Daily Prompt – March 26, 2026

For my current job in Quality Assurance, technology has allowed for virtual audits and meetings. It means electronic documentation of corrective action. It improves workflows by allowing multiple people to work on a document at the same time. Technology allows us to streamline processes and improve communication.

Going deeper, in my career as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, technology isn’t stealing our jobs or replacing us, as some like to insinuate. No, it’s making the job easier which in a world of short staffing and increasing demands plus evolving tests thats a good thing. This isn’t just in the clinical lab either, while I never worked in the anatomical pathology areas, in my current job I get more exposure to them and the technological advances are amazing. Digital pathology is astounding and will improve turnaround times and patient outcomes.

This is the thing about most technology, it’s a tool. Tools require operators. Does it change the job, sure. But the job ultimately becomes better. Sure theres lots of automation thats come with the technology but we have safe guards in place to make sure that the results that need it are reviewed by trained eyes. Technology allows the techs on the bench to focus on the patients that need the most while the instruments do the work for the ones that need the least.

I have seen technology help us detect abnormal results faster and better. Yes, we still need humans to validate things and ensure that the technology is performing as expected and anticipated but there are certain things that technology does better and more consistently. Reading color for example. A machine will read the color of ph paper the same every time but if you as a tech to read it there will be variability. Not only between different techs but even from that same tech, it’s just how our eyes work.

Is this going to be the same in every field? Not necessarily but I stand by the fact that technology is a tool and tools still require operators. Even in the most automated environments, you need people to watch, repair, and safeguard.