Part-time drug analyst

When you realize that you need an extra money to get through each passing day, one job isn't enough. Much more you got bills to pay, you need to have an extra source of income. Just when I lost hope and nearly quit my job as a medical technologist at a hospital I suddenly found hope and got an opportunity to maximize being a drug analyst. So here I am, getting myself another part-time job being a drug analyst!

I left my previous part-time job because of many reasons: one is it cuts my budget. Going to and fro costs me 100 pesos so it's like that a considerable portion of my daily wage just went to fare. Also, it is a distance away from home. I need to get on a habal-habal, tricycle, and jeep to the clinic which is stressful. And one more thing, I'm just an on-call medtech. Meaning, I just get to work there when the medical technologist decides to take her day off.

I got this drug analyst opportunity when I and my friend went to LTO office to get a student permit. To obtain such, one must secure a medical certificate so we went to the nearest LTO-accredited medical/drug testing laboratory to get ours.

The process went smoothly, we easily got our medical certificate without a hassle. And just as we were about to leave, I asked one of the staff if they are still in need of a drug analyst when they said they do1

And that's when my drug analyst career started. 

I get paid hourly. My work schedule in the drug testing facility starts from 8AM till 12NOON so I work additional 4 hours in complement with my regular 2PM-10PM in the hospital laboratory. Sounds pretty stressful? Well, I just handled it for almost 7 months already and still coping up.

BENEFITS

Having a part time job helped me to stay on my budget for a month. With my regular job paying on a 15th-30th scheme, my part time  pays on the 5th and 20th so I get to allocate what needs to be paid first. Not to brag but I can really say I don't feel much of the 'tingbits' times (that's when you're running out of money but you're trying to make ends meet). It somehow helped me to save money in various saving vehicles and treat my family to dinners as well.

DISADVANTAGES

As mentioned, I get to work 12 hours a day so usually I get home around 11 pm and wake up at 5AM to get ready on things. I got only few hours of sleep. True, it's stressing me out but I have no choice so I get sick sometimes. Because of this, I never forget taking multivitamins to boost my immune system and invest on affordable beauty regimens for me not to look haggard.

For me, being a part-time drug analyst is somehow a blessing. I got the opportunity to make use of my certification at the same time I'm well-compensated. I thank the management for considering me to work even just half a day. Also, I'm grateful to have such outgoing workmates in the place as well. Truly, a worthy experience!

ACHIEVED! I'm now a Drug Analyst.

It was truly an honor that I was sent by Total Health Check Diagnostics to attend the 'Seminar/Workshop on the Manual of Operations for Screening Drug Testling Laboratory'. The training was held last February 2-4, 2016 at the Rajah Park Hotel Cebu. It was truly an awesome experience and that includes meeting fellow professionals having the same goal, to become a responsible drug analyst.

The lectures were interesting. Aside from the good food the hotel was serving, the lecturers made sure the confusions of every participants answered. The essentials of supervising a screening drug testing lab, its violations for those offenders and the roles of each staff were really elaborated.

The validity tests made me so interested. Everyone in the SDTL (Screening Drug Testing Laboratory) should be alert because walk-ins might adulterate, substitute or dilute their urine sample just to cheat the drug test. Confirmatories are really important if there are POSITIVES detected from the screening kits. In the Philippines, THC and MET are commonly tested. There are Custody and Control Forms to be filled up by the Client, ASC, and the Drug analyst primarily.  The Pathologist /Head of the laboratory will sign those CCFs with POSITIVE findings.

I enjoyed the demo of the actual drug test where each one of us was given a role being the client/patient, authorized specimen collector, drug analyst, head of the laboratory, encoder and lab aides. Mistakes were pointed out and corrected. We forgot to ask for a valid ID from the start. :-)

Although, the lecturer just gave us a run-through about IDTOMIS (the system of DOH), he said it is a user-friendly software with built-in instructions for beginners.

HOW TO BECOME A DRUG ANALYST?

A month before the workshop, the company paid the registration fee to the organizer. I filled up the registration form then waited for the day of training.

On the third day of the seminar, we were given a post-test. There are two parts: On the first part, it is a multiple choice type. The items were taken from the lectures given so you should listen and read the manual provided to you. The second part is filling up the CCF. Be careful in answering the CCF. Remember what the lecturer taught you on filling up. Read the instructions carefully and no erasures.

RESULTS..

I got the result one month after the workshop. I got it by email. I was informed that I passed the test! Wow..another accomplishment for me!

Thank you National Reference Laboratory - East Avenue Medical Center for giving us comprehensive lectures most especially to Mam Shiela, Sir Lennon, Mam Laura, Mam Marites and Mam Nenita! I would also like to thank Sir Cagalawan of the Philippine Drug Forensic Agency for being the sponsor of this workshop. 

Let's make a DRUG-FREE PHILIPPINES by 2016!!! Let's start the change!