Evaluation on Evacuated Tube System CHECKLIST

• Examines requisition form
• Greets patient and states procedure to be done
• Identifies patient verbally
• Examines patient's ID band
• Compares requisition information to ID band
• Selects correct tubes and equipment for procedure
• Washes hands
• Puts on gloves
• Positions patient's arm
• Applies tourniquet
• Identifies vein by palpation
• Releases tourniquet
• Cleanses site and allows it to air dry
• Assembles equipment
• Reapplies tourniquet
• Does not touch puncture site with unclean finger
• Removes needle cap and examines the needle
• Anchors vein below puncture site
• Smoothly enters appropriate vein at an angle with bevel up
• Does not move needle when changing tubes
• Collects tubes in correct order
• Mixes tubes promptly
• Fills tubes completely
• Releases tourniquet within 1 minute
• Removes last tube collected from holder
• Covers puncture site with gauze
• Removes the needle smoothly and applies pressure
• Activates any safety feature
• Disposes needle in the sharps container with the safety device activated and attached to the holder
• Labels tubes
• Confirms labeled tube to the patient ID band or has patient verified that the information is correct
• Examines puncture site
• Applies bandage
• Disposes used supplies
• Removes gloves and washes hands
• Thanks patient
• Converses appropriately with patient during the procedure

Entamoeba histolytica: the superstar in OPEH

When encountering watery and mucoid stools, I always suspect it to be Entamoeba. At first look, I can distinguish them already from the WBCs as they're bigger and have a defined wall with nucleus as compared with WBCs that appears to be grainy on the inside.

FYI: The reporting of Entamoeba species should be Entamoeba histolytica/dispar CYST or TROPHOZOITE then your count per high power field.

One can report Entamoeba histolytica species based from the nucleoli present and if it's hematophagous, the one that ingest RBCs

My UNFORGETTABLE Medtech Internship Experience

Team BASA's Day 1 in Sacred Heart Hospital

It was a regret that I haven't written a single article on how my internship days went. With all the busy and toxic shifts that we had plus burning the midnight oil for comprehensive exams, needless to say I had no time for blogging.

Seeing myself in a blue scrub suit gives me the thrill everytime I'm going to work. This is it! The internship stage! I thought this is gonna be the chill life after burying myself in so many textbooks till fourth year first sem but it isn't.

Three years passed and I still have with me the lessons and memories that I've treasured during internship in my heart. Although our six months were not enough but the bond that we formed among the batch and the medtechs still linger.

Well, this is my list of unforgettable medtech moments:

NOTE: Never do some of our mischiefs when your Clinical Instructors are around or you'll be given an extension.

 #1. Quotas

I laughed at the thought of it. Our quotas were hilarious! It says on our intern's handbook that we have to perform 100 CBCs, 100 urinalysis and 100 stool exams for two months in each hospital! Only God knows how we reached that certain number as we write it in our performance handbook or we called it P BOOK with the medtech-on-duty's signature.

#2. Night shift 

 My best shift among the three as I think of sleep, food trip, or even a movie in a chilly and quiet night.

Triple night shifts

As an intern, never did we complain with our 3 Nights and 1 day off scheme as we thought it's a normal schedule for a medtech. But as I work now in a hospital, it dawned on me why we survived that schedule. 

#3. DTR (Daily Time Record)

It's better to forget everything but not the DTR. I see to it that my DTR is in my bag before I leave home. Loss of a DTR is subject for a repeat internship. In our time, we don't have a bundee clock so it's done manually by a medtech assigned in the department. If you're friends with the MT, then it's great :)

#4. Clinical Instructors

In short, CIs. We envied the CIs from the other school as they are approachable and considerate it's just that our CIs are more strict and firm. 

I remember a time when we rushed to complete our quotas as we saw our CIs approaching. It's like ZOMBIES ARE COMING!

To see them in the lab meant a shifting exam so we're no longer surprised if they hand us out testpapers.

#5. Friends

to the center that we love the most

Aside from my batchmates, I was able to make friends with other interns from the other school too. It happened when the hospital allowed two schools to have the internship program. It was wonderful as we exchanged our struggles with research, seminar, and compre exams. Also, it was nice to meet friendly and approachable medtechs as well.

#6 Warding 

warding at night in VSMMC

Probably, the best thing that's ever happened to me all throughout internship esp. when we spent our last two months in a government hospital where life was pretty toxic. This was when our phlebotomy skills (either syringe or ETS) were harnessed, getting blood from all kinds of patients (pedia, geriatric, trauma patients). It made my internship days challenging. The techniques that I developed during internship were useful until I work as a warding medtech. Also, I'll never forget the 'saves' from my co-interns when I'm in difficulty. I realized they are always ready to lend a hand.

 #7 Gloves and masks 

We are required to bring our own gloves and masks but when we're running out of it, we humbly ask the medtech-in charge or sneak to the cabinets of a provision. I hope they didn't mind.

#8 Didactics and Comprehensive exams

Our sweet escape from the stressful duty in the lab but it's not really. Studying after duty is a must but I seem to fail one exam after another. It was a privilege to have one of the names in the field of medical technology, Ms. Anna Leah Navarro to visit us and give us 2 days of lecture in Micro, ISBB and Hema.

#9 Extensions

Lates, absences, and negligence of duty acts are subjected to extensions. I did my best to avoid committing major offenses like damaging hospital's property (like machines) because that would put into a possibility that I may not join the commencement exercises!

I served my extension to my favorite center and that was worth it. I had two weeks of extension because of my lates.

our termi in VSMMC with Mam Jovy

All in all, I enjoyed my internship a lot: I made friends, I practice what I learned in school and it molded me to where I am now. I wish it was longer but six months served its purpose. It made a responsible medtech out of me. I come to love the laboratory even more than just my workplace but a second home and an avenue to help people.

Cherish your internship moments and make it more fun, ridiculous and exciting! 

Busy days in Blood Bank

What's more intoxicating is being assigned in Blood Bank where time is ticking faster than you think. This is where most of us can't go out on time to beat crossmatching procedures and processing blood products. What's more, we've got to take phone calls from the stations and we have to deal donors who at times can be irksome when deferred as he asks an acceptable reason why he can't donate blood.

Although I find this tedious, but being assigned in the blood bank department taught me a lot of things. Aside from honing my phlebotomy skill, I learned to harness my way of dealing with other people.It  taught me to be patient and to be firm to hospital policies when someone tries to bend it. But at the end of the day, what matters most is I've done my work with passion: and that is to be of good service to others who need utmost by providing a COMPATIBLE BLOOD as a gift of life.