A typical day in a pathology collection centre

A day in the life of a phlebotomist

Pathology collection centres typically open early in morning, with the pathology collector arriving 15 minutes before opening to ensure the centre is ready for patients. They will check all surfaces are clean and the stock required for collections is filled for the day. This includes items like blood tubes, needles, alcohol swabs, cotton wool, hand sanitiser and gloves.  

Morning rush

The first few hours of the morning can be very busy, as patients want to have their tests done if they are fasting or need to get to work. Even when it’s busy, it is very important not to rush and finish off each episode before moving to the next patient. This is to avoid errors, such as bagging the specimens and writing in the daybook.

Some tests are time sensitive and must be completed as a priority. Some priority tests include:

LTT labelling specimens blood tubes

  • GTT – Glucose tolerance test

  • Cortisol AM (these must collected within a certain timeframe in the morning)

  • Tracking for fertility (these need to arrive at the lab in time to be reported by midday to the specialist)

  • Some centres will prioritise Helicobacter breath tests

  • If a patient is diabetic and fasting, they will also be prioritised as they will need to eat as soon as possible to avoid an episode.

In between patients, the pathology collector will:

  • Spin down the SST tubes or any tubes that may need centrifuging, ensuring the SST tubes have sat long enough to clot before spinning

  • Ensure samples and forms are placed in courier bags ready for collection

  • Restock items that are running low, like tubes and needles

  • Sanitise all areas that patients have been in contact with, such as the chair, tabletops, door handles and pens

  • Wash barrels

Some of the most common blood tests during the day will include;

  • FBC – Full blood count

  • LFT – Liver function test

  • UECR – Kidney test

  • BSL – Blood sugar levels

  • HBA1C – Diabetes test

  • MSU – Mid stream urine

  • ACR urine – Albumin creatinine ratio

  • BHCG – Beta Human chronic gondatophin (pregnancy bloods)

  • TFT – Thyroid function test

  • PSA – Prostate specific antigen

Blood tests are not the only samples collected! Other specimens include:

  • Nail clippings

  • Urine drug screens

  • Sputum

  • Saliva

  • Wound swabs

  • Skin scraping

  • Semen

  • Faeces

  • MRSA swabs

  • Viral swabs

LTT blood collection training. How to become a pathology collector.

The pathology collector will see a variety of patients, ranging from young children to senior citizens. Not everyone likes the thought of a needle either, so having interpersonal skills will really help to calm someone down during their test.

The pathology collector will have everything ready for the couriers when they arrive, there are several pick ups a day, depending on the centre. This is to ensure the samples will arrive at the lab in time, especially if they are time critical samples, like semen analysis or coagulation studies. Some samples will need to be kept cool or frozen so an esky and ice pack is used.

Quiet afternoon

In the afternoon, it is often quieter, allowing pathology collectors to catch up on work emails and any paperwork. They will check out of date stock and put a stock order in if necessary.

At the end of the day, any samples that have not been collected during the day are popped into a lock box outside the building and an evening courier will collect them.

Cleaning, vacuuming and restocking is required before the pathology collector can leave for the day. They will clean and sanitise all areas, including waiting room and make sure bins are emptied and stock is all ready for the next day.