Julie Akin

Dr. Kaninjing

January 10-May 2 2022

Internship

Journal Entries

Journal 1:

Today is January 10th, 2022. Today was my first day at my internship site. I began at Med-lake

Laboratory located in Milledgeville Georgia. I am considered a floating position, so I will see all

aspects of the lab throughout my time at Med-lake. Today I worked in accessioning which is

where the lab receives samples. There, I worked mostly with Molecular samples which were all

Covid-19 test swabs. I worked with Toxicology samples as well which were urine samples.

These samples were poured into test tubes for the techs to then take and test for the presence of

certain drugs depending on what panel the provider ordered.

Today is January 11th, 2022. The day was a lot like yesterday. Tuesdays are considered “busy

days” in the lab, so I was super busy going through samples. I did strictly covid samples today. I

entered patients' names, labeled tests, entered the insurance, and handed them to the techs.

Nursing homes test their residents and employees weekly, so this made up a lot of the tests.

Today is January 12th, 2022. I worked completely on molecular samples again today. There were

leftover samples from yesterday because there were so many. We had new samples come in as

well, so we played catch up. Again, I put in patients' names, labeled tests, input insurance infor-

mation, and handed the tests off to the techs.

Today is January 13th, 2022. I started off the day with molecular samples in accessioning. I was

then trained on toxicology samples which are urine samples. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit

nauseous working with urine, but they say you do get used to it. I also spoke to my supervisor

about where I will be next week in the lab since my position is floating. She told me that I will

move into the lab with the techs to begin testing samples. I also asked if the lab did any com-

munity outreach. My supervisor explained that they do testing sites and used to host events,

but with the pandemic, they have not been able to do much. I hope that during my internship, I

can think of an event for the lab to get back into community outreach.

Today is January 14th, 2022. It is the end of my first week at Med-lake. I started off accessioning

tox samples which quickly made me nauseous. My supervisor came and rescued me from urine

and put me in the drive-through. I learned a TON about phlebotomy including which tubes to

use, the different needles, and how they affect the samples taken. I also got to perform a covid

test and help patients directly. I really enjoyed today.

Journal 2:

Tuesday January 18, 2022: Today I worked in the drive through. I swabbed patients, completed

paperwork, and received patient samples. I’ve really enjoyed the interactions today. Patients

have been pretty good so far with the exception of being coughed on. I’m being very cautious by

wearing gloves, disinfecting the office, masking, and telling patients to look forward while com-

pleting the test. Mrs. Janice is who I have been working with and she is one of the most kind

people I’ve ever met. Watching her interact with patients has helped me be more confident in my

interactions. 
Wednesday January 19, 2022: I am still in the drive through as I will be the rest of this week.

Mrs. Janice left early today which means I had the drive through all by myself. I had a supervisor

to ask any questions who remained close by, but I was so grateful they trusted me as much as to

leave the drive through to me. Patients are nervous for the covid swab of course, but I am pretty

good at calming them down prior to swabbing. 

Thursday January 20, 2022: Today, I worked the drive through and had lots of fun doing it again.

I can’t get enough of the patient interactions! It feels rewarding in a sense. Janice is the best per-

son to work with also. She makes the day fly by. I also got to audit tox records today. I made

sure no mistakes were made so that the correct report can be sent out. 

Friday January 21, 2022: It’s Friday, and I worked the drive through again today. I really hope I

can work back here more after I make each of my rotations. I have to see every department, and

this is my last day with the drive through until I see each department.

Journal 3:

Today is Tuesday, January 25th. Tuesday 25, January 2022: (9:00-5:00) Today I was able to

shadow techs in the lab. I was on the molecular side and saw the entire process of testing covid

and respiratory tests. It was so interesting to see what the positive results looked like. The table

that the results were shown on shot up which showed a positive result. I’m not sure what I’m al-

lowed to say without violating hippa so that’s all I will say for now. I really enjoyed the day and

learned a ton.

Wednesday 26, January 2022(9:00-5:00): Today I did something different. I went to billing be-

cause most in the department are out sick. I had to open the mail and separate the mail by insur-

ance companies. I made copies of checks and scanned the rest of the documents so that they
could be accessible online. It was time-consuming and to be honest, boring. I did not enjoy

billing.

Thursday 27, January 2022(9:00-5:00): Today I spent another 5 hours working in billing. I stood

by and scanned boxes of documents. I finished around 2 and was able to work a little here and

there. I shadowed the lab, worked drive-through, and just went where I was needed. I do not like

billing, but I do now know how to receive mail and put it into an online format.

Friday 28, January 2022(9:00-5:00):

Today, I worked back with the lab and went through tox audits. These audits are how we ensure

that all tests were completed, medications were included in patients’ charts, and all demograph-

ics are correct. If one thing is wrong with the report it can affect a lot. This can affect how a doc-

tor prescribes medications if a parent can see their child, and how the state reports results. A lot

depends on the results coming from a lab. It is so very important to know that just because you

are not seeing a face behind the screen, you are still working inpatient care.

Journal 4:

Tuesday, 02/01/2022: Today I worked in compliance. Courtney does a little bit of everything.

Some of what we covered today was updating documents for accounts to sign, examining how

many tests are RPP and Covid because both are very high in price for medicare. I was also able

to begin looking at data for my project. I found out which STD’s & STI’s were most prevalent as

well as how many people are tested for each and the amount of positive results. I even looked

into HIV out of curiosity. I was super surprised to see positive results within the year. In fact, out

of 38 tested, 4 came back positive. It was very interesting to see. Of course, it is important to

note that med-lake has accounts all over the US so these positive results were not in Georgia.
Wednesday, 02/02/2022: Today i was pulled back into accessioning. I was racking which is la-

beling and setting up racks for the techs to then scan. You have to go to accessioning to collect

samples for racks and I went to do so. One of the accessioners said I was giving her anxiety go-

ing so much and that if I wanted them so quick i should sit down and do them. I did not like how

I was spoken to but brushed it off. My supervisors then put me into accessioning to help because

the accessioner told her they needed help. I was very frustrated and plan on talking to my super-

visor about being pulled in so many directions. I have two people that I know I have to listen to,

Mrs. Julie, and Mrs. Lisa. The accessioner should not have control over what I am doing. I hope

that this can be figured out and it does not become an issue. I am learning that in every situation

there is going to be people with bad attitudes and that I have to handle things in a professional

manner.

Thursday, 02/03/2022: Today, I was able to express my concern. I spoke to Julie and she will be

talking it over with Lisa. I felt heard and they let me know that there needs to be more conversa-

tion. I need to report to one person each day instead of 3 pulling me in so many different direc-

tions. I want to succeed in whatever department I am in. I cannot do this if I am pulled from each

department. Today, I was able to work with the lab again. I completed audits and worked with

racking.

Friday, 02/03/2022: Today I worked with customer service because it was an unusually slow

day. I learned how to report positive results without violating HIPPA. I learned how to schedule

appointments for the drive-through.

Overall, I learned this week that not everyone is going to have a positive outlook and may try to

bring others down. I will try my very hardest to be a team player and not one that causes tension

in the workplace.
Journal 5:

Tuesday: 8, February 2022: Today l was pulled back into accessioning. I put in covid

samples this morning because there were so many. Nursing homes test weekly, so accessioners

have to put them in at the beginning of each week. They gave me every sample left and I did

them without help. Accessioners we’re done by 3:00 with everything. I feel as though my situa-

tion has not been figured out which is frustrating. I was able to come back from lunch and be in

the lab. I got to rack samples, audit requisitions, and float around where needed in the lab. I was

happy to be back where I am learning and not just staring at a screen. 

Wednesday: 9, February 2022: Today was a rough day. I heard that accessioners can officially

tell me what to do. The lab manager is not over accessioning because the position is now on its

3rd hire who is my supervisor and HR director. The position is not desired which is why lab

manager would not even take it. There is a split between the lab. People from the front and ac-

cessioning do not like people in the lab. I am stuck in the middle of this “feud”. The lab manager

has explained to me that she will talk more to my supervisor with my consent but I feel like it did

not work the last time. The accessioners laughed at me as I walked away because I went to talk

to my supervisor about moving to the lab side. I explained this to her and she said “because you

should’ve finished your samples”. I really hope this gets better. Because I am “temporary”, I be-

lieve I am not treated fairly. It also does not help that there is a split between the entirety of the

lab and I am a floating position. I even explained that I would like more hands on experience and

it was dismissed because the accessioners wanted me to do their work. I do not have much to say

about what I did today. I put covid samples in the system. Lastly, accessioners left by 2:30 today.
Thursday: 10, February 2022: Today was a much better day. I was able to be in the lab and work

directly with Toxicology. I got to learn about the different tests and the process in which they test

them. It is very interesting. Med-lake actually has a machine that tests the specimens and then if

a sample tests positive there is somewhat of a confirmation machine that is 100% accurate. 

Friday: 11, February 2022: Today I worked on the lab side, but also with billing. I got to shadow

and learn more about tox. I also audited a bill for our send outs. There are specimens we have to

send out if we do not provide the testing needed. 

Journal 6:

February 15, Tuesday 2022: Today I worked in accessioning to help push through the in-

crease of covid samples received. I was also able to work in the lab in hematology. Hematology

is the department that works with our blood samples and diagnoses patients. There are several

tests that I was able to learn about. I also looked over blood results with Mrs. Elaine. She is very

knowledgeable and I felt like I have learned more about blood cells with her than in my

Anatomy classes. 

February 16, Wednesday 2022: Today I worked with accessioning again. I went to the lab

after lunch and finished up my day auditing requisitions. I also saw how send outs work. Send

outs are specimens that require tests we do not complete, or that are too far out of our testing

times. Laboratories have different testing deadlines, so if the specimen exceeds ours, it is sent to

another lab. Med-lake prides itself on a quick turn around time, so results are processed within

24-48 hours regardless of specimen type.

February 17, Thursday 2022: Today, I audited requisitions, worked in the drive through,

and shadowed in lab. The drive through was slammed in the morning because of a bus full of

people needing to get tested before travel. Organization was very important today. We had to en-
sure that everything arrived in its correct place and was tested as soon as possible for the dead-

line of the group. Towards the end of the day, I got to help with a study the lab is conducting to

see if blood samples results change being room temp, refrigerated, and as the days go on. 

February 18, Friday 2022: Today, I worked on a study with the lab. The study’s purpose

is to see how long the blood samples can last, & what temperature is better for storage. It’s basi-

cally for the stability of the sample. I felt like I was a real asset today and learned more than i’ve

learned in a while. Elaine has been a wonderful mentor the past two days. I was also able to look

at a UTI. I was able to see all of the white blood cells and bacteria in the sample. It was a

GREAT week.

Overall, I felt accomplished this week. I was so happy to be included and trusted to work

on the study with the lab. I usually do not love excel, but I found its use and surprisingly learned

about how useful it is.

Journal 7:

Tuesday, February 22, 2022: Today I worked on data entry for the study the lab is con-

ducting. The aim of this study is to better understand stability, and reference ranges of speci-

mens. I also helped audit toxicology requisition’s to ensure that the accessioner does not miss a

test that was sent. This ensures each office receives what they ask for. 

Wednesday February 23, 2022: Today, I worked on data entry again. I finished up and look for-

ward to seeing the results through whatever method they choose to represent the data. I keep sug-

gesting charts because I learn best this way. Daryl mentioned that he will keep me updated as I

helped out so much. I worked on audits and helped accession as well.

Thursday February 24, 2022: Today, I worked on audits to begin my morning. I then went on to

convert SOP’s for management. It was also my job to check and save results sent from other lab-

oratories. I am filling in for an employee who left for a trip today. This means I got my own desk

for the day! 

Friday, February 25, 2022: Today was pretty much just like yesterday.  I started off auditing tox

requisitions. I then moved on to converting SOP’s and checking and saving results from send

outs. There was also additional men added to the study so I had more data entry to complete. 

Journal 8:

Tuesday march 1st: 

Today was a super slow day. I did a lot of organizing after I finished with the toxicology audits. I

filed and organized paperwork that was older. I learned today the importance of keeping docu-

ments. First of all, it ensures that Med-Lake is covered on paper. We do not like to make mis-

takes, but when we do, documents can cover us, or help us understand where the mistake was

made.

Wednesday march 2nd: 

Today, I helped out in accessioning for half the day. I was able to go back to the lab after lunch

time. There was not much to do in the lab but tox audits as they complete most of their work in

the mornings. They run their last test around 2-3, so I didn’t have much time to shadow today. I

was able to audit and help fix codes in the COPIA system. 
Thursday march 3rd: Today I was able to work with the lab. I started off the day auditing requisi-

tions, and moved on to helping out the drive through. Because I was trained with Mrs. Janice, I

am able to take over when she has to leave like today. I am so grateful for the people I have at

Med-Lake. Those who care really do care and want me to reach my full potential. They trust me

and I am so thankful to have them. In the drive through, I tested people for Covid-19 and assisted

the phlebotomist with blood work.

Friday march 4th: Today, I started the day off with audits. It was not busy at all and it didn’t help

that our service was down and we were on a backup internet service. Because of this, I did a lot

of filing and office work. I was able to help out with racking in the lab and shadow as much as I

could in the lab. I also got the results from the study I helped conduct. 

stability study: 

determined that we could run specimens up to 72 vs 42. extend by 24 hours for cbcs. after 72

hours, cells are too degenerated for a manual diff. automated diff still matches. 3 day specimen

would have to be refrigerated for it to be viable.

Journal 9:

Tuesday, March 8th 2022: Today, I began my day working on tox audits per usual. I was able to

help out on another stability study. This one is a chemistry study to see if the results out of the

chem department can be extended extra days. I am acting as the data analyst and entering all re-

sults printed. I enter results for hormones, thyroids, and a mix of other results. These results were

ran for 3 consecutive days. 

Wednesday, March 9th 2022: Today, I started on Tox audits again. Less mistakes are being

made, knock on wood, which is great for medlake. The last thing we want to do is report results

to the wrong client, or input wrong demographics. I continued on the study today, and should

complete it by tomorrow. 

Thursday, March 10th 2022: Today, I did tox audits to start. I then moved over to the study

where we completed it around 1 o’clock. I was able to assist the lab in any other help they

needed including filing, and racking.

Friday, March 11th 2022: Today, I started on tox audits. I then was called into billing where I au-

dited insurance information. I had to search to see whether the insurance provided was active or

inactive. I also had to make sure the insurance was put in correctly in our system, COPIA. 

Journal 10:

Tuesday March 15th 2022: Today, I checked insurance activity and to ensure it was entered cor-

rectly into the system. This is to help billing when they bill clients and patients. I finished the day

with tox audits. I had a good talk with the owner, Randy, about how he could make my experi-

ence more beneficial. 

Wednesday March 16th 2022: Today I was able to work in the lab! I love days like these. I

worked in PCR and a little in Tox. I worked closely with the machinery. The machine I worked

with tested oxident history and Truu SD. It is able to find if oxidants such as ammonia, bleach, or

water are added to the sample to alter results. It also is able to look for a specific protein that is

present in human samples. I’d this protein is heated and cooled multiple times, this protein will

degrade making the sample not valid. For example, if a patient smokes marijuana and uses an-

other persons sample, this machine is able to detect an invalid sample. I was also able to work

with elaine as well. Each department is required to complete proficiency testing. A new person

must complete the tests to prove the entirety of medlake is running samples effectively. A kit is

sent to each department, hematology, toxicology, and PCR

Thursday March 17th 2022: Today, I began the day working on tox audits. I then moved onto

racking as well. I helped assist in ensuring the data entered for the study was entered correctly so

that results are correct and changes can be made based on them. 

Friday March 18th 2022: Today I worked on Audits a lot of the day. We had a lot of tox come in

so I had to cover those. I wanted to make sure julie came back and did not have those to do on

Monday so I checked at the end of my shift and completed all of them.

Journal 11:
Tuesday, March 22, 2022: Today, I started the day working with tox audits. I organized them and

filed them away. I also had the chance to rack some molecular samples as well. 

Wednesday, March 23, 2022: Today, I learned that I will be filling in for a billing position until

they can get a new hire. I feel like they are using me for cheap labor. I audit insurance and go on

several insurance websites to ensure the insurance is active. Once I caught up with insurance, I

was able to go to lab. I organized a binder so that molecular could be more organized. Stephanie

also let me shadow a little. 

Thursday, March 24, 2022: Today, I worked on insurance audits until around 3. I finished that up

and then reported to lab. Lab runs their final tests around 3:00-3:15, so there wasn’t much to see.

I finished out the day with some left over tox audits.

Friday, March 25, 2022: Today, I worked on insurance audits until around 1. I reported to lab

and helped with blood send outs. 

Journal 12:

Tuesday March 29 2022: Today was another day full of auditing. I began the day working on tox

audits because of how behind accessioning got this weekend. I then moved onto auditing insur-

ance. 
Wednesday March 30 2022: Today, I was in insurance again. Until there is a new hire, I will be

there. 

Thursday March 31 2022: I audited insurance today. I finished a little bit early and audited tox

reqs. I then moved onto organizing the filing cabinet. 

Friday April 1 2022: I audited insurance today. When I finished up, I was able to help out in the

lab, but sadly they did not have much for me to see by the time I got back there.

Journal 13:

Tuesday April 5: I started the day working on insurance audits. I moved onto the laboratory and

helped with toxicology audits. I then helped unpack some shipments we had in. I organized the

freezer with the reagents. We also had a tornado warning and the power in the laboratory went

out.

Wednesday April 6: I worked on insurance audits to start the day. I bounced back and forth be-

tween lab and insurance.

Thursday April 7: I worked on insurance audits to start the day. I bounced back and forth be-

tween lab and insurance. I showed my supervisor my posters and she loved them. I posted them

on campus after work.

Friday April 8: Christina helped clean up my resume because she hired people many years. She

made sure I was not selling myself short on what I have done at med-lake. I feel it looks so much

better. I, of course, worked on insurance audits, and toxicology audits as well.

Journal 14:
Monday April 12, 2022: Today, I started off in insurance where I completed audits. I bounce

back and forth throughout the day so all the insurance audits are completed by the time I leave.

This way I can spend more time in the lab where I enjoy. 

Tuesday April 13, 2022: Today, I started off in insurance where I completed audits. I helped out

with toxicology audits as well.

Wednesday April 14, 2022: Today, I started off in insurance where I completed audits. I worked

on tox audits and then shadowed a little in toxicology. 

Thursday April 15, 2022: Today, I started off in insurance where I completed audits. I helped

with tox audits and organized a cabinet. Today was super slow because many people took today

off for the holiday. 

Journal 15:

Tuesday April 19 2022: Today, I started off in billing where I completed insurance audits. I

moved onto toxicology audits as well. I bounce back and forth throughout the day as the position

is still not filled.

Wednesday April 20 2022: I was in billing to begin the day and went back and forth between the

lab and insurance billing. I was able to help the lab manager with more audits from a bill sent

from a hospital. This ensures that we are not being charged for tests we did not complete.

Thursday April 21 2022: I was in billing again today. Then completed some toxicology audits.

Friday April 22 2022: I started off as I normally do, completing audits which consumes most of

my day. I was able to discuss interview techniques with head of compliance as I am traveling to

one next week. She made sure that I will look at benefits with extreme importance. She also ex-

plained that the job I apply for has to work for me as much as I work for them. This way I am not

afraid to ask important questions. I feel more confident going into the interview process.