We are the Lab: Meet the People of Pathology

Have you ever had a specimen sent to "the lab" for testing and wondered who does the work behind the scenes? Meet the people of UR Medicine Labs, from phlebotomists to medical technologists and pathologists who work around the clock to help patients get the results they need.

[@chloewells4385]

I'm convinced pathology is my calling. It's such a long road ahead, though!

[@erinmccabe6032]

Chloe Wells Same!

[@danielgw1964]

Amazing heart warming and well done. Thank you all for what you do. The unknown Hero's of the medical community. We are put on this earth to help each other. You are all doing very important work. Thank you. Im very impressed.

[@hhhoneycomb]

I can't wait to get in the lab.

[@ketriax7959]

whats the difference between a Pathologist and Medical Technologist?

[@kjs498]

A pathologist looks at patient samples under the microscope and makes a diagnosis. Medical technologists gather the specimen and prepare it to be read by a pathologist.

[@user-yy6er4ok8b]

I don't know .. same function .. there is a lot of overlapping

[@Moused622]

Medical technologist (hematology) here: I do manual differentials on any sample that needs it, I act as a ‘screening’ step prior to pathologists. When I see abnormal cells/morphology I can flag that slide to be reviewed by a pathologist.
Pathologists are medical doctors requiring all the education, training, clinical... etc.
Medical technologists require a 4 year degree and state licensure (requirements vary by state)*.
A medical technologist is to a pathologist similar to what a nurse is to a doctor.

[@Katie-pz7hq]

MTs do lower-complexity, high-volume testing, and must have completed a 1-year medical laboratory program in addition to a bachelor’s degree; they work in a variety of disciplines and most MTs work in 2-3 disciplines (e.g. blood-banking, immunohistochemistry, and chemistry) so they challenge themselves to stay fresh on multiple subjects and techniques. Pathologists (MDs) view slides of patient samples and diagnose complicated cases. They may see cases that haven’t been described before, and will compare their findings with the literature. A histotechnologist prepares the slides for the pathologist to view, by preserving, staining, and embedding the sample in paraffin wax and slicing into extremely thin slices (~3microns, I believe), and placing that slice on a slide.

[@tesspadmore5367]

The guy with the salt and pepper beard is hot!

[@gregorysmith3466]

Tess Padmore lol thats my dad

[@topside3375]

🤣🤣🤣

[@elmermalignus1656]

T0rsu