I currently run CBCs, chem panels, and cytology preps on a ProCyte Dx and Catalyst One during a 3–11 pm clinic shift, averaging about 45 samples per night. For those who’ve moved to IDEXX/Antech or university reference labs, did your day skew more toward accessioning and batch analysis than hands-on bench troubleshooting, and how did pay, shift structure, and QA load (controls, calibrations, delta checks) compare?
When I jumped to an IDEXX ref lab from a 3–11 bench, it was “less cowboy, more air-traffic control”: mostly accessioning and batch runs; pay bumped about 10%, nights were 4x10s, and QC got heavier with Westgard/Levey–Jennings reviews start, mid, and end. Tip: get comfortable with middleware rules and tight documentation; if you miss hands-on troubleshooting, a university core lab gave me more bench time than corporate.
I moved from a busy 3–11 clinic bench to Antech nights; got about 12% plus $1.75/hr diff, 4x10s, and most bench troubleshooting happened after the 9–10 pm accessioning rush. @m_lawson89 nailed the feel, and my one tip: ask to shadow during their QC window and see who owns controls/Levey-Jennings — that tells you exactly how much hands-on vs air-traffic you’ll have. If you really want more troubleshooting, the university core I tried gave more bench time but a slightly lower base.