Team Peak Performers: Core Laboratory Team

The Core Laboratory staff are described as the “core”, the “heart”, the “center” of the laboratory. This team serves the highest number of patients, whether it is inpatient or outpatient testing. The Core Lab staff provides testing for chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, sweat chloride testing and other specialty testing. The team is a 24/7 operation performing >35K tests per month with >15 different instruments. These instruments vary in size and complexity ranging from floor models, the size of a large ATV or something the size of a 1980s PC. For each of these instruments, staff must maintain competency for not only test performance, but also become a bit of a mechanic to troubleshoot instrument errors and issues. 

They are a “jack of all trades” for ensuring patient testing is not impacted. The team assists the Specimen Center with staffing challenges for throughput on specimen receiving and processing tasks. They help with phone call management for how to’s and general questions. They can be found providing coverage after hours and on weekends for the referral and research departments ensuring specimen integrity and send outs are handled appropriately. They are expected to have expedited turnaround times for ED patients, provide ongoing surgery support, capture and identify immature and abnormal cells in differentials, and quickly help to diagnose leukemic, neutropenic, and thrombocytopenic patients. They work with physicians in every specialty, provide education to medical laboratory scientists students, nursing residents, and any other staff interested in learning more about clinical lab science. The team is always eager to share knowledge to others. Experience the Mission is a highlight for them to really inform the participants about routine and critical/chronic monitoring and findings performed.

Staff can spot organisms like malaria or amoebas through their daily testing routine. They are “eagle eyes” at the forefront. The team has reacted to not only the pandemic response with continued testing and staffing support for the COVID drive-thru, but also to routine patient care practices for improved outcomes related to sepsis, diabetic management, and research patients to name a few. The core lab team is critical to Cook Children’s overall clinical practices and as such are key players in our Promise.