Volume 40 Number 1 | February 2026
Summary
Laboratory professionals may feel unseen, yet their work profoundly impacts patients. Through a story of identifying an abnormal specimen that led to a critical diagnosis, the article highlights how phlebotomists, medical laboratory scientists, and lab assistants make life‑changing differences every day. Even without public recognition, their vigilance and dedication quietly save lives—one patient at a time.
Melissa Kasper, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Director
“No one knows who we are.” “We are unappreciated and unacknowledged.” I hear these sentences and more from phlebotomists and medical laboratory scientists about working in the lab. While it’s often true the lab doesn’t receive much fanfare, we are able to make an impact on many people every day.
There’s a story about a man who walked on the beach each morning as the tide was going out. As he walked, he would pick up starfish left on the sand and fling them back into the ocean. One day, someone saw him and asked “Why do you do that? You can’t possibly save them all.” The man replied, “I can’t save them all, but for that one starfish, I made a difference.”
That starfish didn’t know a human tossed it back; all it knew was that something happened and it made a difference. Usually, our patients don’t know specifically what happens; all they know is that a person on their care team said or did something and it made a difference in their treatment or diagnosis.
“‘To the lab staff that noticed something odd with my blood and said something about it; Thank You!’”
Many years ago, I was working in a physician office/urgent care clinic, and a patient came in for a routine fasting blood draw. The collection went textbook perfectly. However, when the tube was removed from the centrifuge it was very clear something was “odd.” Three-fourths of the 5mL SST tube was red blood cells. There was barely 1mL of serum for testing!
I asked the phlebotomist who drew the patient about tourniquet time, etc. Anything that could cause this. Then I looked in the patient’s chart to see if there was a previous diagnosis. Finding none, I notified the provider that we had noticed something unusual regarding the specimen and suggested a CBC be ordered when the patient returned for a physical in a couple of days.
Thankfully, the provider did order a CBC. Results of that showed the patient had polycythemia vera and was referred to oncology for treatment. Days later, a card showed up addressed to “The Lab.” It was a thank you card from that patient. It began, “To the lab staff that noticed something odd with my blood and said something about it; Thank You!” It went on to explain that the patient had been having unusual, non-specific symptoms for some time, but was never diagnosed.
Like the man tossing starfish back into the ocean; we may not receive public recognition, but know that we are making a profound difference in the lives of our patients. To the phlebotomist who takes the time to verify when a medication was given before drawing a specimen, thank you. To the lab scientist who questions results that just don’t make sense, thank you. To the lab assistant who rejects a specimen due to improper storage, thank you. You are all making a difference in someone’s life, and I applaud you. Keep making that difference, one patient at a time.
Melissa Kasper is Support Services Lead for LabCorp in Appleton, Wisconsin.