MedTech Journal

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I'm officially an RMT/MLS and I will be recording my journey through this career.

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3.26.2026

Stool sample: Brown/Soft

Clinically significant findings: Mix amebae

E. coli & E. histolytica cysts

The picture was captured on HPO magnification.

How to identify cysts if only DFS on NSS is used?

Both are usually spherical. Their hyaline cyst wall is highly refractile. Their outline is defined. Like it was drawn by a black pen.

How to differentiate the two?

1. Size. E. coli is bigger than E. histolytica

Remember that you can't see their nucleus much using NSS so, you have to use iodine if you really want to confirm.

2. # of nucleus. E. coli has more nuclei (8). E. histolytica ranges from 1-4.

3. Chromotoidal bodies. E. coli has splinter-like chromotoidal body. E. histolytica has rod-shaped or cigar-shaped chromotoidal bars.

3.27.2026

Stool sample: Light brown/ Mucoid with streaks of blood

Clinically significant findings: E. histolytica trophozoite

The video was recorded on HPO magnification.

E. histolytica trophozoite caharacteristics:

Highly motile, very progressive, and movement is directional unlike E. coli which is more sluggish and has undirected movements(usually stays in place).

Has pseudopodia for locomotion. Unlike e. coli which uses their pseudopodia usually for feeding.

E. histolytica ingests RBCs.

References:

1. The head of our Clinical Microscopy section 😃

I'm in the clinical chemistry section for 2 weeks. The machine (Vitros 5600) has been acting up since Monday! Monday- Glucose is stubborn to pass the control. Tuesday until earlier this night, Amylase failed the control. Thursday, we refilled AST & ALT then we tried to do a QC with Amylase. All of them failed!

We tried everything for this week. Calibrating a lot and doing QC. They even called a technician for the machine today.

Then 6 analytes did not pass the QC, not surprisingly, amy ast and alt are there. Including Glucose, Na, and cholesterol. I redid the qc after my senior taught me how to change the ERF i think? Honestly, I already forgot. There was a lot of technical stuff in that machine that I needed to learn 2 times or more before i could finally get it.

Thankfully after the QC, glucose, chole, and Na passed. Now there are only 3 remaining.

So, I don't really remember why I ran another QC. Did i use the same reagents or what? If I did, how come it passed the second time and not the first time? Dis I use it after changing the ERF? I don't really remember...

Then before she went home, she got a new calibration kit. She reconstituted it already and stuff. All i needed to do is to calibrate the analytes (Amy, AST,ALT). I was nervous because I haven't really calibrated by myself! After calibration, I will do a QC to see if it really passed.

Calibration - Passed ✅️

Good good. But I shouldn't celebrate this early because the quality control will determine whether it really passed or still failed...

QC

*Drum roll pls*

After checking if the values are within range...

PASSED ✅️✅️✅️✅️✅️✅️✅️✅️

FINALLY ALL WITHIN RANGE 😭

I was so happy, I wanted to shout "FINALLY" but I'm still a newbie and just celebrated through my inner thoughts.

I've only known them for a few months but they've taught me so much. I may not say these out loud but I want to express them here.

To Miss extrovert doggo lover, you'll not be able to watch my back anymore; but I'll try to watch others' back as much as you had mine. I hope you the best and continue being you.

Merry Christmas! Salute to all who work during the holidays.

✨️inspired✨️ lately by a coworker.

Been working in this place for about 2½ months now. I'm just relieved that the people around me are somewhat good, or I just see the good in them?

I've been paired up with this coworker in phlebotomy. She makes me feel validated? Maybe because I'm still new. She sees my shortcomings in my phlebotomy skills and encourages me to explore ways in drawing blood from patients.

She likes a challenge. She mentioned that during her training period, she always get the pedia ward to familiarize herself in drawing blood from babies and such. That's why when there's a pediatric patient, she encourages me to try.

She's not afraid to learn. "Afraid" is not the right term but being shy i think. She also mentioned observing and learning from our other coworkers. She asks for help to teach her other ways to draw blood e.g. Arterial puncture. And she is still learning!

Now, she is trying to teach me the stuff she learned from others and I'm greatful for that! She doesn't gatekeep. Doesn't take over my work, instead, teaches me how to do it properly.

This reminds me when it was my first time I was on duty with her (my first few weeks in phlebotomy). I have a patient in a ward that I couldn't extract, I asked for her help, we went to the room and saw the condition of the patient. She took over but said she wasn't ready ("Di pa man din ako nakaready") pertaining to her fit (she was wearing her hair down). Still, she did her job and I think she extracted from the foot.

She taught me to extract from feet albeit I mostly failed. It's always the foot with her XD

Recap: I got a job at a government hospital.

Going back to the criticism:

My coworkers told me (indirectly) that i'm slow at phlebotomy. Usually during morning peak (which I agree). They said it's better not to endorse anything in the morning for the next duty because they are toxic.

I feel bad but I also know that i'm slow. I just don't know how to improve???

They even offered some help on what they can. They asked me how my flow at phlebotomy works. I just told them, I'm slow at picking veins and labelling the tubes.

They said for the labelling of tubes, just write the name first or smthing then just put the details later.

I'm thankful for them letting me know what I'm lacking so far (even though I'm the one who solidified that I'm slow at phlebotomy)

08.29.2025

Whenever I do chemistry, the machine either don't show results OR the results are way over the normal values.

The last straw was when I tried to start the machine up and the screen froze! Doesn't let me do anything and the screen just gave up showing me pixel stuff.

THE CBC MACHINE BROKE DOWN 😭😭😭😭

I mean I've been calibrating it since 3pm. It takes at least 30 mins to calibrate and I already did it 3 times. Then, 5pm it's time to go home. I still got 5 spx to test. My coworker said to just do it tomorrow :(

There were a lot of patients... like a LOT from before. If before there were about 30, now there are more than 30.

I think I'm improving! Extracted all the patients without my coworker's help!

Usually, I have a hard time extracting patients with more fat than normal because some have stretch marks (which sometimes feel like veins). I'm glad some of them have obvious veins.

There was this one patient, I'm gonna be honest—he's fat with stretch marks on his arms— I thought I would not find his vein. I asked him where they usually draw blood, from his left arm, right or any? He said anywhere and mentioned that people usually have a hard time finding his vein. The last time they drew blood, he got a lot of sticks and they ended up getting from his hand.

I listened while I tried looking for a vein. I think i found the cephalic vein! I kinda doubted myself at first because it *might* just be a stretchmark. I didn't promise him anything and just told him I'll be *trying* to draw blood from his arm. I WAS SUCCESSFUL yippie. I feel proud of myself even just for a little moment because compared to the other phlebotomists I didn't have to extract from the patient's hand (I don't actually know how 😭)

I also have a hard time extracting from patients who are really thin. I feel like I'm gonna stab their bone or artery or smthing.

Went to the mall at 11:30am until lunch break with some coworkers because there were no patients.

I went to the jeep terminal for my usual route home. I paid for my share and I'll be sitting in front. Lo and behold! It was the lady i commuted with one other time! She asked me first where I will be dropping off, I replied with [Place]. She said she remembered me from before and recalled she asked the same question (I didn't correct her but I was the one who asked where she'll be dropping off before).

She proceeded to make conversation. Asked what my job was (cause we are wearing scrubs). I mentioned I'm a medtech and asked her what hers was. She was a facialist. Their clinic(?) offers facial procedures and stuff, anything face dermatological related. Then she asked where do I work. I just mentioned the general place and she said that's where their clinic was before. She then told me her journey commuting from her previous location. It was far and she rode a lot of jeeps and trics but at least there are places you choose to eat from, unlike their current location which was nearer to commute but the food prices are high and mostly fast food. That's why she brings her own food now.

I dropped off first in my location and bid our goodbyes.

"Nice meeting you."

I mean, RMT's should wear closed shoes because of handling possible hazardous reagents and stuff.

Yung late ka na nga pero ikaw parin ang pinakaunang dumating XD

I was late!!!