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What are the challenges of being a medical laboratory scientist?
This is my major. I want to learn more about this field.
#medical-practice
10 answers
Cindy Wilkerson
Cindy’s Answer
The laboratory science field changes very rapidly. It can be challenging to remain up to date in all areas of the laboratory. Many laboratory scientists choose one or two areas of lab to work in and concentrate on remaining proficient in those areas.
For me, I stayed up to date in chemistry, hematology and blood bank. I am not as proficient in microbiology, flow cytometry or molecular.
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Yes, absolutely agree with all the suggestions but would like to add that it is not a typical 8-5 position. You can work many different shifts/timings.
Shehzana Hussaini
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Chesie Voma, PhD
Chesie’s Answer
Your ability to grow within the lab without going back to school for more certifications.
Usually promotions are based upon longevity within the company and because laboratories have lots of staff above 50, they are often given preference.
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It is an up and coming field for young people. Lots of people are getting ready to retire, and need to be replaced!! There's a shortage of techs right now, so it's a great field to be in
Computer skills are a MUST
Linda osmialowski
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Tony K. Kipkemboi, MLT(ASCP)
Tony K.’s Answer
It is a rewarding career especially for the curious mind. Attention to detail is the best skill you can hone for this field of work. Your work will impact individuals and families, so you have to be up to date with all SOPs; no great margin for error.
On the other hand, you’ll get the flow of things at whatever lab you work in and things get interesting and easier.
Good luck.
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Farkhondeh Afrookhteh
Farkhondeh’s Answer
Once looking for a career it’s a challenge to decide which department to focus on. There are several options. A generalist has more job opportunities for years to come, a microbiologist or blood banker has specialties that makes them pinned down to those two areas. Are you someone who likes to focus your work in one specific area? Then microbiology maybe a good choice. Are you someone who likes to deal with some excitement in your daily work then blood bank could be a good option.
Working as a CLS is challenging because very few know what is a CLS? Our career is not well known publicly. We are like under the scene staff! Our work is critical in the medical field but we are basically unknown heroes of the field. Can you deal with being obscure?
It’s challenging to be a CLS because most laboratory spaces are in the basement of the hospital and while working you will not see the outside world. There are no windows to outside in a basement. Of course there are references labs on ground floor or higher but if you work in a hospital lab you will be in a basement at work.
It’s challenging to work as a CLS because the work space is usually small and crowded with instruments, refrigerators, incubators and there’s always a noise in the air. If you work in microbiology there’s also a smell in the air. All those bacteria are growing in the incubators and producing smelly gas! It’s what a microbiologist hopes for, that’s how we know the culture is growing!
Also it’s challenging to keep up with new technology and information systems, they seem to change the information system every few year! So you have to be ready to learn all new sets of codes and abbreviations!
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Kirin Elliott
Kirin’s Answer
Besides needing to be super organized and OCD, the number one challenge is saying "no" to people...a lot. I work in a medium size family practice we have 5 clinics with 28 Dr's. You have to reject specimens because they are not properly labeled with at least 2 identifiers, because a patient brings a urine culture back in a jelly jar, because a wet mount tube was left out at room temperature all night, because a blood tube was left in a centrifuge unspun all night...etc. Nurses and Dr's get mad at us Lab folk because we have such strict requirements that we must maintain for accuracy, accountability and viability "Can't I just put a lable on the urine after it's collected?" When I call someone, usually they answer the phone "what did I do wrong now..." You have to have thick skin. All that being said, my coworkers are great, nurses are always willing to draw blood if phlebotomists are slammed and most Dr's are pretty understanding that a patient has to be redrawn because the wrong tube was drawn. I love my job and the role I play in patient care.
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B. R. Achyut
B. R.’s Answer
It's wonderful field.
It's a time demanding career. It requires passion, self motivation, ability to work under experimental stress, and a output based career. You need to publish articles and apply for the funding to move forward. It requires experimental and scientific writing skills that could be acquired easily.
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Alona Waldrop-Kelly
Alona’s Answer
It can be challenging to not see the benefits of your work to the individual patient, being behind the scenes. You may work years contributing to research before therapy gets from the bench to the hurting person. Do you have humility and patience? Scientists have many areas to pick from in medical laboratory practice. If you love fast paced environments, go for hospital. The challenge there is 24/7/365 expectations.
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Nicholas Giardino
Nicholas’s Answer
Hi, challenges include exposure to bodily fluids and possible diseases along with extreme cold (-320F liquid nitrogen). Of course standing and walking 4 to 5 hours daily, as well as, bending, stooping, and lifting 15 to 25 lbs.
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Beth Cossey
Beth’s Answer
Hello, challenges include; exposure to blood borne pathogens, walking/standing for long hours, kneeling/bending, and a lot of communication with fellow scientists. Depending on the type of environment you work, not everyone is trained to do the same thing so you may be in charge of running a lot of tests. It’s also handy to familiarize yourself with Excel and Word as your results will need to be documented in real time.
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Dennis Schneider, PhD.
Dennis’s Answer
Medical Laboratory scientists covers many different areas. Your days
will be spent in a lab and office environment and you will be
surprised to learn that you will spend a fair amount of your day
writing and reading, not working at your lab bench.
In medical areas, you could be working with infectious agents that
cause disease and these require special precautions,training and
equipment to handle. Some people are not comfortable with this (I
always enjoyed it)
You will have exposure to a variety of chemicals, but you should have
adequate protection and training to handle them as well.
The best thing about such work is that it is never boring! You will be
working on something different at frequent intervals or have the
opportunity to do so. This is true whether you are working in
research, a testing laboratory or a production laboratory.
Good luck with your career! Whatever you do, always do your best and
give your all. It is easy to criticize, but it not so easy to do. Be
a doer.
Dennis Ray Schneider, Ph.D.
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