Mark DeAngelis

Coming back after four years to a much smaller lab where a lot that I had learned previously was basically obsolete was a different experience. Honestly, I remembered all the basic things having to do with processing so training was not needed, which was a plus for me as well as for the department/lab.

Unfortunately being a very small RRL there was not much growth at all, learning anything new was not really in the cards. However I was glad to be back and contribute in any way that I could.

I started on 2nd shift coming in at 11 A.M. for maybe a year where I eventually moved into a first shift position coming in at 8/9 A.M. This entailed mainly processing Stats and nursing homes being delivered throughout the day. Then in the afternoon sorting all the specimens mostly consisting of PT/PTT blue top specimens which had to be done immediately.

I also was chosen by Stephen Farina after a few months to process all of the new TOX specimens we were going to be getting. I solely worked on the TOX for quite sometime doing many 12 to 16 hour days until we acquired too many clients then others were hired to help.

I then in May of 2023 moved into a Night shift/Early morning shift where I came in at 230 A.M. to be the cleanup person which I currently work now.

This entails mainly working on TOX/Micro for most of my shift.

During my time at Ameripath I worked early morning as I do currently and also the night shift for right around half my time there. It was your basic data entry putting in patient information for slides, we worked with 4 Doctors at the time who would then read the slides when the data entry part was finished.

After a while I then started learning the inventory system so I would be able to help in that department. I also right before I transferred was chosen to help in the flow department as they were starting to introduce some blood specimens to the lab.

However right around that time like I said I was asked If I would like to come back to Wallingford for a Spec Tech 2 position which I gladly accepted.

I started out in the Tech Ops department when it was fairly new to the Wallingford Lab. During that short period as a Tech Op I worked on the following

- Deferring bloods and urines

- Picking up specimens from each processor

- Delivering specimens to each particular department

-Sorting specimens by test to be sent out

- Helping with inventory for every department

- Eventually also helping put specimens on the racks in order to be loaded on the machines in Chemistry

After a few months of that I was chosen to become a processor by the supervisor where I learned to process everything from bloods to Cyto specimens. I became a full time processor during that time while also helping in the Tech Ops department.

Shortly after that I was then chosen to learn the Add-on system so that I could become the back up/help for the Add-on person. So basically during this time I learned all that I could to become as versatile as I could become.

Unfortunately in 2014 the Wallingford lab downsized to an RRL/Stat lab only hiring a minimal amount of Leads/Tenured people so I was forced to transfer to a lab recently purchased by Quest at the time called Ameripath