Often when I tell someone what I do they are quiet for a few seconds, then ask "what does that mean"? This week is national laboratory professionals week. So cheers to those who work in a lab. The shifts are usually crummy, the recognition is little, but the job we do is important.
I chose a medical profession because I love the idea that what I do actually makes a difference. This is the reason most medical professionals (the good ones at least) choose their line of work. When you go into the medical field you are accepting that you may be working shifts that require you to miss spending time with friends and family. You accept that you may be working hours that feel like they destroy your body and any resemblance to a normal lifestyle. You accept that you may work nights, weekends, holidays, or all of the above. I hate the shift I work. I feel like I am missing out on much of my life. So if you are thinking about going into a medical profession please consider it seriously. It will not be worth it unless you love what you do. And to everyone, please thank your nurses, lab techs, phlebotomists, CNAs. They all do it for you.
I love my job because I am a huge nerd. I still think it's cool that I wear a lab coat at work and I use a microscope daily. I love that whenever we get an uncommon hematology slide at work, like sickle cell anemia, everyone I work with gathers around and takes turns looking at it. I love when we see something unusual in a urine specimen and my coworkers all drop what they are doing to help look through textbooks to figure out what it is. I smile when I listen to the people I work with debate about what bacteria is growing on a plate. I "freak out with my geek out". So to me, it's worth it.
