Being a medical laboratory assistant is varied, busy, and a lot of fun! In the histopathology lab the lab is split into two rooms, and my role often depends on which side I start my day on. One side is pick up, and the other is specimen reception.
On specimen reception I prepare the bench for cut up, getting out all the instruments and making sure everything is clean. I carry out cassette printer maintenance, and make sure cassettes are printed for all specimens. I also ensure report cards are in the same order as specimens. I check for any decalcification specimens or extra fixed specimens, so that everything that needs to be cut up is ready. With a pathologist or consultant cutting up, I scribe for the description of the specimen, making notes on tissue details, margins, inked colours, how much tissue was taken and if any special stains are needed.
On pick up, the focus is getting the tissue cut, stained, labelled and out to the pathologists for diagnosis. I pick up specimens on slides, either "straightforward" where there's just 1 section to pick up, or in "levels" where the tissue is cut at 3 different depths to stain throughout the specimen and picked up on the same slide. I put slides on the stainer and the coverslipper and take them through to the other side of the lab for quality control and assessment. I also input the details of each specimen block, noting the stains needed and if levels are required. Slide labels are printed and slides written in advance. Sometimes picking up can be in really long sessions! It's something that I really enjoy doing and it's methodical and I can just crack on with it!
Throughout the day I also accept samples, label them, and book them in, separating them into smaller or larger samples. Some samples need opening up to make sure the formalin permeates and fixes the tissues, this needs to be noted to a Biomedical Scientist. We also check for deviating samples, for example if a report card doesn't match the pot, and chase up consultants to fix these issues. I also do daily, weekly and monthly maintenance of machinery such as the stainer, tissue processors and cytology equipment. I carry out safety checks on formalin levels and bench air flow, and dispose of specimens.
I really enjoy my role as an MLA. It perfectly combines my love for science and my desire to help people wherever possible. Everything we do affects patients, and I enjoy helping make a difference with this. I also think it’s a really important time to be in the NHS, and I can’t wait to see where my role takes me!