Labce by MediaLab

11/07/2025

🧪 Leadership in the Lab Starts Here 🧪

How do you go from managing tasks to truly leading a laboratory team?
Our blog “From CLIA to Competency: Building Knowledge and Tools for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Laboratory Leaders,” explores how today's clinical lab leaders can raise the bar on compliance, quality, and team development — and why leadership is about more than just checking the boxes.

It also introduces our upcoming free webinar series, featuring Dr. Saitman of Oregon Health & Science University, covering:
📌 CLIA and accrediting organization alignment
📌 Inspection prep & common deficiencies
📌 QC data and decision-making
📌 Lot verifications & PT
📌 Competency assessments
📌 AI in the lab

Whether you're a seasoned supervisor or a rising leader, this series will help you build a stronger lab — one regulation, one process, one person at a time.

🔗

Join Vastian’s webinar series From CLIA to Competency to strengthen laboratory leadership. Learn how to navigate regulations, avoid common deficiencies, improve quality, and prepare your teams for the future of clinical labs.

10/31/2025

Thank you for participating in Under the Scope with Octavius! 🔬🐙 This week's answer is...
Triple phosphate crystals! ⚰

Triple phosphate crystals, also known as struvite crystals, are composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate and form in alkaline urine. They can appear in both healthy individuals and those with urinary tract pathology but are classically associated with urease-producing bacterial infections.

Under the scope, triple phosphate crystals appear as colorless, coffin-lid-shaped prisms with well-defined rectangular outlines. When irregularly shaped, they occasionally form feathery or fern-like aggregates. They are non-birefringent under polarized light.

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween from your LabCE by MediaLab team! 👻🎃

This month, we’ve highlighted some Halloween-themed laboratory findings, such as caudate transitional epithelial cells (which looked like little ghosts) and this week's Under the Scope finding, which is a coffin-lid-shaped urine crystal (check back in at 5 PM ET for the answer!). Can you think of any others?

10/29/2025

Welcome to Under the Scope with Octavius! 🔬🐙

Can you name the pictured urine finding at the arrows? Put your guess in the comments.

Check back in on Friday, October 31, at 5:00 PM ET for the answer!

10/28/2025

🚨 NEW RELEASE: Hematology Case Study Simulator 🚨

Bring hematology education to life with our interactive, realistic training tool designed for medical laboratory students, clinical educators, and healthcare institutions.

Featuring 12 detailed hematology cases, learners gain virtual hands-on experience in:
🧪 Blood cell identification
🧠 Diagnostic reasoning
👩‍⚕️ Problem-solving skills

✨ Key Features:
✔️ High-quality CellaVision® blood smear images
✔️ Perform a full 100-cell differential
✔️ Integrate patient history into clinical context
✔️ Guided critical thinking questions on testing, differential diagnosis, and final diagnosis
✔️ Immediate feedback with explanations
✔️ Comprehensive case reviews & reporting tools for educators and administrators

🌍 Applications:

Virtual Student Labs
New Employee Training
Competency Assessment

Give your learners the confidence, skills, and experience to excel in hematology—anytime, anywhere.

https://www.vastian.com/blog/the-hematology-case-study-simulator-advancing-learning-and-competency-through-virtual-simulation

10/24/2025

Thank you for participating in Under the Scope with Octavius—October Edition! 🔬🐙🎃This week's answer is...
Caudate transitional epithelial cells (or ghost friends 👻👻👻👻)!

Caudate transitional epithelial cells line the renal pelvis, ureters, bladder, and upper urethra. Their presence in urine sediment is normal in small numbers, but increased quantities may indicate inflammation, trauma, or neoplastic changes of the urinary tract.

Under the scope, caudate transitional epithelial cells are medium to large—larger than renal tubular cells but smaller than squamous epithelial cells. They may have round, oval, or pear-shaped cell bodies with one centrally located nucleus. A distinct “tail” or caudate projection is seen. The cytoplasm appears granular and may have a slightly refractile quality.

10/22/2025

🚨New Webinar Series Alert! 🚨

From CLIA to Competency: Raising the Standards of Excellence in Clinical Laboratory Practice

Join us for a 7-part series led by Dr. Alec Saitman, PhD, ABCC—Associate Professor at OHSU and Director of Chemistry & Toxicology—designed to help lab leaders strengthen compliance, quality, and efficiency.

📅 Topics covered from November 2025 through June 2026 include:

🔹 Understanding CLIA and the accreditation landscape
🔹 Avoiding common deficiencies with CAP, TJC, and COLA
🔹 Best practices for policies & procedures
🔹 Building a QC toolkit from data interpretation to applying failure rules
🔹 Beyond QC with lot-to-lot verifications, and proficiency testing
🔹 Competency assessment challenges & opportunities
🔹 Harnessing AI to streamline lab workflows

👩‍🔬 Who should attend?
Laboratory managers, supervisors, lead technical staff, and lab professionals who are ready to elevate their practice.

✨ Don’t miss the opportunity to gain practical strategies from an expert leader who is passionate about lab stewardship and establishing efficient production workflows.

Check out all of our webinars here: https://www.vastian.com/events-and-webinars/upcoming-events

10/20/2025

Welcome to Under the Scope with Octavius—October Edition! 🔬🐙🎃

Can you name the pictured urine finding? 👻Put your guess in the comments.

Check back in on Friday, October 24, at 5:00 PM ET for the answer!

10/14/2025

📢 Save the date: October 16, 2025 • 1 PM ET for MediaLabVastian’s webinar Improving STI Screening Access Across Gender Identities and Sexual Behaviors.

Led by Dr. Dina Greene, PhD, DABCC, this session unpacks critical gaps between STI screening guidelines and what’s currently available—and explores how self-collected specimens and validated methods can help close those gaps.

Key takeaways include:
• Comprehensive insight on infection sites for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
• Identification of testing availability shortfalls based on gender identity & behavior
• The benefits and implementation of self-collection models
• Designing method validation experiments to broaden access

Perfect for clinicians, lab staff, public health professionals, and anyone committed to equitable sexual health.

🕒 1 P.A.C.E.® contact hour awarded.
🔗 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gYfZbV54

10/03/2025

Thank you for participating in Under the Scope with Octavius! 🔬🐙 This week's answer is...
Calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals!

Calcium oxalate crystals are commonly found in acidic and neutral urine. They can appear in both healthy individuals and those with underlying conditions. These crystals can be seen in two main forms: dihydrate (envelope-shaped) and monohydrate (dumbbell- or oval-shaped, pictured).

While small amounts may be normal, excessive calcium oxalate crystalluria is associated with kidney stone formation and chronic kidney disease. The excessive presence of the monohydrate form is characteristic of ethylene glycol (antifreeze) poisoning.

10/01/2025

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month 💗

Behind every biopsy and lab test is a dedicated team of medical laboratory professionals working to detect, diagnose, and guide treatment for breast cancer patients. The lab plays a vital role in every patient’s journey. 🧪✨
This month, we honor patients, survivors, and the tireless efforts of laboratorians who make timely, accurate testing possible. Together, we’re not just raising awareness—we’re supporting lives.

10/01/2025

Welcome to Under the Scope with Octavius! 🔬🐙

Can you name the urine finding at the arrows? Put your guess in the comments.

Check back in on Friday, October 3, at 5:00 PM ET for the answer!