Medical lab technicians have plenty to keep track of. In addition to analyzing samples and performing tests, they’re responsible for maintaining laboratory equipment and handling administrative tasks. Medical lab technicians might also be working with physically or biologically hazardous materials, working to take the proper safety precautions to prevent accidents or health issues.Â
In order to ensure that they’re maintaining a safe and effective work environment, it’s important for medical lab technicians to keep their laboratories and work spaces organized. Staying organized can prevent accidents while on the job, in addition to enhancing the ability of a lab technician to keep track of their workload, meet deadlines, and perform tests accurately.Â
If you’re considering a career as a medical lab technician, read on to discover some tips which can help you to stay organized at work.Â
After Medical Lab Tech Training, Keep Your Lab Bench Organized
As a medical lab technician, keeping your lab bench organized will go a long way towards improving the efficiency of your workflow throughout the day, in addition to aiding in the prevention of spills and contamination. A cluttered lab bench can lead to confusion, equipment damage, and even a failed lab test.Â
Even while attending medical laboratory technician school, you can get into the habit of keeping your lab bench organized by ensuring that only the materials you need are taking up space on the surface of the bench. When you’ve removed additional clutter, you can organize the equipment you need by placing tips, pipettes, and other tools on the side of your bench that correspond with your dominant hand. This will make it easier to perform routine laboratory tasks and prevent a buildup of clutter. On the other side of your space, you can make room for solutions that you use daily. Take it one step further by labeling these solutions for easy access. When you take the time to keep your lab bench organized, you’ll reduce the risk of spills or cross-contamination, while simultaneously optimizing your workflow.
Make a Schedule in Order of Priority
Medical lab technicians have a range of duties on any given day. If you have medical lab tech training, you’ll be responsible for maintaining equipment, running tests and experiments, handling administrative tasks, and ensuring that you’re meeting important deadlines. In order to avoid becoming overwhelmed or accidentally forgetting about a task, you can stay organized by making a to-do list in order of priority.Â
When writing your to-do list for the day, include mandatory items first, such as meetings or training sessions. Next, you can fill in the tasks that you need to get done by the end of the day. When you’ve gotten the high-priority things onto paper, you can fill in the rest of your availability with other routine duties that can be completed if you have time. Completing your tasks by priority will help you to stay on track and ensure that you aren’t missing any important meetings or deadlines.
Keep Track of Inventory
Without an organized stockroom, much of a lab technician’s time can be wasted. If the proper equipment isn’t available, it can take much longer to conduct a lab test. Keeping track of consumable equipment, reagents, samples, and other stock inventory is crucial to maintaining an efficient lab—in addition to ensuring that no money is being wasted on unnecessary orders.Â
During your lab technician career, take the steps to organize your stockroom by maintaining an updated list of inventory. In the list, you can include the item’s name, its associated vendor, and the quantity of that item that’s typically ordered. When you keep this list updated, you’ll be able to see clearly when an item is running low and place an order before it causes a delay.Â
With these simple steps, you can stay organized throughout your career as a medical lab technician. Not only will staying organized improve your efficiency, but it will also help to ensure that the lab environment you’re working in is as safe as possible.Â
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