THE BLOODY ISSUE

The laboratory supervisor at the Medics Polyclinic is directly under the medical
director. Under the laboratory supervisor is an assistant laboratory supervisor and five
technicians, all medical technologists.

One morning while all the five medical technologists were at work, the medical
director barged blaming and scolding the laboratory supervisor. According to him, he
received a notice from one affiliate doctor that the blood examination of a seriously ill
patient was not done and the said blood was contaminated because it stood for hours
unattended.

After the trouble with the medical director, the laboratory supervisor turned to the
subordinates and shouted at them, blaming them for the incident. One of the medical
technologists shouted back and said that she was doing another job following the
assistant’s order. Another one reasoned out that blood chemistry is not her line since she
does all the urinalysis. Exchange of words among them lasted for about fifteen minutes.

That incident started the bad blood between the laboratory employees and the
supervisor. They seldom refer their findings to the laboratory supervisor who is supposed
to know all results before forwarding them to the client or the doctor concerned. Whenever
there is a lab-request it was tossed back and forth among the technicians. The worst
happened when one doctor with a dying patient complained that he waited for the
laboratory results for hours in vain. The complaint reached the medical director.

Settle the bloody issue.