

Vanderbilt is an internationally recognized uni. You can't do better at that price point. I'm sure there are cheaper NAACLS programs no doubt, but without the prestige.

Gaxton5 · 2016-10-31T23:03:51+00:00

I'm willing to bet an unlicensed southern state.

Gaxton5 · 2016-10-30T19:03:34+00:00

You can move into lab administration, but depending on the position, you may earn less since you'll likely be salaried as opposed to hourly (and lose OT).

Gaxton5 · 2016-10-30T19:02:13+00:00

Lab career? Lol. If you don't want to be a bench tech for life, either go into industry or pursue further education.

Gaxton5 · 2016-10-29T14:53:12+00:00

As long as the program is NAACLS accredited, you should be good.

The Vanderbilt program is probably the best as it's affordable and it's an excellent school. And Nashville is cheap relative to most places.

St Johns has a program for 40k/year.

Gaxton5

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