Jordyn says:
Labs specialize just like doctors do-- in a sense. All labs can't do all things. Even a hospital based medical lab doesn't test for ALL medical diseases. Some, very specialized tests, can and do go to big research centers (like the Mayo clinic.)
It just isn't financially reasonable for each lab to do all types of testing. For instance, a hospital based lab isn't going to do forensics testing. In fact, I've not been part of a hospital that did paternity testing. If even collected, these would be referred to a lab that specialized in DNA testing.
DNA testing can be very expensive so it's not cost effective for many hospitals. As far as the forensic aspect of DNA, there are lots of standards that have to be met for a lab to perform this testing, including maintaining a chain of custody on all evidence. Also, the requirements for a DNA analyst are a little different from those of a clinical lab tech. I can say that because I've done both. :-)
ReplyDeleteAmory-- thanks so much for the additional insight. I appreciate your expertise!
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