CLS Presentation

In the hospital setting many professions must work together to

create quality cost effective care. This could not be done without
communication between professions. One of the most important is the
communication between the nurse and the Clinical Laboratory
Scientist, which was shown by the CLS student at the University of
Texas Medical Branch.
A Clinical Laboratory Scientist is in charge of interpreting and
making sure lab draws and results are accurate. They remind nurses
and any other personnel in charge of specimen collection to insure
proper collection. Nurses often do not have much time or sometimes
even a difficult patient that refuses to get their blood drawn. It is easy
to forget when multiple blood specimens need to be drawn which tube
must be done first because the properties inside one collection tube
may interact with another. This mistake can lead to inaccurate results,
which mean further needle sticks on the patient. Most people are not
fond of multiple blood draws due to the pain. By the Clinical Laboratory
Scientist reinforcing proper specimen collection the patient will avoid
multiple sticks.
Not only does Clinical Laboratory Scientists insure proper
collection, they also inform the nurse as a double check of accurate
high or low readings. For example an abnormally low CD4 count on a
patient with HIV can indicate that the disease has further progressed to

AIDS. This is vital information for the nurse, the physician and any
other persons taking care of the patient. Different precautions must be
taken for not only do blood and bodily secretions transmit the disease,
but also the patient himself is severely immunocompromised and
susceptible to other opportunistic infections if not taken care of
properly. This is vital information that must be communicated to those
directly taking care of the patient. The Clinical Laboratory Scientist as a
second check informs the nurse of the patients change of status.
Clinical Laboratory Scientist communication with other
professions is important for not only the patient but also others taking
care of the patient. Vital information is communicated between all the
professions to insure quality care.