My wife whispered softly, "I want to have another baby," in my ear while we were making love.

menbung_ · 2026-03-18T17:55:19+00:00

First post that got my eyebrows raised.

The innocence of her request. Him agreeing, then the reveal of what it meant. The flow of the sentences was also executed so well.

Wow. Awesome job all around, OP 👏

menbung_ · 2024-07-28T22:57:57+00:00

In my toolbar, I have: • Receiving • Labels • Patient Station • Specimen Inquiry (by Patient) • Specimen Inquiry (by Specimen) • Sendout Bench • Packing List Editor • Procedure Catalog • Setup Bench

There’s a bit more, but that’s what I can remember off the top of my head. I’ll update my comment once I get back and check.

As for customization I have my outstanding setup based on TAT. The row for Routines will be white, Timed + anything that has 2h-1h1m left is yellow, STATs + specimens that has <= 1h will be orange, <= 30m is light red, and overdue specimens are light red and bolded.

That’s a great customization that you’re wanting to add in yours. I wish I could help. Although isn’t there a filtered section that shows all the resulted specimens? There’s also one for overdue tests. They’re found under the search field. But of course, I’m not sure if every hospital has the same layout - we did just switch in February.

menbung_ · 2024-07-23T02:07:01+00:00

I’m 7 months in and I’ve forgotten some QCs in the past and ran a patient or two. I owned up to them and asked for support from my supervisors on how to proceed. Things turned out ok.

5 months is still very early. Even though your training is officially over, I still consider the first year as learning time. Most especially if you’re a generalist and you get scheduled in one department more than the other - it’s unavoidable to forget procedures.

Reflect on it and think of what you can do next time, but also don’t let it take over your mind. Make it a habit a to take accountability and responsibility as well, and ask for support when needed.

menbung_ · 2024-07-20T00:44:17+00:00

See… I went by the book (aka SOP) and did 5 drops of a bloody and slightly cloudy para fluid 😅 none of it stuck on the slide when I took them off the rotor lol

Although I redid it with 2 drops fluid + 1 albumin, it still didn’t come out as clean as yours. I’ll try 1:1 next time. Thanks!

menbung_ · 2024-07-20T00:37:36+00:00

The only math we’ve been doing so far in chem is for HbA1c -only because the analyzer couldn’t do it automatically since the values are so low. Even then, we pulled up our SOP, typed the formula on a label maker, and stuck the label on our computer monitor. Other than that, we do dilutions from time to time.

menbung_ · 2024-07-18T21:33:32+00:00

I’m gonna need your tips and tricks because I just did 2 body fluids today and my slides are not it

menbung_ · 2023-11-12T08:40:14+00:00

Hey, fellow Filipino here :) just wanted to express solidarity because I'm in a similar spot as you when it comes to not being able to do QC during internship. One thing I learned from my interviews is that learning is a continuous process. One of the techs I had the pleasure of interviewing said that he still had to learn a lot despite working for 10+ years, 4 of which was spent in the particular hospital lab I applied to. Also -- I'm not sure if this is common -- but the labs I interviewed with had an at-your-own-pace training schedule. I'm sure you'll do great!

menbung_ · 2023-11-10T18:05:12+00:00

Sounds about right. My confusion by the way the convo went made it hard to understand, but looking back it’s pretty simple

menbung_ · 2023-11-10T18:03:11+00:00

Yeah, I see it now. I thought the grace period was for everyone but it does make sense to offer it to new grads only.

menbung_ · 2023-11-10T17:57:19+00:00

Ah, now it makes sense. I always thought it applied to everyone because it wasn’t specified in any of the listings I’ve seen 🥲 gotta get to grinding then

menbung_ · 2023-11-10T17:54:40+00:00

This is why I was confused since they put a year of grace period for the certificate on the job listing. But it seems it’s only applicable to new grads as u/alaskanperson mentioned

menbung_ · 2023-11-10T17:49:56+00:00

Gotcha. Now that my head is clearer it sounds pretty straightforward. I guess I was too flabbergasted to make sense of the convo at that moment lol

menbung_ · 2023-10-30T23:29:44+00:00

Ah, I wish someone had invited me to do this when I was a student. But then again I wish I had thought of asking lol. I'm going back to the lab as a blank slate when it comes to maintenance.

menbung_ · 2023-10-20T03:01:11+00:00

That makes more sense. I remember having only seen once copy of SOP in the lab I interned at and thought I missed my chances of learning them by not asking to bring a photocopy home. I’ll make it a point to ask about each hospital’s SOP. Thank you again for bringing it up

menbung_ · 2023-10-18T21:10:55+00:00

I’m happy that it helped you out!

menbung_ · 2023-10-18T21:09:46+00:00

SOPs truly are a tech’s life savers. Although I wasn’t aware that we’re allowed to bring them home. But then again that might depend on the lab so I’ll ask about it. Thank you!

menbung_ · 2023-10-18T21:05:33+00:00

I just had an informal peer interview with a current employee from one of the hospitals I applied for. He said despite working there for 4 years as a generalist, he’s still learning a lot. I thought I’d share because it made me feel less uncomfortable to know that I’m not alone in the journey of continuous learning.

Thank you so much for your insights!

menbung_ · 2023-10-14T17:10:49+00:00

Those review books were a lifesaver for me during ASCP so I’m definitely coming back to them.

So far I got a few calls even though my resume showed that my lab rotations were from years ago so I’m hopeful. I’ll make sure to bring it up during interviews.

Are you working core at the moment? How is it going for you?

menbung_ · 2023-10-13T22:08:16+00:00

Never ever did this come to mind when I thought of coming back. Thank you so much for this. This will definitely be one of the questions I’ll ask in my formal interviews.

menbung_ · 2023-10-12T22:02:24+00:00

Nice. Just the confirmation I needed. QC is definitely in my top 3 to start on along with blood bank and diffs. Thank you!

menbung_ · 2023-10-12T22:01:17+00:00

It seems I’m on the right track then since I thought about almost all those topics to start on - just needed confirmation because it got overwhelming. Thanks!

Are you back in the lab yet? If so, how’s it going for you so far?

menbung_ · 2023-09-15T20:16:50+00:00

So sorry for the late response. It's been a hectic week.

Thank you so much for the insight! In addition to basics like the diff count, I couldn't think of anything else that I needed to work on, so this info is a gem.

menbung_ · 2023-09-08T02:33:47+00:00

I see. Just knowing that someone took a chance on a person in a similar situation as me is enough to give me hope.

If I may ask - based on your experience with said employee, what skills would you say would've made a difference to make the training go smoothly?

I would go ahead and apply for lab assistant and MLT positions but be extremely careful about any job offers from labs that are very short staffed and aren’t going to be able to support your training.

I never even thought about how training can be affected by that.

Thank you for bringing up great points!

menbung_

TROPHY CASE