Joshua Young Nuclear Laboratory

2008-88501

In contrast to the previous tour in the Department of Laboratories, the more recent visit to the Nuclear Laboratory of the Philippine General Hospital afforded PH 166 students more opportunity to delve into the laboratory procedures occurring in PGH. We were able to visit two out of three portions of the Nuclear Lab where diagnostic imaging and radiological assays were conducted. The separate pharmacy for the Nuclear Lab was not part of our itinerary, as professors judged it to be potentially hazardous to students without appropriate equipment. In the former, an advanced machine for diagnosis of abnormalities in the human body was presented. The laboratory technician described it as similar to the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine, except that the principles it operated upon were different. In the machine being used in PGH, the radiation is emitted from the patient, not the machine. This is done by an injection of the radioactive element technetium a few hours prior. The diagnostic imaging technician was most helpful in answering the questions of the class, and in discussing the appropriate safety precautions to be exercised in such a department. However, as the tour was about to end, we noticed that there was much extra room for other machines in the laboratory. Perhaps there were originally more diagnostic equipment that was allocated to PGH, but funding was reduced. In any case, it would be beneficial to maximize the use of this space, perhaps through requesting the addition of another machine, perhaps for other scanning purposes such as thyroid scan or similar diagnostic procedures. Moving on to the radiological assay portion of the laboratory, the laboratory technician explained the nature of the work being performed in this section of the laboratory. Radioimmunoassays and similar runs were being performed here, with samples originating from abroad even. According to the technician, this required a radioactive isotope with a longer half life. This impressed the students because we were unaware that PGH would figure so prominently in health care as to have immunological samples sent from across Asia for assaying. Furthermore, the technician explained that the job was more complicated than its original presentation, as not all of the values displayed by the computer would be accurate. Overall, the trip to the Nuclear Laboratory was a positive experience. The trip revealed to us students the advances in nuclear medicine and the influences of various innovators in the field. Im sure the niche of nuclear medicine would not have been made successful without the help of numerous engineers, doctors, and other professionals. We have them to thank for what we have today, and we must further apply pressure on the government to increase funding for health and PGH.

Joshua Young Department of Laboratory

2008-88501

Our first tour of PGH under PH 166 was to the Department of Laboratory in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the Laboratory portion of the Out-Patient Department, also of PGH. Both laboratory facilities toured has similar purposes, that is, of blood analysis through use of advanced equipment. Even though the conditions of the tour were not optimal for learning, especially as the tour group was a bit large, and the technicians giving the details of the workplace were not able to project their voice and sustain the interest of the students, we still learned much about these laboratories. Of course, there was the now obvious fact that the Philippine General Hospital possessed an inordinately large amount of influence on diagnostic tests not only in the Philippines but also to neighboring countries. This was because blood samples were being brought from nearby nations and from provinces across the Philippines for blood analysis. We also realized the extent of technology in influencing the fields of Medical Technology and Public Health. This was because nowadays, most of the work of analysis is already performed by the computer attached to the analyzer machines, with advanced logarithms and software taking the place of manual computation, which reduces the time of the worker spent on that specific task. Furthermore the tour increased our views on public health as we were exposed to various work opportunities in PGH. We realized that even though we were already in our fourth year, there was still so much of public health that we still have not touched on and did not understand. The tour was very informative and widened our job horizons, allowing us more options after graduation. Overall, the tour was definitely part and parcel of the course PH 166. I would like to further recommend the laboratory technicians giving the tour use microphones to capture the attention of students and that more of such tours be conducted, especially in other courses.