1. What do you do on a typical day?

We start our day by drawing our in-patients (patients that have been
admitted into the hospital). Once that is completed we are all (3 techs) assigned to a particular area for
the day. Example: 1) Hematology/UA/Blood Banking or 2) Chemistry/Coagulation or 3) Microbiology.
Once in our area we finish our morning runsprocessing specimens, running them through analyzers,
troubleshooting instruments when necessary, analyzing specimen results. During the day we will draw
and process various patient samples. From outpatients coming in for routine labs, nursing home patients
and emergency room patients.
2. What aspects of this career field do you like/dislike? I love the variety within the lab. I love the
people I work with (most days we all have our off days). I enjoy working closely with the
physicians and other depts.. We all work very hard at making it the best experience for the patients
even when the odds are rather negative. I think its important to be able to treat everyone walking
through the door as if it was yourself, your mom, your dad, your child. I enjoy helping others. I take
special care and pride that I am one of the main individuals that determines the course of treatment that
the physicians decides. One of the hardest parts of my job, or parts of the career I dislike is the delivery
of bad news. Being the first one to see a leukemia in a small child is not the news I want to have to
report. Dealing with negative patients, and sometimes combative patients is also one of my least favorite
things.
3. How competitive is the job market? Now is definitely the time to get into this career. Most that join
this field are lifers, others move through rather quickly into further education such as physician or
physician assistant. The main bulk of current MLS majors are in their 50s, For the last 10 years
retirement is cleaning-house so to speak. And with the bulk in their 50s the trend will continue. So to
answer your question, new MLS majors have great opportunities, there will be an abundance of
openings. Unfortunately for MLS, young individuals are not moving into this career path as quickly as
MLS majors are needed. I think its because the field of MLS is so unknown. Were still thought of as
the vampires that work in a dungeon . This cant be farther from the truth. But its up to us-the current
MLS professionals to help young people understand what it is we really do.
4. What is the future of medical lab science in terms of new and expanding opportunities? MLS is
always changing and evolving. Thats another thing about this career I love. The opportunities include
(but are not limited to) specializing in your favorite area, management, research, teaching, forensics,
pathology etc.
5. What would you suggest for someone who is just beginning in the field? Get as much experience as
possible! Clinics typically have better hours but they also have limited testing (unless its a Reference
lab). Hospitals (size dependent) are where you will have the most opportunity to see a variety of testing
and situations.
6. Is this where you thought you would end up? Not exactly Initially I thought I would go into
Pathology, I was a huge fan of Quincy (you may have to Google that showyoure a bit young). I
decided specializing in Hematology or Blood Banking was where I would start first. Instead, I raised
two boys and stayed a generalist for 10 years, moved into management for 2 years, and then went
back to generalizing. I loved all the experience I gained supervising, but my position kept me on the
road. I really missed being involved with the patients.
7. What is the most rewarding part about being a medical lab scientist? Knowing Ive made a
difference. Knowing that my skills truly matter.
8. What made you choose this career field? Wellmy love for Quincy of courselol (just kidding).
Actually, I was in a Health Careers class as a senior. It was very interesting. It really geared us into the
nursing profession, taught us everything regarding nursing assisting. We had a tour of CLM (Clinical

Laboratories of the MidWest). It was a reference laboratory in Sioux Falls. We toured through each
department and asked a few questions. It looked amazing to me!
9. How and where do you find inspiration? Now that Im older Ive learned to really appreciate the little
things. I can be inspired by a
warm friendly smile. Im serious a kind heart, positive words can be
very inspiring. I do look spiritually- and again, now that Im older I just remember to be thankful for
how lucky I really am.
10. When you encounter difficulties, how do you handle them? I try to remember to breatheTake my
time and think the situation through. Its really important to keep a clear head when your working
towards a solution to anything difficult. If it happens to be an individual Im having difficulties with, I
try to remember that I dont know the whole story. They are probably very
scared/irritable/frustrated/sad/full of emotions that I personally may not have played a role in but that
doesnt mean their feelings arent justified.
11. What is the most stressful part of this career field? When nothing seems to be going as planned.
Example: You have critical patients (sometimes multiple) and your instrument goes down. You may
have nurses and/or physicians yelling for results (honestly, Ive had a few) and continually calling or
standing over your shoulder impatiently waiting. You may have to be multitasking many different things
(that all may be STAT and critical) as well as troubleshooting instrument issues. Or maybe you have a
very ill patient who has horrible veins and even the anesthetists are having difficultly, but you still need
to find a way to obtain that blood sample.
12. What dreams and goals inspired you to succeed? My children; Being an independent woman
13. If you were given an opportunity to change careers, would you? Great question!! First of all I came
to terms 3 years ago and can say no . At one point I found myself raising my children by myself and
I decided I really wanted to go to PA school. After weighing all the scenarios I felt it was necessary to
wait for my children to graduate high school. When my last child graduated I weighed all the scenarios
again. With my current years in the field, the cost of student loans, requirements of the field, my income
would not change. So staying in the field I absolutely love (MLS) was the right choice for me.
14. Did you have a mentor? No, not in my field anyhow. My parents were always wonderful support.
15. If you could do it all over again, would you change anything and why? NO I truly love my job. And
I think when you find something you love, it doesnt feel like work.
16. How many hours do you work in a typical week? 40
17. Are there any courses that you recommend I take other than the required ones? Well, now that
youre a senior, nothing for HS. As far as college goes, psychology courses can be helpful with learning
how different minds work (and dont work) and how to communicate and be a more effective listener.
18. Considering all the people youve met in your line of work, what personal attributes are essential
for success? Great organizational skills, critical thinking, not afraid of blood , positive attitude, drive,
empathy, good listener.
Reflection: How has this interaction with a mentor influenced your opinions about this career? Explain.
I loved being able to learn more about the field that I want to go into. My mentor was able to provide an insight
as to what it will be like working. There will be days where I will drag my feet about working, but it sounds like
the overall experience is well worth a few bad days every now and then. I will be able to help people, which is
something I have always dreamed about. There will be times when I have to tell a patient some bad news, but
that comes with the job. There will be so many opportunities for me with this career choice. There will be a
large demand for MLS in the future. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what I will be able to do as a
Medical Lab Scientist in the future.