I remember that awkward feeling of being at the bench, hands ready to do what I had always done, then suddenly pausing because the workflow in front of me did not match the one in my head.
Same lab smell. Same tubes. Same analyzers. Same pressure to get results out correctly and on time. From the outside, it looked familiar. A laboratory is a laboratory, di ba?
But inside, I was quietly realizing, ay, iba pala dito.
Not wrong. Just different.
That is one of the first lessons working in a lab overseas taught me. Technical skill matters, of course. You still need to know your principles, your quality control, your specimen requirements, your critical values, your safety rules. Hindi pwedeng puro confidence lang. The lab will humble you very fast.
But working abroad also asked me to unlearn some habits and assumptions I had carried from previous training and workplaces. Some were small. Some touched my pride a little. Some made me miss the way we did things back home.
And honestly, that adjustment was not always cute.
The Same Job, But Not Always the Same Way
One thing I had to unlearn was the idea that if I knew how to do the test, I already knew how to work in the lab.
Before working overseas, I thought competence was mostly about the technical side. Can you run the test? Can you troubleshoot? Can you recognize when something looks off? Can you survive a busy shift without turning into a zombie with a nameplate?
Those things still matter. Very much.
But abroad, I learned that workflow is part of competence. The sequence matters. Who you inform matters. Where you document matters. How you escalate matters. Which step needs verification before proceeding matters.
Sometimes I would feel the old habit kicking in: “Okay, I know what to do next.” Then I had to stop and check the local procedure first. Not because I suddenly forgot how to be a med tech, but because each workplace has its own system.
Back home, you may have learned one way. In your previous hospital, you may have survived because you were resourceful and mabilis kumilos. Then you arrive in another country and realize that being fast is good, but being aligned with the system is better.
That was a humbling shift for me.
Working abroad taught me that adapting is not the same as starting from zero; sometimes it is simply respecting that another lab has its own rhythm.
I Had to Unlearn Being Too Quiet
Many Filipino med techs are good at adjusting. We observe first. We try not to bother people. We do not want to look demanding. We do not want to be the new staff who keeps asking questions every five minutes.
There is a good side to that. Marunong tayong makisama. We are careful. We read the room.
But I had to unlearn the habit of staying too quiet when something was unclear.
In some workplaces abroad, communication is more direct. If you are unsure, they expect you to ask. If there is a concern, they expect you to raise it. If something happened, they expect you to document and report it properly. Silence is not always seen as humility. Sometimes it can be seen as risk.
Naku, that part can feel uncomfortable at first.
Because in our Filipino wiring, sometimes asking too much feels like admitting weakness. We worry people might think, “Does he not know this?” But in the lab, pretending to be sure is more dangerous than asking a basic question.
I had to remind myself: clarifying is not incompetence. It is part of patient safety.
And if you are new to a workplace, asking how they want things done is not a burden. It shows respect for their process.
Documentation Was Not Just Paperwork
Another big adjustment was documentation.
Filipino med techs know documentation too, of course. We do logs, results, QC records, endorsements, incident notes, maintenance forms, all the lab paperwork that somehow multiplies when you are already busy. Hay nako, the printer and the analyzer both know when you are tired.
But overseas, the expectation around documentation can feel stricter or more structured depending on the workplace. It is not just “write it down para may record.” It is often tied to accountability, audits, traceability, and legal requirements.
I had to unlearn the mindset of treating documentation as something you do after the “real work.”
Because in many labs, documentation is part of the real work.
If it was not documented properly, it may be treated as if it was not done. If a corrective action was taken but not recorded, the story becomes incomplete. If a call was made but not documented according to procedure, there may be a gap later.
This was one of those areas where I had to slow down. Not slow like inefficient, but slow enough to be accurate. There is a difference.
We love being fast. Filipino work ethic has that “kaya yan” energy. We find ways. We push through. We finish the shift even when our stomach is already asking for rice and our brain is already on low battery.
But documentation taught me that speed without traceability is not always safe.
I Had to Unlearn Comparing Everything to Back Home
This one is sensitive because we all do it, especially in the beginning.
“Sa atin, ganito.”
“In my old lab, we used to do it this way.”
“Back home, this would be faster.”
Sometimes those thoughts are valid. Previous experience has value. The training we had in the Philippines is not small. Many Filipino med techs are sharp, hardworking, and very adaptable. We have handled pressure, limited resources, heavy workloads, and all kinds of personalities. Grabe, character development talaga.
But I had to unlearn the reflex of measuring every new system against the one I came from.
Different does not always mean better. Different does not always mean worse. Sometimes it is just built around different rules, staffing patterns, accreditation requirements, reporting structures, or workplace culture.
When I stopped comparing every step, I became more open to learning why things were done a certain way.
That does not mean I had to erase my background. Filipino training is part of me. My past experience still helps me think critically. But I learned to hold my experience with open hands, not clenched fists.
The Filipino Work Ethic Still Belongs in the Room
Unlearning does not mean abandoning everything.
This is important.
Working abroad does not mean we should lose the good things we bring as Filipino med techs. Our work ethic, patience, warmth, sense of responsibility, and ability to adjust are strengths. The goal is not to become a completely different person just to fit in.
For me, the challenge was learning which habits needed adjusting and which values were worth keeping.
Keep the malasakit. But pair it with proper boundaries and procedure.
Keep the hard work. But do not glorify overworking or skipping breaks like it is a medal.
Keep the respect. But learn to speak up when patient safety or quality is involved.
Keep the flexibility. But do not bypass policies just to make things faster.
That balance takes time. Some days you feel confident. Some days you feel like the new graduate version of yourself came back and is standing beside you whispering, “Sure ka ba diyan?”
Normal lang.
Small Advice From Someone Still Learning
If you are a Filipino med tech preparing to work abroad, or already adjusting in a new lab, here are a few practical reminders from experience:
- Read the SOP even if you already know the test. The principle may be familiar, but the local process may not be.
- Ask early instead of fixing quietly later. It is better to clarify than to create a bigger problem.
- Document like someone else may need to understand your shift tomorrow. Because they probably will.
- Do not take correction too personally. Sometimes it is about the system, not your worth.
- Bring your Filipino strengths, but stay teachable. That combination is powerful.
I am still learning this myself. There are still moments when old habits show up, especially during busy shifts. Muscle memory is real. So is pride. So is the desire to prove that we belong.
But maybe belonging in a new lab is not about proving that you already know everything.
Maybe it starts when you are willing to say, “I know the work, but I am here to learn how this team does it.”
That kind of humility is not weakness. It is maturity.
The Lesson That Stayed With Me
Working in a lab overseas stretched me in ways I did not expect. I thought the hardest part would be the technical adjustment. New systems, new workflow, new workplace culture. And yes, those were real.
But the deeper work was internal.
I had to unlearn the need to always look sure. I had to unlearn the habit of comparing too quickly. I had to unlearn thinking that asking questions made me less capable. I had to unlearn rushing through documentation as if it were separate from patient care.
Little by little, I learned that humility is also a professional skill.
And for us Filipino med techs abroad, that might be one of the most useful skills we can carry. Not loud. Not flashy. But steady.
We can adapt without losing ourselves. We can respect another system without looking down on where we came from. We can keep our malasakit while learning new ways to protect patients and support the team.
So if you are in that season right now, standing at a bench somewhere far from home, quietly realizing that the lab feels familiar but not quite the same, take heart.
You are not starting from zero.
You are simply learning which parts of you need to grow.
