As a laboratory technician, I always prepare for the unexpected, but nothing could have prepared me for the events that unfolded on a weekend shift. I was alone in the laboratory, working diligently to process the samples that came in, when I received a call from the Emergency Room Nurse.
“Hey, we have a vehicular accident patient here in critical condition. We need an emergency transfusion,” the nurse informed me.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the blood that was available and headed to the ER. Upon arrival, I saw the patient lying on a stretcher, unconscious and with multiple injuries. The ER team quickly began administering the transfusion, and I monitored the process, making sure everything was going smoothly.
As the transfusion progressed, the patient’s vital signs began to stabilize, and hope began to creep in. However, the ER nurse informed me that the patient needed to be airlifted to the nearest referral hospital in the city for further treatment.
The entire experience was both physically and emotionally exhausting. Working alone in the laboratory during a weekend shift can be tiring, but adding the pressure of an emergency situation made it even more challenging.
Despite the challenges, I was grateful for the opportunity to play a crucial role in helping the patient. It was a humbling reminder of the importance of our work in the laboratory, and how critical it is to be prepared for anything that comes our way.
In the end, the patient’s outcome was out of our hands. But knowing that we did everything we could to help was a comforting thought. As a laboratory technician, it’s easy to get lost in the routine of processing samples, but events like this remind me of the bigger picture, and why I chose this profession in the first place.
