What Was It Like Working in a Canadian Hospital Lab During COVID-19?

With recent discussions about a COVID-19 resurgence, I started thinking back to the time when COVID-19 was at its peak.

I experienced the pandemic firsthand while working as a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) in a hospital. Looking back, it was a time when the entire way we worked in the laboratory changed.

Things that we used to do routinely before COVID-19 suddenly came with new rules and precautions, and the atmosphere in the hospital laboratory changed significantly.

🧪 Even Opening a Blood Tube Became Different

One of the biggest changes I remember was how we handled specimens.

Before COVID-19, we could open a regular blood collection tube at the bench without much concern, and we generally didn't wear masks while doing so.

But once COVID-19 started, opening specimens that could potentially be infectious became a much more controlled process. We began opening them inside a Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) to minimize the risk of exposure.

Tasks that we had done so routinely that we barely thought about them suddenly required an extra level of awareness.

“Where should I open this specimen?”

“What PPE do I need to wear?”

Those became questions we had to ask ourselves before handling certain specimens.

😷 Wearing a Mask at the Hospital Became the New Normal

Before COVID-19, even though we worked in a hospital, we rarely wore masks during our regular shifts.

But once the pandemic began, masking became mandatory throughout the hospital, and wearing a mask for roughly 10 hours from the moment we arrived at work until we left became part of our everyday routine.

After doing this for so long, it eventually became completely normal.

Now, whenever I hear about a COVID-19 resurgence, I naturally think back to those days of working long shifts with a mask on.

💉 COVID-19 Vaccination Became Mandatory

Another major change was COVID-19 vaccination.

For healthcare workers and hospital employees, COVID-19 vaccination became a mandatory workplace requirement. As MLTs, we also had to follow the new vaccination policies that were introduced.

Before the pandemic, it was unusual to experience an infectious disease directly affecting workplace requirements and the daily working environment on such a large scale. This was another major change brought about by COVID-19.

🧬 The Volume of COVID PCR Testing Exploded

From an MLT's perspective, one of the biggest impacts of COVID-19 was the massive increase in PCR testing.

As huge numbers of COVID swab specimens started coming into hospitals, the workload in Microbiology increased dramatically.

There were so many specimens coming in every day that the existing staff could not handle the workload on their own. As a result, many MLTs were hired in Microbiology specifically to help with the growing demand for COVID-19 PCR testing.

Before the pandemic, it was hard to imagine processing respiratory swab specimens on such a massive scale. But during COVID-19, PCR testing became one of the major components of laboratory medicine.

🔬 What COVID-19 Left Behind for Medical Laboratory Technologists

Looking back, COVID-19 was more than just the emergence of a new infectious disease.

It changed the way Medical Laboratory Technologists worked.

From specimen handling and the use of Biosafety Cabinets to PPE, mandatory masking, vaccination requirements, the massive increase in PCR testing, and even the hiring of additional laboratory staff—so many aspects of laboratory work changed.

And now, with recent discussions about another COVID-19 resurgence, I find myself thinking back to that time.

Back then, we were constantly adapting to changing guidelines while dealing with an overwhelming number of specimens. But looking back, it was also a unique experience that allowed me to see firsthand how an infectious disease outbreak can rapidly change the healthcare system and the way a laboratory operates.

When an infectious disease starts spreading, the laboratory is often one of the first places in a hospital to get extremely busy.

Most people naturally think of doctors and nurses when they hear the term frontline workers. But behind the scenes, there are also countless Medical Laboratory Technologists processing the specimens that help diagnose and monitor patients.

We may not always be the most visible part of the healthcare team, but during a pandemic, the laboratory becomes an essential part of the frontline response.

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