My First Month as a Lab Assistant
Almost a full month has passed since I started working as a laboratory assistant in a medical-oriented lab! In the past 30 days, I have learned a boundless amount of protocols and procedures while also making a substantial amount of “learning moment” mistakes. In this post, I will recap the top five takeaways from my new job.
Mistakes Will Happen
I would be remiss not to start off this list by saying that mistakes will happen when you are learning anything new, and this especially applies to lab experience. I have made my fair share of mistakes over the past four weeks, but they have only proven to solidify the information in my head. While I have tried my best to avoid making blatant mistakes, they have happened and it wasn’t the end of the world. Given the nature of my job, frequent errors are expected.Thankfully, my boss and coworkers are eager to point me in the right direction and correct me with kindness.
2. Get to Know Your Coworkers
The second thing I have learned from this job is that having strong working relationships with your coworkers is a must! Completing eight hour shifts would be impossible without the teamwork present in my workplace. Ideas and questions are constantly being bounced off of one another and everyone is willing to drop what they are doing to help if needed. I have been able to find commonalities between my coworkers and have formed friendships that make the day fly by as a result.
3. Ask Away!
Asking questions goes in tandem with making mistakes and can oftentimes prevent them from happening in the first place. I have learned that my coworkers would prefer me to ask a question and arrive at the correct result rather than to make an assumption and create a larger problem down the line. In fact, my coworkers do not mind frequent questions in the slightest, and some have even said that they really enjoy answering questions and teaching me how to do things the right way. As a result, I have been more confident in voicing my uncertainty.
4. Have Mindful Weekend Plans
Transitioning from the schedule of a student to that of a career person has shown me I have to utilize my free time wisely. When you spend eight hours of your day at work, there is not much free time to spend without purpose. I have found that the days I am most happy are directly related to me planning out my time. I wake up an hour earlier than I would on the weekdays to ensure that I have a peaceful, slow morning, and I make plans early in the day so that I can fit in time with friends and family in the evening (COVID-friendly interactions, of course). I do not want to feel like I have zero time for myself because of my work commitment!
5. Maintain a Healthy Work Balance
Lastly, I have learned that taking breaks is a must. I try and plan out my breaks so that every two or so hours I have some time to relax. I have also found that starting conversations with coworkers or looking out the window and enjoying the view is equally alright to do (in moderation) while I am working on a task. The machine-efficiency mentality is not realistic as a human worker, and you are allowed to progress through your work at an appropriate pace!
I am eager to see what I learn in the upcoming month and to review my progression as a lab assistant on Rooted In STEM. Stay tuned for my next update!
