Our Services / In-office Lab

What is an in-office lab?

At Children’s Medical Clinic, the in-office lab is an on-site facility with a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) waiver. That means Dr. St. Etienne can perform straightforward laboratory exams and procedures without outsourcing to a special diagnostics facility.

Even if they seem healthy, your child should undergo lab testing regularly because many chronic medical conditions don’t present obvious symptoms. Routine blood work can alert you early on when they’re easiest to treat.

What services does the in-office lab provide?

Dr. St. Etienne offers various tests through the in-office lab, including:

• COVID-19 tests
• Strep throat tests
• Mononucleosis (mono) tests
• Influenza tests
• Urinalysis
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) test
• Pregnancy tests (urine)
• Hemoglobin
• Lead level

If your child needs more specialized testing, Dr. St. Etienne can order additional labs through an external diagnostics facility.

Does my child need to prepare for in-office lab tests?

Whether or not your child needs to prepare depends on the type of lab test they’re undergoing. If your child needs a complete blood count or a lipid panel, Dr. St. Etienne might ask them to fast for at least 12 hours before. They might also need to stop taking certain prescription drugs or supplements to ensure the test’s accuracy.

How long does it take to get results from the in-office lab?

The amount of time it takes to receive your child’s test results depends on several factors, including the type of test they underwent and the size of the current backlog. Dr. St. Etienne tries to provide rapid test results within two or three hours. 

The results of more traditional tests, like blood work, cultures, and urinalysis, typically take longer. That said, most children receive their results within 24-48 hours.

What if my child’s in-office lab results come back positive?

If your child’s lab results are positive for an underlying health problem, like Type 2 diabetes, strep throat, or COVID-19, Dr. St. Etienne develops a custom treatment plan.  

She might recommend prescription antibiotics to speed up your child’s healing process, lifestyle changes to maintain healthy blood sugar, or a specialist referral.

Ultimately, lab testing aims to identify potentially serious problems and prevent them from getting worse.

If it’s been more than a year since your child last had in-office lab tests, make an appointment at Children’s Medical Clinic by calling the office or booking online today.