Laboratory Services
Laboratory
SWMC’s Laboratory is staffed by personnel certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and American Medical Technology (AMT). The Lab is divided into five special sections, each of which deals with a different area of laboratory science: Chemistry, Hematology, Blood Bank and Microbiology. Laboratory technology and equipment at SWMC are constantly changing as new advances are made in the science of Medical Technology.
The Laboratory Department is comprised of technologists, technicians, and phlebotomists which operate a variety of high tech, state of the art equipment. At Southwestern Medical Center, every tech masters all components in each department of the Lab. This allows our Laboratory great flexibility.
Laboratory Services are provided at Southwestern Medical Center to conduct tests on clinical specimens from patients. The laboratory gets important information from these tests to help the physician diagnose, treat and prevent diseases.
Most specimens tested are blood, urine and tissue, but you’d be surprised to know that tests could be performed on hair, fingernails and even sweat (Propecia Online).
Lab Technicians, Technologists and Pathologists all work together to arrange for testing, including cross matching units of blood to arrange for blood transfusions, cultures, cardiac enzymes, drug monitoring, coagulation testing, blood counts, electrolytes, and chemistry assays.
Sometimes, your physician may request a test be performed that may require fasting. Certain tests are very sensitive to changes that occur after a meal, and can only be interpreted by comparing results in a fasting state. That fasting is determined by the type of test to be done. For instance, triglycerides or a lipid profile require 12 hours of fasting, but blood sugar can be tested after a six hour fast.
With a commitment to quality and accuracy, Southwestern Medical Center’s lab is surveyed by College of American Pathologist (CAP) and all inspections are done with an eye toward assuring the lab offers the highest possible quality of patient testing.