Occupational Video - Medical Laboratory Technologist

Summary

The video script introduces the profession of a medical laboratory technologist, highlighting the role of analyzing patient samples to assist in diagnosis. Diane Gersy, a technologist at the Royal Alexander Hospital, discusses the daily responsibilities, such as examining body fluids, using equipment like centrifuges and osmometers, and the importance of being conscientious and scientifically adept. The script also touches on the educational path, potential job settings, and the personal fulfillment derived from helping patients, encouraging those interested to explore the field further on the Alice website.

Takeaways

• 🔬 Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs) analyze patient samples to assist doctors in diagnosing diseases.
• 🏥 Diane Gersy works as an MLT at the Royal Alexander Hospital, focusing on examining body fluids and tissues.
• 🧬 MLTs handle patient samples such as blood, urine, and stool, and analyze them to review results for physicians.
• 🕒 The work in the lab operates 24/7, with MLTs covering various shifts to ensure continuous operation.
• 🤝 Communication with colleagues about shift changes is crucial for continuity in processing and analyzing samples.
• 🛠 MLTs perform maintenance and troubleshooting on lab equipment as part of their daily tasks.
• 🧴 Samples arrive at the lab through various methods, including direct patient visits, pneumatic tube systems, and lab assistants.
• 🌀 The use of a centrifuge separates serum and cells in samples for further analysis.
• 🧪 Automated instruments in the lab use cassettes to process multiple blood samples for different counts and analysis.
• 🌡 The osmometer is a manual technique used to measure the freezing point depression of samples to determine particle concentration.
• 📚 MLTs can work in various departments such as chemistry, coagulation, hematology, or pursue roles in research, quality improvement, sales, or teaching.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Diane finds the occupation rewarding, emphasizing the importance of MLTs in diagnosing patient diseases and states.
• 🎓 Becoming an MLT requires 2 to 4 years of postsecondary study, with additional information available on occupational profiles and related occupations.

Q & A

What is a medical laboratory technologist?

A medical laboratory technologist is a professional who analyzes patient samples in various forms to assist doctors in diagnosing patients.

What motivated Diane Gersy to become a medical laboratory technologist?

Diane Gersy was motivated to become a medical laboratory technologist after someone close to her was diagnosed with cancer, which led her to research the field and pursue a career in it.

What are the primary responsibilities of a medical laboratory technologist?

The primary responsibilities include analyzing patient samples such as blood, urine, and stool, reviewing results, and providing these results to physicians for further diagnosis.

How does the typical day in a lab for a medical laboratory technologist look like?

A typical day involves shifts that cover 24/7, starting with maintenance checks, processing samples, resulting them, and ensuring patient results are delivered to the wards. Troubleshooting and maintenance may also be required during the day.

How are patient samples collected and brought to the lab?

Patient samples are collected through various means, including patients coming to the lab themselves, a pneumatic tube system, and lab assistants who collect samples from wards and bring them back to the lab.

What is the purpose of using a centrifuge in the lab?

The centrifuge is used to separate serum and cells by spinning the samples at high speed, allowing the heavier particles to settle at the bottom of the tube.

What is the function of a cassette in the lab?

A cassette holds blood samples and is used with certain lab instruments. The instrument takes the sample from the cassette, pierces it with a needle, and draws the sample for various counts and analysis.

What is the osmometer and how is it used in the lab?

The osmometer is a manual technique used to measure the freezing point depression of a sample. It draws the sample into a pipet, freezes it, and provides a result based on the particles in the sample.

What are some career options for a medical laboratory technologist outside of working in a lab?

Outside of working in a lab, a medical laboratory technologist can pursue careers in research, become a lab scientist, work in quality improvement, sales, or as a technical specialist for lab equipment companies, or even teach.

What are the educational requirements to become a medical laboratory technologist?

Typically, 2 to 4 years of postsecondary study are required to become a medical laboratory technologist.

What kind of personality traits are best suited for a career as a medical laboratory technologist?

A conscientious, reliable, organized individual with strong skills in science and math is best suited for a career as a medical laboratory technologist.

Outlines

00:00

🧪 Life of a Medical Laboratory Technologist

Diane Gersy, a medical laboratory technologist, shares her experience working at the Royal Alexander Hospital. Her role involves analyzing patient samples like blood, urine, and stool to assist physicians in diagnosing diseases. She was inspired to enter this field due to a personal connection with cancer, aiming to contribute to finding a cure. The daily routine in the lab includes shifts covering 24/7, processing samples, and addressing any maintenance or troubleshooting issues. The lab uses various equipment like centrifuges and osmometers for sample analysis. Diane also discusses the potential career paths in the field, such as research, sales, and teaching, and emphasizes the importance of being conscientious, reliable, and scientifically inclined for this occupation.

05:01

📚 Becoming a Medical Laboratory Technologist

This paragraph provides information on the educational requirements for aspiring medical laboratory technologists, typically ranging from 2 to 4 years of postsecondary study. It also directs interested individuals to the Alice website for more details on salary ranges and educational prerequisites. The paragraph further suggests exploring related occupations such as biological technician, combined laboratory and x-ray technologist, or medical laboratory assistant, and encourages visiting alberta.ca for career guidance and future planning.

Keywords

💡Medical Laboratory Technologist

A medical laboratory technologist is a healthcare professional who performs tests and analyzes medical samples such as blood, urine, and tissues to assist physicians in diagnosing and treating diseases. In the video, Diane Gersy, who identifies herself as a medical laboratory technologist, explains her role in analyzing patient samples to aid in diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of this profession in the medical field.

💡Diagnosis

Diagnosis refers to the identification of a disease or condition through examination and analysis. The script mentions that medical laboratory technologists help doctors give a diagnosis to the patient by analyzing samples. This is central to the video's theme as it highlights the technologist's role in the diagnostic process.

💡Patient Samples

Patient samples are biological materials collected from individuals for medical testing, such as blood, urine, and stool. The video script describes how medical laboratory technologists handle and analyze these samples, which is a fundamental aspect of their daily work and critical for patient care.

💡Microscopic Examination

Microscopic examination is a technique used to study tissues and cells at a microscopic level. The script briefly mentions preparing tissue for microscopic examination as one of the duties of a medical laboratory technologist, which is essential for identifying abnormalities that may indicate disease.

💡Medical Research

Medical research involves the systematic investigation of medical questions to establish facts and principles. The video script mentions conducting medical research as part of the role of a medical laboratory technologist, which is crucial for advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes.

💡24x7 Operation

24x7 operation refers to a system or service that operates continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The script describes the lab where Diane works as running 24x7, indicating the constant need for medical laboratory technologists to process samples and maintain lab operations.

💡Centrifuge

A centrifuge is a piece of laboratory equipment that uses centrifugal force to separate substances of different densities. In the script, the centrifuge is used to separate serum and cells from blood samples, which is a common procedure in medical laboratories.

💡Osmometer

An osmometer is an instrument used to measure the osmotic pressure of a solution, often used in medical laboratories to determine the concentration of solutes in a sample. The script describes using an osmometer to measure the particles in a sample, which is an example of specialized equipment used by medical laboratory technologists.

💡Cassettes

In the context of medical laboratories, cassettes are containers that hold multiple samples for automated testing. The script mentions using cassettes for some instruments in the lab, which demonstrates the use of automation in processing patient samples efficiently.

💡Quality Improvement

Quality improvement refers to the ongoing process of enhancing the quality of products, services, or systems. The script suggests that, beyond direct patient care, medical laboratory technologists can also be involved in quality improvement within the lab, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of test results.

💡Educational Requirements

Educational requirements refer to the necessary qualifications or degrees needed to enter a particular profession. The video script mentions that becoming a medical laboratory technologist typically requires 2 to 4 years of postsecondary study, which is important for those considering this career path.

Highlights

Diane Gersy introduces herself as a medical laboratory technologist working at the Royal Alexander Hospital.

Medical laboratory technologists analyze patient samples to help doctors diagnose patients.

Diane was inspired to become a lab technologist after someone close to her was diagnosed with cancer.

Lab technologists handle patient samples such as blood, urine, and stool, analyzing them and reviewing results.

Physicians determine what is abnormal based on lab results, as they have the full patient history.

The lab operates 24/7 with 8-hour shifts covering various times to ensure continuous operation.

Technologists communicate with colleagues from previous shifts to handle any carryover tasks or issues.

Daily lab tasks include sample processing, result reporting, and addressing maintenance or troubleshooting as needed.

Samples arrive at the lab through various methods, including direct patient visits, pneumatic tube systems, and lab assistants collecting from wards.

The centrifuge is used in the lab to separate serum and cells by spinning samples at high speed.

Cassettes hold blood samples for certain instruments, which automatically draw and analyze samples.

The osmometer uses freezing point depression to measure particle concentration in samples.

Medical laboratory technologists can work in various departments such as chemistry, coagulation, and hematology.

Career options beyond lab work include research, lab science, quality improvement, sales, and teaching.

Diane finds her job rewarding as she can help diagnose patients' diseases and conditions.

The best personality for a lab technologist includes being conscientious, reliable, organized, and strong in science and math.

Becoming a medical laboratory technologist requires 2-4 years of postsecondary study.

Occupational profiles on Alice provide more information on salary ranges and educational requirements.

Related occupations include biological technician, combined laboratory and x-ray technologist, and medical laboratory assistant.

Transcripts

if working in a laboratory appeals to

you think about becoming a medical

laboratory technologist it's an

occupation with a number of Duties

examining body fluids and tissues

preparing tissue for microscopic

examination and conducting medical

research we began by talking to one

medical laboratory technologist here's

what we

[Music]

learned my name is Diane gersy and I'm a

medical laboratory technologist and I

work in the lab at the Royal Alexander

Hospital a medical laboratory

technologist is someone who analyzes

patient samples various forms all in

order to help the doctors give a

diagnosis to the

patient I decided I wanted to be a

laptech when I was in Greater lab

um somebody close to me was diagnosed

with cancer and I kind of thought about

you know the cure for cancer and then I

started to research how you would get

into that

field a medical laboratory technologist

is the front line handling the patient's

samples such as blood urine

stool we analyze the sample review those

results and the results go back to the

physician and they're ultimately who

decides it's up to them to determine

what's abnormal because we don't know

all the patient history

the typical day in in the lab would be

in this lab we run 24x7 so we cover all

the shifts they're mostly 8 hour shifts

7: to 3: 3: to 11: 11: till 7:00 in the

morning so we want to talk with the

people that are leaving their shift to

find out if there's any carryover is

there any patient results that I need to

finish off is there any instruments that

are token that need to be fixed or is a

service call coming in so once we get

that established then at the beginning

of the shift is usually when there is

some maintenance to do so we'll start

that then we'll start to process the

samples and that's pretty much what we

do all day is keep processing them

resulting them getting the patient

results to the wards if any maintenance

or troubleshooting comes up during the

day we handle that

too specimens come into the lab in a

variety of

ways they come by por

patients come themselves to have their

blood

drawn uh they come through a pneumatic

tube system we also have lab assistants

that go out onto the wards and collect

the samples and bring them back to the

lab in the cent fuge in the lab we use

it for separating serum and cells we put

the samples into the Cent fuge turn it

on it spins at a really high speed and

the heavier particles go to the bottom

of the tube

then when we take the samples out of the

center Fusion we can see the definition

between the serum and the

cells we use some cassettes in the lab

for some of our instruments it holds the

blood samples they we put them into the

cassette and then put them on the

instrument the instrument takes the

sample puts it on a rocker bed pulls it

along when it gets to a certain spot in

the instrument it stops and holds the

sample so that a needle can come up and

Pierce it and then it sucks up some of

the sample and it goes into the various

areas in the instrument for different

counts and

[Music]

Analysis the osmometer is a manual

technique that we use in the lab we draw

some sample into a pipet and put it into

the instrument and it measures it by

freezing point depression it freezes the

sample and gives us a result on the

particles based in the

sample well as a medical laboratory

technologist there are a variety of

departments that you can work in

chemistry coagulation

hematology and other than being a

labtech in a lab there's also research

you could go into be a lab scientist

quality improvement there's also sales

or being a

technical specialist for one of the

companies that sells lab equipment and

also uh

teaching in my free time I I have three

kids so I spend a lot of times with with

them so I'm quite involved in those

activities driving them Here There and

Everywhere

and the best kind of personality to be a

laptech is someone who is very

conscientious and reliable someone who

is organized fairly strong in sciences

and math I've found it to be very

rewarding I like to be able to help the

patients I felt that lap techs are

important in helping to diagnose the

patients diseases and disease States

I'm very happy that I chose this

occupation to become a medical

laboratory technologist you will

typically require 2 to 4 years of

postsecondary study if working as a

medical laboratory technologist

interests you there's more information

available including salary ranges and

educational requirements in the

occupational profiles on

Alice you may also be interested in the

related occupations of biological

technician combined laboratory and x-ray

technologist or medical laboratory

assistant learn more on the Alice

website and make the most of your future

visit us at alice. alberta.ca