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!