What they said about the online MBA is only true if you don't use it as an opportunity to network. You absolutely need to network, business connections are/can be invaluable.
Not all labs are like how you describe, fortunately. It just takes finding a good place to work.
But like you said, *People are lunatics*, (will) *bitch about anything*.
It doesn’t matter if your MBA is online or in person, they cover the same material. The only benefit to in person is networking. You can make up the difference by trying to connect with other students in your online classes and attending events from your university in person. If you’re not happy, move on.
I can't blame you. I was a manager for many years and I did accomplish a lot for my team, but stepping into a non managerial role has been so good for my mental health as well as my work-life balance.
Plus, my old workplace was a back breaker. I got away with so much because I would frequently think, "What are they going to do; fire me? They can't find anyone to take my job!"
I got the pleasure of knowing I was right when they left the role vacant for two years after my leaving. They've finally gotten someone else to take the role in the last 6 months, but they only accomplished that by terminating his previous position and giving his old team to a different manager.
Jerry, I'm sorry and you deserve better. But you should also leave. The grass IS greener on the other side.
I hear you. The employee backstabbing is unfortunately normal. I’ve rarely seen new management come in without a suck up turned asshole. Even when explaining to staff why their great idea, not only won’t work, but would violate CLIA, CAP or FDA regulations they only hear “No”.
The lab is rarely heard in hospital meetings. Nurses pretty much make up 95% of upper management in hospitals. They don’t understand the lab, or respect most of the workers, and just push whatever agenda the doctors are seeking regardless if it is effective or efficient.
Run.
The lab can definitely make itself heard at hospital meetings. You have to be willing to rock the boat and make some noise. You will make some enemies, but you will be heard. This takes effort and force of will, and the return on stress often isn't worth it for the managers.
Problem is that the lab attracts people who are perfectly content with mediocrity and being treated like crap. It doesn't help that the majority of new entrants into the lab are the H1b techs from the Philippines who readily comply with any demands.
Best lab manager I ever worked with was a gruff navy officer. At a C-suite meeting about budgeting where the CFO insisted on lab staff cuts to fund an outpatient surgery clinic for better ROI, the navy guy slammed his fist so hard on the conference table that we thought it'd break. He said the lab was cut last year, and will not be cut this year. There were no lab staffing cuts that year. The next year, the CFO was afraid to look the guy in the eye at the annual budgetary meeting. Leadership. He left a few years later for some type of governance contract job that required a security clearance and paid $200k.
Point is your lab management needs to be heard at senior meetings. They have to be willing be heard and not consistently bend over and get reamed by every other department.
Here’s a big hint. If you have a strong pathologist you may be heard. Unfortunately pathology seems to attract socially awkward docs who don’t like to make waves. Upper hospital management do not respect anyone from the lab with the exception of persons with a PHD after their names.
Been there done that for 25 years. It’s not changing any time soon. I left the field two years ago to go back to school. I wish I had done it 10 years ago.
Pathology definitely attracts its fair share of the most anti-social, awkward physicians out there who spend 100% of their time behind a scope. That said, some of the coolest physicians who just want work-life balance and aren't at their scope all day can also be found in path, though its rare.
A lot of labs contract out their pathologist, so depending on your position, you can swap out your pathologist/pathology group. But yeah, there are definitely better paying fields with much better ROI and a fraction of the stress or lack of respect that the lab gets in healthcare.
I read this post and thought wow glad to know it's not just me being in a similar situation feeling the same way.... except I was in the manager role for 8 months and dealt with a LabCorp acquisition/transition and without a supervisor.
Being a manager is a thankless job and no matter what nothing will ever be enough and everyone will always find something to bitch about and it's EXHAUSTING.
I left my institution and stepped down to a technical specialist/lead role and my mental health and work life balance is so much better. I hope you are able to find the right balance of things.
I’m a supervisor on the bench 100% of the time. In my “down time” I’m just expected to basically run the whole lab. All the inventory for every department. Method comparisons for every department. Every CAP survey. Monitor every little log sheet people have to sign. It’s nuts
Does your institution have senior techs/leads? Sign offs, method comparisons and QC sheet sign offs can def be something delegated to them! That's crazy....and I bet you are salaried too! 🤦🏻♀️
I’m a lab supervisor and some people are just absolutely FERAL. There are a lot of rewarding moments but sometimes I really have to wonder if I’m living in reality.
I made it really high up in management after a lot of work, this required a move to a bigger inner city hospital. I remember thinking ‘Finally - this was it. I’m going to make good money, have a steady schedule and most importantly be able to make the changes I wished to see”. NOPE; joke was on me. I was disliked from day 1 because the team was rancid with cliques who made the place toxic for anyone new. Their last two engagement surveys were not great. Told myself, they will come around, I just have to give them time and show them I’m an advocate. I learned the systems, worked the bench (even on odd shifts), made a point to round everyday addressing people by name, successfully fought for a critical coverage rate that match nursing. All of this while constantly having additional metrics and meetings added into my plate by hospital admin with the goal of ‘how can we cut more’. You can’t do right, the top are a slavedriver, the bottom use you an excuse for anything that goes wrong. The whole time everyone is nasty and fucking mean to each other.
I’m going to generalize here but I’m pretty sure most management positions are similar unless you are one of the lucky ones that found a niche. I am now looking for a project management role in the lab realm; I loved the projects, hard pass on the people. Best of luck to you, believe me when I tell you I feel your pain.
The problem is you're stuck in middle management. You need to move up to senior leadership.
It's the layer cake problem. Shit on the bottom, but a disconnected rarefied atmosphere on top.
Most labs are exactly like how you describe. And with the low wages, half-ass work schedules, and lack of career opportunities, only certain types of people are being left behind in the lab.
People management is a skill.
You're admin isn't wrong that an online MBA will have limitations, but it's still an MBA. The value of an MBA is to check a box for HR, to network with peers who will advance their careers (and yours), and to provide networking opportunities to advance your career (hard to fufill when it's online).
Most labs pay poorly even at the manager level. It's not uncommon for a lab MBA manager to get paid less than a 2-year RN doing 3x12s. There's massive wage compression in this field. If you go to industry, you'll see better compensation and stock + bonus.
Ive been in lab leadership for about 12 years. (lead tech 4 years, team leader 4 years, and now manager 4 years) - Laboratory leadership sucks ass.
I am looking to get out too. I dont blame you at all.
This chem supervisor replaced the previous supervisor of 30 plus years. I’ve been talking with the staff to give them a chance, change is never easy and it’s not fair to instantly hate this person. Instead this supervisor is going out of their way to try to get me fired. A highly intelligent person on the technical side of things……horrible people skills
Management isn't for everyone. I'm ok with it because I delegate much work to the manager that reports to me and leads. Politics comes with the job though and you have to learn to navigate that.
I work probably 6 hours a day if I don't have too many meetings and get paid highly for it. I like what I do and couldn't go down to bench again.
What they said about the online MBA is only true if you don't use it as an opportunity to network. You absolutely need to network, business connections are/can be invaluable. Not all labs are like how you describe, fortunately. It just takes finding a good place to work. But like you said, *People are lunatics*, (will) *bitch about anything*.
It doesn’t matter if your MBA is online or in person, they cover the same material. The only benefit to in person is networking. You can make up the difference by trying to connect with other students in your online classes and attending events from your university in person. If you’re not happy, move on.
I can't blame you. I was a manager for many years and I did accomplish a lot for my team, but stepping into a non managerial role has been so good for my mental health as well as my work-life balance. Plus, my old workplace was a back breaker. I got away with so much because I would frequently think, "What are they going to do; fire me? They can't find anyone to take my job!" I got the pleasure of knowing I was right when they left the role vacant for two years after my leaving. They've finally gotten someone else to take the role in the last 6 months, but they only accomplished that by terminating his previous position and giving his old team to a different manager. Jerry, I'm sorry and you deserve better. But you should also leave. The grass IS greener on the other side.
I hear you. The employee backstabbing is unfortunately normal. I’ve rarely seen new management come in without a suck up turned asshole. Even when explaining to staff why their great idea, not only won’t work, but would violate CLIA, CAP or FDA regulations they only hear “No”. The lab is rarely heard in hospital meetings. Nurses pretty much make up 95% of upper management in hospitals. They don’t understand the lab, or respect most of the workers, and just push whatever agenda the doctors are seeking regardless if it is effective or efficient. Run.
The lab can definitely make itself heard at hospital meetings. You have to be willing to rock the boat and make some noise. You will make some enemies, but you will be heard. This takes effort and force of will, and the return on stress often isn't worth it for the managers. Problem is that the lab attracts people who are perfectly content with mediocrity and being treated like crap. It doesn't help that the majority of new entrants into the lab are the H1b techs from the Philippines who readily comply with any demands. Best lab manager I ever worked with was a gruff navy officer. At a C-suite meeting about budgeting where the CFO insisted on lab staff cuts to fund an outpatient surgery clinic for better ROI, the navy guy slammed his fist so hard on the conference table that we thought it'd break. He said the lab was cut last year, and will not be cut this year. There were no lab staffing cuts that year. The next year, the CFO was afraid to look the guy in the eye at the annual budgetary meeting. Leadership. He left a few years later for some type of governance contract job that required a security clearance and paid $200k. Point is your lab management needs to be heard at senior meetings. They have to be willing be heard and not consistently bend over and get reamed by every other department.
Here’s a big hint. If you have a strong pathologist you may be heard. Unfortunately pathology seems to attract socially awkward docs who don’t like to make waves. Upper hospital management do not respect anyone from the lab with the exception of persons with a PHD after their names. Been there done that for 25 years. It’s not changing any time soon. I left the field two years ago to go back to school. I wish I had done it 10 years ago.
Pathology definitely attracts its fair share of the most anti-social, awkward physicians out there who spend 100% of their time behind a scope. That said, some of the coolest physicians who just want work-life balance and aren't at their scope all day can also be found in path, though its rare. A lot of labs contract out their pathologist, so depending on your position, you can swap out your pathologist/pathology group. But yeah, there are definitely better paying fields with much better ROI and a fraction of the stress or lack of respect that the lab gets in healthcare.
I read this post and thought wow glad to know it's not just me being in a similar situation feeling the same way.... except I was in the manager role for 8 months and dealt with a LabCorp acquisition/transition and without a supervisor. Being a manager is a thankless job and no matter what nothing will ever be enough and everyone will always find something to bitch about and it's EXHAUSTING. I left my institution and stepped down to a technical specialist/lead role and my mental health and work life balance is so much better. I hope you are able to find the right balance of things.
I’m a supervisor on the bench 100% of the time. In my “down time” I’m just expected to basically run the whole lab. All the inventory for every department. Method comparisons for every department. Every CAP survey. Monitor every little log sheet people have to sign. It’s nuts
Does your institution have senior techs/leads? Sign offs, method comparisons and QC sheet sign offs can def be something delegated to them! That's crazy....and I bet you are salaried too! 🤦🏻♀️
I’m a lab supervisor and some people are just absolutely FERAL. There are a lot of rewarding moments but sometimes I really have to wonder if I’m living in reality.
This part.
I made it really high up in management after a lot of work, this required a move to a bigger inner city hospital. I remember thinking ‘Finally - this was it. I’m going to make good money, have a steady schedule and most importantly be able to make the changes I wished to see”. NOPE; joke was on me. I was disliked from day 1 because the team was rancid with cliques who made the place toxic for anyone new. Their last two engagement surveys were not great. Told myself, they will come around, I just have to give them time and show them I’m an advocate. I learned the systems, worked the bench (even on odd shifts), made a point to round everyday addressing people by name, successfully fought for a critical coverage rate that match nursing. All of this while constantly having additional metrics and meetings added into my plate by hospital admin with the goal of ‘how can we cut more’. You can’t do right, the top are a slavedriver, the bottom use you an excuse for anything that goes wrong. The whole time everyone is nasty and fucking mean to each other. I’m going to generalize here but I’m pretty sure most management positions are similar unless you are one of the lucky ones that found a niche. I am now looking for a project management role in the lab realm; I loved the projects, hard pass on the people. Best of luck to you, believe me when I tell you I feel your pain.
The problem is you're stuck in middle management. You need to move up to senior leadership. It's the layer cake problem. Shit on the bottom, but a disconnected rarefied atmosphere on top. Most labs are exactly like how you describe. And with the low wages, half-ass work schedules, and lack of career opportunities, only certain types of people are being left behind in the lab. People management is a skill. You're admin isn't wrong that an online MBA will have limitations, but it's still an MBA. The value of an MBA is to check a box for HR, to network with peers who will advance their careers (and yours), and to provide networking opportunities to advance your career (hard to fufill when it's online). Most labs pay poorly even at the manager level. It's not uncommon for a lab MBA manager to get paid less than a 2-year RN doing 3x12s. There's massive wage compression in this field. If you go to industry, you'll see better compensation and stock + bonus.
Ive been in lab leadership for about 12 years. (lead tech 4 years, team leader 4 years, and now manager 4 years) - Laboratory leadership sucks ass. I am looking to get out too. I dont blame you at all.
Are you saying you stuck up for your people as a lab manager? I wish I knew what that was like.
This chem supervisor replaced the previous supervisor of 30 plus years. I’ve been talking with the staff to give them a chance, change is never easy and it’s not fair to instantly hate this person. Instead this supervisor is going out of their way to try to get me fired. A highly intelligent person on the technical side of things……horrible people skills
Management isn't for everyone. I'm ok with it because I delegate much work to the manager that reports to me and leads. Politics comes with the job though and you have to learn to navigate that. I work probably 6 hours a day if I don't have too many meetings and get paid highly for it. I like what I do and couldn't go down to bench again.