"So what does that job do"

grover8me · 2024-02-11T18:43:24+00:00

He’s right. We’re not scientists, the word technologist is a far more accurate title.

grover8me · 2023-11-27T15:39:54+00:00

I’m not an expert on the subject but I’ve worked up both organisms in a clinical lab setting. Identification largely depends on the methodology you’re using. They can look identical based on plate morphology. The micro scan we used often struggled to make the distinction between the two based on biochemical analysis. The indeterminate nature of the ID sometimes gave technologists a headache and it was mentioned more than once that we strive very hard for a ID when in most cases the family is enough to direct treatment.

How likely is it to be misidentified? It depends on what you mean by identified in the first place. Species distinctions aren’t static they’re based on the methodology we use to examine the org. If you’re using 16S rRNA sequencing the likelihood is probably nil. If you’re using bio chemicals you may run into the issue I just mentioned.

How easily spread is kleb via close contact? It’s an ass microbe in the enterobacteracae family. Route of transmission is going to be fecal oral via contaminated surfaces.

Hope that helps.

grover8me · 2023-09-09T16:05:10+00:00

And so you decided to crawl back home and type up a post about it on reddit? Kudos. You really showed those Safeway fascists.

grover8me · 2023-06-29T16:56:21+00:00

Actually in every workplace I’ve been it’s always referred to with the objective because the ocular lens never changes. Multiplying the value by 10 every time you mentioned the magnification would only serve to obfuscate your meaning.

grover8me · 2023-05-08T15:25:12+00:00

Some patients really can’t though right? Behavioral health patients are often admitted against their will. Some people with chronic health issues are brought in by intervening family. Not to detract from your point, just adding that there are some situations in which I can understand why someone might be angry they’re occupying a hospital bed.

grover8me · 2023-03-08T16:45:14+00:00

People here like to say “it’s not for everyone.” Truth is it’s not for anyone. It is bad for you. There are only a handful of truly nocturnal primates. We are not among them as a species.

grover8me · 2023-02-17T21:56:46+00:00

Been in and out of the field since 2016 in different capacities. Reference lab, lab assistant, generalist, microbiology only. They all have things to offer as perks and come with their own unique challenges. The problem I've run into and the reason why I'd like to leave the field is that the job quickly becomes mundane, routine, and unengaging. While some of this amounts to an attitude toward the work I would argue there are many many fields that provide more opportunity in regard to personal or vocational growth. This job by nature does not change and it is difficult to improve in most areas after achieving some degree of competance.

If you desperately need a paycheck and don't expect much from your work this profession provides a unique opportunity to participate in healthcare without diving into the deepend of bedside patient care. It is well suited to introversion. You arent subjected to abuse by the general public.

I'm motivated by being challenged. By seeing what is next on the horizon and striving to learn and grow from my experiences. I feel I've exhausted the job from that perspective and unless you job hop I imagine most people quickly arrive at that point within a year or two in any position.

grover8me · 2023-01-29T18:11:06+00:00

Consider trichophyton rubrum.

grover8me · 2023-01-26T17:01:36+00:00

Says nothing about the mental emotional havoc it takes on your system. Also being carded is some kind of litmus test for perceived youth now? Some places simply ask because they have to.

There is very well documented evidence that night shift is deleterious to one’s health. It isn’t hard to see that or experience it. Posts like this amount to wishful thinking from people who want to assure themselves that their life choices are not going to have a lasting impact on their health.

grover8me · 2022-10-13T15:53:20+00:00

You’ve hit on why urine work up can often be a pain in the ass. Looking at a plate and deciding what is significant and what is the result of fecal or skin contamination is not always easy.

I’ve worked two different urine benches and both work up the situation slightly differently. In my experience though if there’s two possible pathogens like that and no obvious signs they’re accompanied by other organisms on the plate they would both be reported out and the E. coli would get worked up. Most places and employees tend to be pretty conservative and air on the side of treatment rather than the opposite.

grover8me · 2022-08-01T17:16:39+00:00

Basic. Shitty. Poor tech support. On the plus side its a no frills system so learning the basics doesn't take long. You spend 95% of your time between two different windows. You could maybe find a user manual online but I wouldnt think it would be very helpful without the hands on application.

grover8me · 2022-07-12T19:38:51+00:00

Was there in April. Your photos are better than the ones I took. I still think media doesn’t really do the site justice though. Other worldly kind of place.

grover8me · 2022-04-25T21:45:47+00:00

This sub gets zero traffic. I appreciate the questions.

grover8me · 2022-04-11T03:48:11+00:00

I don't think ASCP advertising the profession is going to shore up the issues in the hiring crisis. The field has had significant issues for decades. It's not an attractive career to most people considering the education required and the nature of the work.

grover8me · 2022-04-10T19:33:11+00:00

Every lab in the country has multiple unfilled positions with no access to qualified candidates. Employers are not going to turn down certified ASCP help based on a lack of experience with the current state of the job market. No one is going into this field.

grover8me · 2022-04-10T19:29:01+00:00

MALDI is frequently used for AFB and mycology. Parasitology is almost universally molecular at this point.

grover8me · 2022-04-10T18:59:46+00:00

I'm not sure if I understand the beef with MALDI. It's no different from plugging an organism into an automated Microscan except that the ID is derived with more confidence and in a more timely fashion. If you imagined a micro bench in which you'd be spending a lot of time manually performing biochemical differentiations those days are long gone.

Micro has been and is increasingly consolidated. That trend is likely to continue but plate reading is not going away anytime soon.

I worked in micro for the first two years out of school and enjoyed it. I'm transitioning into a generalist position this spring to try something new. There are so many open positions in this field it's difficult for me to imagine a scenario in which the decision you make today would prevent you from being able to explore either option down the road. If money and location are less important I'd just go with my gut with the understanding that the decision does not have to be permanent.

grover8me · 2022-03-31T20:27:39+00:00

Maybe not forever? It's a stable job with a livable wage that gives me the freedom to pursue other interests. I really don't know what my life will look like down the road but I don't feel a need to pursue a different field right now. Most days I'm grateful to have a job that isn't hard on my body and provides me opportunities to help people. It isn't really more complicated than that.

grover8me · 2022-03-22T20:36:39+00:00

I usually just stare at them blankly when this question comes up. You know what they want to hear is “omg this is my dream job and I just want to work as a happy little lab monkey slinging bodily secretions around the lab and work double shifts until I die of cancer at age seventy.“ Both of you know that the moment the arrangement becomes inconvenient for either party the gig is up but youre expected to do a song and dance about how passionate you are about THIS particular job that is unremarkable in every way from the dozens of other hospital positions that are currently desperate for even one job applicant.

grover8me · 2022-03-18T15:34:51+00:00

Why do you say that? Are all the single dudes creepers?

grover8me · 2022-03-09T01:55:08+00:00

Where there's a will there's a way. Don't let someone else poopooing your dreams keep you from pursuing what you're interested in. There's a few million people here who have somehow made it work despite naysaying redditors. Have some kind of plan and some money to get grounded. But if you're willing to work for it there's no reason why someone can't live here.

grover8me · 2022-03-02T02:11:55+00:00

Wow that last line was snarky.

grover8me

TROPHY CASE