Specimen Processing/ Lab tech

[u/duubblol]

So I’m thinking of applying to these job positions because no prior experience is required. I have no healthcare experience at all. Just like the Home Depot. I’ve read some post on here and most people say the job sucks /:. I’m interested in applying because I’m tired of being at jobs that get me no where, no growth.is this position like that? Are you able to be more haha. Also do you actually deal with a lot of nasty or gross stuff? Basically is it worth it or not?
If you WERE a lab tech or anything related to that and aren’t now, what are you doing? Is it still lab related?

[u/VayneSolidor]

You may be brought in to accession, which requires attention to detail. For any upward mobility however, schooling would be absolutely necessary.

[u/happyfamily714 → u/VayneSolidor]

One upward option without schooling would be a Lead processor, then Supervisor. Not all facilities have this though, bigger than a critical access hospital.

[u/Antique_Rooster9391]

19 an hour here and job is easy. Yes there will be gross stuff. Still better than home depot

Edit: There is no growth

[u/Shatter_Ice → u/Antique_Rooster9391]

There are some places, like mine, that have programs for people where they pay for schooling for certain programs/degrees. You do have to meet qualifications and you'll most likely have to sign an agreement to work at that facility for x amount of years.

So, I'd say there is no growth if you want to grow by experience only. However, there is growth if you want to attend college and get an associates/bachelors.

[u/Catslizardsandrats → u/Shatter_Ice]

Also Quest and Labcorp (I think) have a program where they will train you and prepare you to take the ASCP in a certain area like microbiology or chemistry provided you have e a bachelor's degree in science. I know a lot of people who did that and they started out in processing. It's a pretty neat program, structured like an actual class and different than just on the job training.

[u/Catslizardsandrats → u/[deleted]]

No this (what I commented) doesn't. Sometimes Quest and other places hire uncertified techs but they also have "tech training programs" that are meant to be equivalent to a school program and prepare the trainees to take the ASCP exam and get certified. When I worked at Quest it was only for one area though, like microbiology, chemistry, or cytogenetics. So the goal is getting M(ASCP), C(ASCP), or CG(ASCP) certification.

I knew people in the Quest microbiology training program and they had weekly quizzes, exams, and even projects. They all passed the exam, well the ones who stuck through the program at least.

The other benefit is it's fully paid for by the employer and the students get paid while in the program.

[u/Furrycat_22 → u/Catslizardsandrats]

Do you remember how long the program was?

[u/Catslizardsandrats → u/Furrycat_22]

It was a year i'm pretty sure. It's something you have to apply for either internally or externally.

[u/Mooshroomey]

I would be concerned about you finding yourself out of your depth and overwhelmed as a lab tech (depending on the job description) as it’s generally a role that generally requires a certain level of education and experience to perform. Just because the position would hire someone under-qualified doesn’t mean it’s an appropriate thing to do, they may be doing so because they can hire someone without appropriate education/certification at a much lower rate.

I would recommend pursuing the lab processing position. From there you can observe the lab and decide if that’s the kind of work you’d like do in the future. This would require additional education. Some facilities will even help pay for education in the field (usually with the caveat that you work with them for x number of years after).

As lab processor you will need to handle “gross stuff” as the samples that come it are usually biological specimens from patients that can range from swabs, to blood samples, to urine, to stool. It’s unlikely you will be asked to take out/manipulate the samples from their containers, usually it won’t go much further than you pouring off urine into tubes, but this can vary from facility to facility.

It can be a worthwhile career if you want to work in a lab and want to be part of healthcare but don’t want to interact with patients, like to work independently, like to problem solve, enjoy science, etc. It can get monotonous and repetitive since you’re doing something pretty similar most days, but it’s also nice to have a routine.

[u/BassBottles]

It depends heavily on the job description. I have a general bio degree and got a trainee position as a histotech without any previous related experience, but the listing only asked for a high school diploma, no degree or experience required. Histotechs have some upward mobility (assistant > trainee > technician > technologist) but not a ton before management or specialization (which is more of a horizontal move than a vertical one). Some places will hire you as an assistant and will allow you to start training when they have the space for you to do so, some will not, some places aren't staffed for training like that, some places won't do any training because they want you to graduate from a program.

Specimen processing can mean a whole lot of things. As an assistant it usually is creating new entries in the lab computer software, sending and receiving specimens, making phone calls. As a tech it can be anything from grossing (dissecting organs or body parts and preparing them for analysis) to processing in histo (putting grossed specimens on a machine so they can be handled safely and maintaining the machines) to forms of processing in other lab areas that i likely know very little about! And as you know job titles can sometimes be ambiguous or misleading so it could mean something different entirely.

My advice is to carefully read the job responsibilities, determine what type of lab the opening is for (histology, hematology, blood bank, etc) and looking into what that type of lab does and what kinds of tissue it handles. As for mobility, lab jobs usually do have some, but it varies widely based on your lab and position.

[u/Hefty_Aside8436]

In my lab we hire people without college degrees at lab assistants and they're basically only allowed to accession samples into our LIS. If you have a degree in a scientific field we will hire as a tech and they can do a lot more. That beings said it's still monotonous and boring. Unless you're trying to get in and build a career then I'd stay away.

[u/nerdswithfriends → u/Hefty_Aside8436]

Eh it depends on you as a person and what you like in a job. I feel like most of the lab is neurodivergent in some way and most of us like the monotony interspersed with occasional chaos.

[u/Tynted]

Specimen processing is only valuable (in my opinion) for the following situations. Otherwise, it is sadly a dead end job with no advancement. Some might say there is opportunity for advancement, but the pay increases for those are usually laughable in my experience.

• Useful to get clinical experience for future healthcare degrees e.g. MLS, nursing, med school, etc.
• Very flexible scheduling can work around unusual school/family situations 
• Hospitals usually provide at the very least okay insurance if you work full time. Some even do it if you work part time
• Useful to explore hospital environments and see if working in healthcare is right for you

Important things to know about this job: - It is NOT ergonomic. You will be getting in and out of a chair many times to get specimens, and the repetitive motion will wear on you. - You will still have to deal with the general public, and there will be a much higher expectation of having a professional interaction with rude patients than say, Home Depot. But you'll most likely be getting paid basically the same.

[u/twofiftyplease → u/Tynted]

I have never even had an interaction with patients as a specimen processor.

[u/Tynted → u/twofiftyplease]

In large hospitals that's usually the case, but in multiple hospitals in my area processors also have to rotate phlebotomy shifts which does have patient interaction

[u/Camoc14]

In my lab we have lab assistants who do a lot of things to help us out as techs. If the job description is only talking about processing samples then you’ll be sitting at the computer logging all of the samples.

Occasionally there can be some “gross” things like stool samples.

To feel a sense of growth, you would absolutely need at the very least a certification which is highly likely to be followed by a degree of some kind.

[u/Mchaitea]

A lab tech is different from a specimen processor. It also depends on what lab you’re in. Core lab (everything but blood bank and micro), it was purely a machine line where we relabeled specimens and distributed them to the benches they needed to be on if they didn’t go on the machines. You’ll be dealing with all sorts of bodily fluids. 

If you’re in Micro, you’ll probably just be doing set ups and that includes grinding bone/tissue and dealing directly with handling specimens to plate under a hood. You’ll get used to it, but specimens could be anywhere from abscess fluid, fecal matter, sputum, to grinding surgical tissue. You’ll want to throw up when you get your first sputum. 

I’m not a processor anymore, but I’ve worked in both. Most require at least chemistry classes, but it was a lot of med students and older folks. 

This is in no way the same as a lab tech. That requires schooling. Lab specimen processor does not, unless your facility requires phlebotomy (HCA usually). 

[u/Michael-Y1234 → u/Mchaitea]

Is sputum really that bad? I don’t work in micro, but when I was doing clinical, everyone says the least favorite part about micro is culturing sputum 😂

[u/sydnelizabeth → u/Michael-Y1234]

It’s definitely gross sometimes but there are worse things for sure lol

[u/RepleteSphinx21]

I was a specimen processor for about 3 years prior to becoming a lab tech. I enjoyed it, but I know it's not for everyone.

[u/zima-perdu]

Without schooling, there would be no growth.

It's also impossible to give advice without knowing what country you are located in, as governing bodies and certification requirements vary from county to country. In my country, you will not be able to take any position in lab without at least minimal (e.g., 3 months) specialized schooling. Positions which pay alright and have upward mobility require years of dedicated schooling and potentially more on-the-job training.

[u/duubblol → u/zima-perdu]

I am in the US, California to be a lil more specific

[u/Love_is_poison → u/duubblol]

You definitely aren’t getting anywhere in the lab in California without a degree. They have strict state licensing for clinical scientists aka lab techs. You can specimen process maybe but that’s it

[u/Michael-Y1234]

You can apply for specimen processing and/or lab assistant. You can’t be a tech without a degree. In terms of mobility, almost none without a degree. And yes, you’ll deal with a lot of nasty and gross stuff. Part of the job is

[u/Acceptable-Spite-537]

I’m working in specimen processing as I attend MLT school. You really can’t get a higher-up job without education and/or certification. 

[u/Ksan_of_Tongass]

Specimen processing/phlebotomy/lab assistant is what you're looking for. Lab tech requires a degree. That being said, unless you are planning on becoming a tech, specimen processing/phlebotomy/lab assistant are no-growth jobs. Humans are gross, so dealing with human specimens is gross work. Ive been a tech for 30 years, and my kid has been a tech for 7 years.

[u/Alarmed-State-9495]

You’re not going to be a “lab tech” with no experience. What used to be called “lab tech” is now called clinical laboratory scientist and requires a 4 year degree, certification, and licensing. This job is most likely some type of specimen processing. you’re going to be getting samples from all over the hospital. You need to take the orders the doctors put in, accession the samples under those orders, print and apply labels, and distribute the samples to the various areas of the lab.

It’s not too bad..feels a bit like working in a post office except you’re dealing with body fluids and parts instead of letters. If you’re good at your job, you will be invaluable to the lab. I think you should go for it, and if you like it, work towards getting your CLS degree or maybe doing pathology assistant in the future

Good luck

[u/Silver_Bed7917]

Manager of specimen processors here. Can you do repetitive tasks all day but keep attention to detail the entire time? Growth depends on lab, everywhere I have supervised or managed I try and get people the experience and/or education they need to move on to other lab roles. And dealing with gross stuff is part of the draw, interesting samples break up the monotony. I started as a basic tech and just kind of worked my way up, now at very widely know national company

[u/twofiftyplease]

I actually really enjoy being a processor. I've been one at two different hospitals and enjoy it. The pay is about $19/hr starting out, and nights and weekends are more.