LAB GUYS
I had gone for a retreat at one of the retreat centres around Surulere, I and a couple of other medical students from LUTH. One was a pharmacy student, another radiography and the remaining two, MBBS. We had just finished and were about to leave the centre when we encountered an old white lady. My guess is that she is from the Philippines. Quite a cheerful lady, and knowledgeable too. She had a thing or two to say about everything.
Breaking the ice with a simple greeting, we began a conversation that lasted at least ten minutes. The conversation eventuated in her asking about our individual medical careers. While she seemed to be well informed and rather chatty about what the other careers entailed, when I told her I was a medical laboratory science (MLS) student, all she could say was "oh the lab guys". And she said so dismissively, with a forced smile on her face to make up for her "not so high regard" of the profession.
Even though "Lab guys" may not be a fitting way to refer to a Medical Laboratory Scientist - not just "Laboratory Scientist", which is what you may call a graduate of any of the pure sciences -, better that than having someone who has no idea whatsoever of what a Medical Laboratory Scientist does, which sadly speaking is largely the case. Not infrequently, people may ask “what does a Medical Laboratory Scientist do?”, but they rarely ask “what does a pharmacist do?” or " what does a doctor do?". Our relevance seems to be shrouded in obscurity. Personally, on several occasions I've had to give a brief MLS 101 course for dummies, just to orientate people about the profession. And yes, it is upsetting and dispiriting.
But I really cannot blame these people for their crime of ignorance. Their ignorance may be invincible and so they may not be culpable for their crime. The nature of our work takes us into seclusion, behind closed doors and away from public spectacle. Thus, (without an external prompt or a necessary reason to do so) it may require of them an extraordinary level of curiosity to get to learn about us. One may charge and rightly so, that curiosity is an innate human trait and so the public should not be pardoned. My reply is that our levels of curiosity vary - some measure high, others low-, and "extraordinary" may just be too extra for most people to have or attain. So in my court, I discharge and acquit them all.
Although our work is obscure and hidden, it plays a pivotal role in the practice of medicine. We are the ones who recommend to a patient's physician the appropriate tests to be carried out and that corresponds to the patient's symptoms. We also do the testing. We examine the patient’s blood, body fluids, excrements and other usable samples for evaluation. We identify the presence of pathogens in these samples, monitor the levels of body constituents, track down the patient's disease, decide whether his tumor is malignant or benign.
The analysis of the signs and symptoms a patient may present, along with his medical history, are important, but that only accounts for what is called prognosis, that is, the probable course of a medical condition. Symptoms are non-specific for diseases. To make accurate and precise diagnosis, the patient’s physician must rely to a great extent on laboratory results of tests conducted and interpreted by Medical Laboratory Scientists. The Centers for Disease Control in fact estimates that 70 percent of all decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment, hospital admission and discharge are based on these laboratory tests results.
And perhaps our importance is particularly highlighted during this corona virus pandemic. Now, everyone is counting on us, the “lab guys”, to manufacture kits, validate them and use them effectively in testing people. Now, policies made by the government depend to a great extent on the statistics the “lab guys” produce. Now every frontline health care worker hopes for the twice negative test results confirming the complete recovery of infected patients. Now, everything really hinges on the testing.
SOURCE
It is not an exaggeration to say then that without us, all of medicine will grind to a halt. We contribute so much yet are given less credit. We are the sherlocky sleuths of disease detection, the undercover agents of diagnosis, the anonymous philanthropists of healthcare, the unsung heroes of medicine. We may never be able to compete with the glamor associated with being a medical doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or a physiotherapist, since we are seldom in the public eye, but without our work, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists will be like soldiers without weaponry for battle.
It is no emphasis then as such to quote Scientist Adetola (Pioneer of the NIMELSSA Editorial Board), who says that “Medical Laboratory Scientists as the detectives of the medical realm are the bedrock of medicine, the priest and dibias of modern medicine”, and indeed “the oracles of clinical diagnosis”. Although we may never appear before a patient to pronounce the fate of his/her health, we in fact, determine exactly that fate.
By Ogunkoya Oluwamuyiwa David
MEMBER OF NIMELSSA EDITORIAL TEAM 19/20
Breaking the ice with a simple greeting, we began a conversation that lasted at least ten minutes. The conversation eventuated in her asking about our individual medical careers. While she seemed to be well informed and rather chatty about what the other careers entailed, when I told her I was a medical laboratory science (MLS) student, all she could say was "oh the lab guys". And she said so dismissively, with a forced smile on her face to make up for her "not so high regard" of the profession.
Yes, her reaction may have been a disparaging one, but I find it rather uplifting. At least she was able to identify me as the "Lab guy". There's a lot of consolation in that realization.
Even though "Lab guys" may not be a fitting way to refer to a Medical Laboratory Scientist - not just "Laboratory Scientist", which is what you may call a graduate of any of the pure sciences -, better that than having someone who has no idea whatsoever of what a Medical Laboratory Scientist does, which sadly speaking is largely the case. Not infrequently, people may ask “what does a Medical Laboratory Scientist do?”, but they rarely ask “what does a pharmacist do?” or " what does a doctor do?". Our relevance seems to be shrouded in obscurity. Personally, on several occasions I've had to give a brief MLS 101 course for dummies, just to orientate people about the profession. And yes, it is upsetting and dispiriting.
But I really cannot blame these people for their crime of ignorance. Their ignorance may be invincible and so they may not be culpable for their crime. The nature of our work takes us into seclusion, behind closed doors and away from public spectacle. Thus, (without an external prompt or a necessary reason to do so) it may require of them an extraordinary level of curiosity to get to learn about us. One may charge and rightly so, that curiosity is an innate human trait and so the public should not be pardoned. My reply is that our levels of curiosity vary - some measure high, others low-, and "extraordinary" may just be too extra for most people to have or attain. So in my court, I discharge and acquit them all.
Although our work is obscure and hidden, it plays a pivotal role in the practice of medicine. We are the ones who recommend to a patient's physician the appropriate tests to be carried out and that corresponds to the patient's symptoms. We also do the testing. We examine the patient’s blood, body fluids, excrements and other usable samples for evaluation. We identify the presence of pathogens in these samples, monitor the levels of body constituents, track down the patient's disease, decide whether his tumor is malignant or benign.
And perhaps our importance is particularly highlighted during this corona virus pandemic. Now, everyone is counting on us, the “lab guys”, to manufacture kits, validate them and use them effectively in testing people. Now, policies made by the government depend to a great extent on the statistics the “lab guys” produce. Now every frontline health care worker hopes for the twice negative test results confirming the complete recovery of infected patients. Now, everything really hinges on the testing.
It is not an exaggeration to say then that without us, all of medicine will grind to a halt. We contribute so much yet are given less credit. We are the sherlocky sleuths of disease detection, the undercover agents of diagnosis, the anonymous philanthropists of healthcare, the unsung heroes of medicine. We may never be able to compete with the glamor associated with being a medical doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or a physiotherapist, since we are seldom in the public eye, but without our work, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists will be like soldiers without weaponry for battle.
It is no emphasis then as such to quote Scientist Adetola (Pioneer of the NIMELSSA Editorial Board), who says that “Medical Laboratory Scientists as the detectives of the medical realm are the bedrock of medicine, the priest and dibias of modern medicine”, and indeed “the oracles of clinical diagnosis”. Although we may never appear before a patient to pronounce the fate of his/her health, we in fact, determine exactly that fate.
By Ogunkoya Oluwamuyiwa David
MEMBER OF NIMELSSA EDITORIAL TEAM 19/20
Comments
No matter how people see it. We are lab guys and we should be proud of it.
We should be encouraged to advance in our career, have a good social decorum, be very professional in conduct and make your cool money oo. It has been our choice from day one and it's a privilege that MLS offers us a more sophisticated knowledge of laboratory medicine.
we should therefore pray that the council govern the affairs of the profession correctly and our leaders be selfless in service.
I am a proud medical laboratory scientist in the making and I tell it to people anywhere I go.
One other important thing is that NIMELSSAITE MUST TREAT A FELLOW NIMELSSAITE AS BROTHER. THE PROFESSION MUST BE SEEN AS A VERY STRONG FRATERNITY. YOU CORRECT A BROTHER(Fellow professional) WHEN HE/SHE IS WRONG, YOU HELP WHEN HE/SHE ISNT GETTING THINGS RIGHT, YOU DEFEND WITH CONCRETE EVIDENCE WHEN ACCUSATIONS RISES AGAINST HIM/HER. ABOVE ALL YOU SUBMIT TO THE PROFESSIONAL CODE OF CONDUCT AND ENSURE OTHERS DO THE SAME.
The most difficult part of mls isnt the theoretical part, even the son of a book binder can read and gain mastery of diagnosis over time. The technical aspect-medical laboratory practicals, are the toughest. Relating with microscope and other instruments of medical laboratory diagnosis is never something a book binder can understand without a proper teaching or mentoring. It's never robotic, understanding of the laboratory technology requires excellent perception of Medical Science. So if I can't do medical laboratory test correctly and manage technical variations as diseases evolves, you truly don't have a firm grasp of all the stuffs you've "moved" on papers and mouth.
So I am proud of the profession and I am lab guy.