Week 8

Week 7 was a short working week for me as I flew to Kuching for the Transfusion Medicine Conference in Kota Samarahan.

I had managed to get all the JTMP to run a haematology external QC sample to make sure all of them did the correct way of sample mixing before running the haematology tests. All except one managed to get the platelet count correct. Levey-Jenning charts of the everyday run's QC were thoroughly explained. After checking internal QC and external QC, RBC and hematocrit results were at least 15% lower than the supposedly value. With the help of the biomedical technician, I pulled up the value of RBC and hematocrit of the Nihon Kohden analyser.

I'm happy with my learning pace of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate test and PT/PTT tests. However, technologists' manual way of testing PT and PTT tests are worrisome. I managed to negotiate for a semi automated machine to improve our PT/PTT results.

Blood banking practices in the hospital need to be improved after learning the updates of transfusion procedures and practices. I had requested to have a hands-on workshop to be done next month which will involve all the nurses and PPK of the hospital.

I had started validating the samples' results as I was gettting more confident with the external QC results.

Life in Marudi is getting mundane. I was getting more and more negative feedbacks from many improvement suggestions that I brought forward.

Tapah fish

Food in Marudi is not cheap either. A normal mixed rice costs RM5 and the menu remains more or less the same everyday. I tried to be adventurous by ordering the good riverine fish only to be disappointed by its taste. And its price!