Medical Laboratory Professionals Week is taking place this year from  22^nd– 28^th April 2018. This is an annual celebration of professionals working in the laboratory, highlighting and recognising their contributions to medicine and healthcare.

To celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week the RX series interviewed Aidan Murphy, one of our laboratory analysts at Randox to find out more about what his job in the lab entails day-to-day. Aidan works with the RX series of clinical chemistry analysers and Randox QC on a daily basis.

We asked Aidan a few questions about his life as a scientist. See what he gets up to in Randox on a daily basis … 

1. What attracted you to a career in laboratory science?

Science has always interested me in both my academic and personal life, I always aspired to get a science based degree and after achieving this I now hope to improve my laboratory skills to increase my employability.

2. What were your stronger subjects at school?

My strongest subjects in school were biology, chemistry, music and politics. Some of which are more applicable to my current role than others.

3. What does your job in Randox entail?

My job entails a variety of roles ranging from testing Randox diagnostic kits before they’re released to customers as well as maintenance and precision checks of the machines in our lab.

4. What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

The independence in my job is great. Knowing what I have to do at the start of each week and the deadlines to do these jobs requires me to organise and prioritise my work accordingly.

5. What are some common preconceived ideas the public have about what laboratory staff do?

From my friends’ ideas of what I do in the lab I have found that a stereotypical image of a lab is one of a dark quiet lab full of strange equipment and even stranger people. However fortunately my lab is a lively one and thankfully with normal people.

6. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of laboratory work?

Following correct protocols and procedures are imperative in an efficient laboratory. As well as this, good lab practice and good hygiene can have a massive effect on the accuracy of our results.

7. What’s in your lab coat pocket?

My lab coat pockets are quite boring. I have a pair of safety goggles, some post-its and some pens and markers.

8. In what ways does your work make a difference to people’s lives?

Randox is dedicated to improving the quality of diagnostics globally, so knowing that the kits that I have tested are then sent to customers to be used in patient diagnosis gives me a level of job satisfaction that I haven’t got from previous jobs.

Aidan is a fundamental member of the Randox team and plays an essential role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease through his work. Without our valuable laboratory team working extremely hard behind the scenes the lifesaving work we do here at Randox would not be possible.

To find out more about Randox products contact us at theRXseries@randox.com.

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