Finally came across some “crystals of death”. Pretty cool in person. Not cool for the patient though.

I think floor personnel just view the lab as a magic data printer where stuff goes in, and values come out, without actually not knowing a lot about why things are done a certain way, accepting that samples get rejected for AN ACTUAL FUCKIN REASON, and why some tests they order don’t have the specificity and/or sensitivity for what they want. I understand that they already have an insurmountable amount of information and knowledge to store, but I find the compartmentalization of these disciplines quite counterproductive and prone to certain issues.

me when i guess the diagnosis and im right

Foreign trained medical laboratory scientists,was your abroad experience considered when your salary was determined or they considered when you got your ASCP license?

I apologize in advance I am unsure of how this works because most of the information I’ve found online has only described people who have had MLS as their college degree or integrated into their degree, and not as a separate program.

So for context, I am applying for a year long MLS program at a hospital in North Carolina to gain MLS certification, I am about to finish college a semester early with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a GPA of approximately 3.48 and a SGPA of 3.32, with really high marks in Immunology, Biochemistry, Virology, Microbiology.

I started working recently as a night shift CNA on Med/Surg unit, and I hope I can get a good reference letter from my supervisor, as having a reference from working in the healthcare field is hopefully valuable in this case. I have all the requirements for the program done, except for the reference letters (one came from a professor in which I had lecture and lab and did exceedingly well in, and the other hopefully from supervisor soon) and the interview which will come after letters are submitted. The priority deadline for the term I applied for is in March 2027.

I wanted to know if anyone had any advice that might help in this process, like what the interview might look like from your experience, or when would be appropriate to ask for a reference from my supervisor, or anything that could help. I am unsure about when to ask for reference letter because this is my first “big” job outside of working fast food.

Thank you so much for your time and help!

New grads and experienced personnel;

I’m going to say something that might upset some people in this profession, but it needs to be said.
Medical Laboratory Scientists need to stop settling for low wages.
We have bachelor’s degrees, specialized clinical training, certifications, and enormous responsibilities. We perform testing that physicians rely on to diagnose patients, monitor treatments, and make life-or-death decisions.
Yet I constantly see MLS professionals accepting $25–$30 an hour, sometimes with years of experience.
Why are we accepting this?
Hospitals depend on us. Without the laboratory, patient care would come to a standstill. Yet we’re often underpaid compared to other healthcare professionals with similar educational requirements and responsibilities.

For those of you that work on the Microbiology bench. When you receive a specimen ie: stool, sputum, swab ect ect … the way you guys work out how to isolate the organism is based on the SOP? Or is it based on your school training and education.

Just finished a horrendous lab exam. Heme lecture exam is tomorrow, and then our advanced hemostasis midterm is on Thursday. Does it ever get better you guys. I've never struggled in school before and I understand the concepts but there's just so, so, SO much information. I need to know if there's hope lol

Hey everyone, I’m interested in pursuing the clinical lab science degree at stony brook and will start completing my pre reqs next semester. Can anyone who’s in or has been in this program please list the stats and ec’s that got them in as well as gpa? I’m super nervous since it’s a competitive program.

Hi! I was diagnosed with a bladder stone in January and I've just had surgery to get it removed. The operation was well and I'm now recovering at a normal rate. I just wanted to leave here the photo the doctors made because everyone I show it say it's super weird and fascinating. So, here it is. And yes, it's a photo of a photo, I don't have airdrop or an Iphone so the doctor couldn't send it to me.

Edit: Corrected myself when I learned that kidney stones and bladder stones are different things.

currently in MLS classes, starting my clinicals in 2 weeks… (chem). what can i expect from each lab? any tips?

also i was always told u can’t bring ur phone into the lab so how are yall uploading pics of ur cells? does nobody actually care in the hospital lol

Student trying to learn. Been doing urine microscopy, references on Google don't really help me tell the difference between the two epi cells.

Also last slide, I assume is lipids?

Same patient, no abnormals on urinalysis.

Sorry if bad pictures. :(

Was wondering if I could get some advice on this. I failed the ASCP BOC by 8 points the first time, and failed again today. Don't have points yet

My question is: should I just try to do the AMT instead? I dislike how the BOC is worded and honestly it really throws me off. Is it fine to take that? My teachers kind of shamed it but I just want a job at this point, tbqh

Hi, I know someone has probably asked this before, but are there any paid medical laboratory scientist programs for people who already have a bachelor's degree in science? I know there are accelerated 1-year programs with tuition, but I really can't afford the tuition for most of these programs.

I have been practicing the MB questions from LabCE (average 70%; 20 more days to my exam date). I notice there are many microtubule and cell cycle questions. I thought these were not important since they are hardly mentioned in Lela Buckingham's Molecular Diagnostic… my brain is seriously full now after memorizing all the gene-associated cancers, infections, translocations, etc. ... I am not sure if this is worth my effort to future frying my brain.
Note: The images are just short list…

I’m pursuing a degree in mls so if people could list there salaries and what state they’re working in I would be really appreciative:)

I am looking for some candid advice from LIS Analysts, LIMS Specialists, or anyone who successfully transitioned from the bench into lab informatics.
I have about 5 months left in my Computer Science BS program and 2.5 years of hands-on lab tech experience across environmental, pharmaceutical, and clinical spaces.

Lab Systems Experience: 1 year using a proprietary enterprise LIMS in a high-volume extractions lab managing lifecycles, audit trails, and data workflows. I also have clinical lab experience using an LIS for high-throughput specimen ingestion.
Tech Stack: Proficient in Python, building a solid foundation in SQL/relational data, and familiar with software testing (STLC) and data integrity principles (ALCOA+).

Certifications: Currently completing the CDC Laboratory Informatics series. I'm also looking into free/low-cost options for SQL badges, data management, and CSV/CSA (Computer System Validation) to boost my resume since I'm on a strict student budget.
My Goal: I am targeting remote-only positions: LIMS Analyst, LIS Application Analyst, Systems Analyst, or QA/Validation roles.

Where I need your help:
I’m mass-applying to remote roles but hitting a wall (mostly immediate rejections or ghosting).
Resume & Certs: Do free/self-study badges (like HackerRank SQL or basic validation certs) actually carry weight with hiring managers in this field, or am I spinning my wheels? Should I try to pay for a big-name cert?

The Proprietary Software Hurdle: My LIMS experience is with a proprietary enterprise network, not the giant commercial names like LabVantage, LabWare, or STARLIMS. How heavily will this hurt me, and how can I spin my proprietary experience to show I can handle the industry standards?
Targeting the Right Roles: Are there specific entry-to-mid level job titles or specific sub-industries (e.g., biotech, pharma, major reference health networks) that are more receptive to a hybrid CS + Lab Tech background?

I’d love to hear from anyone who has made this leap or handles hiring for LIS/LIMS teams. What am I doing wrong, and what should I pivot next? Thank you!

The thermal dimorphs

I'm fully vaccinated, but my MLS program checks for positive titers. Turns out that I'm negative for measles, varicella, and Hep B, so I'll have to redo all of those vaccines.

Looking through my insurance policies, they say they only cover revaccinations for low titers if you're a healthcare worker, so I'm expecting that they'll weasel out of covering it on the basis that I'm a student who does not work in healthcare yet (although I'll certainly try submitting a claim anyways). With the $200 I already spent on the first titer test and TB testing, I'm expecting to spend around $1000 out of pocket just to be able to start clinical rotations.

This whole compliance process was just a massive expense that I was not expecting, so I'm pretty stressed about it. I thought I'd be fine since I was fully vaccinated. I guess I'm just looking for solidarity and encouragement because I could find nothing in this subreddit about other students going through anything similar. I figure I'd make the first post on it so that other students are aware that they should have money set aside for revaccinations, just in case.

Hello! I’ve applied to the CLS program at UNMC in the priority deadline. I haven’t heard anything back and I know they have interviews early November. Does anyone have experience with this program, especially their timing? I fear this might mean I didn’t get selected for an interview and may not hear anything back.
In addition, best case scenario for me, any advice with what the interview process was like for admissions at UNMC?

Could these be plasma cells or plasmacytoid lymphocytes? The patient has mildly elevated IgG and rouleaux formation on the blood smear