Lab Week celebrations, free webinar, early registration for the Joint Annual Meeting, SALSA reintroduced, participate in ASCP Wage Survey, and more.
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week: Get Ready to Celebrate!
Lab Week Photo Challenge
Let’s get creative for Medical Laboratory Professionals Week and share fun photos from your lab. Enter in three categories by Sunday, April 22:
- The Bestest Lab: You know why your lab is the best—why not share it with everyone? Maybe you have the cleanest lab benches? The most stocked? The best lab coats? The best scrubs? The best break room? Whatever makes your lab the best, show it off!
- The Slide of Fame: What’s on that slide? We’re looking for anything amazing, cute, scary, colorful, funny, or just downright beautiful that you may have seen under a scope. Share your microscopic finds to a macroscopic audience!
- The Fungis in the Lab: We’re not just lab professionals, we’re professionals at having fun as well! Share with us your favorite fun moment in the lab. Was it that time everyone dressed up for Lab Week? Or maybe the time that you and your lab group did the Virtual Lab Week Run 5K together? Oh! What about that time when sushi vs tacos caused a huge debate in the lab? Pics or it didn’t happen!
Don’t feel like sharing pictures? Participate by voting for your favorite image for each category. Voting will take place during Lab Week, with each category being available for voting for just a couple of days (see schedule below). So, be sure to keep checking back in to see if your favorite is winning!
- Voting for the Bestest Lab: Sunday, April 23 – Monday, April 24
- Voting for the Slide of Fame: Tuesday, April 25 – Wednesday, April 26
- Voting for the Fungis in the Lab: Thursday, April 27 – Friday, April 28
Winners to be announced the following week. The winner of each category will win a $50 gift card!
Follow ASCLS on social media for more fun games, activities, and quizzes that will posted throughout Medical Laboratory Professionals Week.
More Lab Week Resources
- Ask Me Anything: Ideas to Celebrate Lab Week
There’s still time to join 1,700 (and counting) medical laboratory professionals in the 8th Annual ASCLS Lab Week Virtual Run. Step out of your labs and into your communities to help spread the word about the medical laboratory profession and have fun with friends and co-workers.
A limited number of medals remain! Sign up by April 17 to ensure you receive your race packet in time for Lab Week. All proceeds go to grants and scholarships that help new medical laboratory professionals attend ASCLS meetings, lobby representatives for the profession, and become future leaders in the field.
Thank you to our 2023 Lab Week Run Platinum Sponsors Cerus and SEKISUI Diagnostics.
Free ASCLS Webinar
Classification of New Thyroid Tumors & Impact on Clinical Management
April 25, 9 am ET | Virtual
Description:
Approximately 50 percent of Americans will develop a thyroid nodule by the time they’re 60 years old. While most are benign, 5 percent are cancerous. This session will provide an overview of recent updates in the classification of thyroid tumors and the impact on clinical management.
Learning Objectives
- Describe newly defined thyroid tumors
- Discuss the history of NIFTP, a reclassified thyroid tumor, and its impact on clinical management
- Differentiate between high grade and poorly differentiated thyroid tumors
Speakers:
Virginia LiVolsi, MD
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Professor of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
Principal Investigator East Division CHTN
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Maria Gubbiotti, MD, PhD
Neuropathology Fellow
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Instruction Level: Intermediate
Registration: Free for all registrants, sponsored by Veracyte. Preregistration is required. If you can’t attend live, register anyway—those who pre-register will receive access to the webinar recording.
ASCLS is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® Program.
Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA) Reintroduced
In late March, the Saving Access to Laboratory Services Act (SALSA) was introduced in both the House and Senate by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Tom Tillis (R-NC) and Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Richard Hudson (R-NC), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), and Scott Peters (D-CA).
This bill is the same as the one ASCLS and every other clinical laboratory group pushed during the last Congress. SALSA will repair a flawed data reporting and rate setting methodology put in place by the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014 and set the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) back on a sustainable path by requiring market rates from all laboratory segments for widely available tests.
ASCLS is coordinating with our colleagues in the rest of the clinical laboratory community and supporting the Stop Lab Cuts campaign with resources and opportunities to take action, in our effort to permanently fix this problem.
Without Congressional action, clinical laboratories will face a major, devastating cut in reimbursement via Medicare that will flow directly into most private-payor contracts. Prepare to be active advocating for passage and encourage every laboratory professional you know to do the same.
Participate in the ASCP Wage Survey
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is conducting its biennial wage survey of practicing laboratory professionals.
Since 1988, ASCP has conducted this survey to inform the pathology and laboratory medicine field of the most recent national wage data, which serves as a basis for additional research on laboratory recruitment, retention, education, marketing, certification, and advocacy.
It is critical that ASCP gets a high response rate to this survey. Without credible wage data, our effectiveness as advocates in Washington is limited.
Along with filling out the survey yourself, please share it with your laboratory professional colleagues to allow the collection of data for as many laboratory professionals and all laboratory positions as possible.
The survey will remain open until Wednesday, May 3, 12 am Pacific Time.
As always, the ASCP has taken special measures to ensure your privacy and the privacy of your laboratory. Your responses are strictly confidential. No individual level data will be revealed, and in the final survey report, all information will be aggregated.
This survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. There is a “BACK” button at the bottom of the page which will allow you to go back to the previous question to change your answer if necessary.
ASCLS to Take Part in COLA Summit to Address the Laboratory Workforce Shortage
On May 2, 2023, representatives from various organizations across the nation, including ASCLS, will convene in Fort Worth, Texas, to examine ways in which they might collaborate to alleviate the laboratory workforce shortage.
According to current forecasts, the next generation will not produce enough medical laboratory scientists to replace the predicted retirements or meet the increased need for laboratory testing in the future. The severity of this shared problem affects private and public health laboratories across the nation.
In response to this crisis, the Workforce Action Alliance Summit is an appeal for action. ASCLS serves on the planning committee organizing the one-day Summit.
COLA and the planning committee members will develop and publish a written summary of the summit proceedings. The summit is just the beginning of the shared action. “There are so many great initiatives already underway. The questions for all of us at the summit will be what is missing, what can be scaled and how can we unify and focus our efforts on solutions that will make the biggest difference,” stated Nancy Stratton, COLA chief executive officer. The Workforce Action Alliance Summit will take place the day before COLA’s Annual Laboratory Enrichment Forum (LEF), where a summary of the summit will be shared during a general session at the LEF.
Upcoming Events
Early Registration for the 2023 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting Ends April 28
June 26-30 | Providence, Rhode Island or Virtual
Sign up by April 28 for Best Rate
Registration for the 2023 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) is open. JAM is the premier gathering of medical laboratory professionals to share our knowledge, research, and best practices related to our field of laboratory science. Again this year JAM will offer flexibility with two attendee options—in-person and virtual.
In-Person Attendance: JAM will be held at the Omni Providence Hotel and Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition to the educational program, poster presentations, industry partner exhibits, and networking activities, you’ll also receive access to all recorded JAM educational sessions for 30 days after the event, providing you with about 60 hours of P.A.C.E.®-approved credit.
Virtual Attendance: You will have access to the nearly 60 educational sessions, either streamed live or recorded; industry partner virtual activities; virtual poster presentations; and virtual networking events. You will also have access to all recorded JAM educational sessions for 30 days after the event. You get to choose which sessions and events you want to attend live and which recordings you will view later when the time is right. Create a personalized JAM experience that fits your life.
Travel and Registration Scholarships Available for 2023 Joint Annual Meeting
Deadline: April 15
The Ascending and Developing Professionals Forums will collectively award over $10,000 in travel and registration scholarships to Ascending and Developing Professionals attending the 2023 Joint Annual Meeting (JAM), either in-person or virtually. The exact breakdown of these grants will be determined by the number of applicants and their preference of attendance. Apply by tomorrow, April 15!
Ask Me Anything: All Things JAM
April 23, 7 pm ET | Virtual
Join the Ascending Professionals Forum for an Ask Me Anything about the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting (JAM), which will be held June 26-30 in Providence, Rhode Island, and virtually. Learn tips on how to get the most out of the JAM experience and fun things to do in Providence.
Panelists will include ASCLS Ascending and Developing Professionals who have attended previous JAMs, including Kate Dixon, Dioco Dioel Reyes, MLS(ASCP)CM, and more.
The Developing and Ascending Professionals Forums host bi-monthly Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions on a variety of career-related topics to help answer all your burning questions. View a playlist of previous career advice AMAs on the ASCLS YouTube channel.
Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2) On Demand
ASCLS held the 3nd Annual Emerging Laboratory Managers Collaborative Conference (ELMC2) in January 2023. The event is specifically designed for laboratory professionals transitioning or hoping to transition into management and included 21 sessions on topics like workforce recruitment and retention, eliminating workplace toxicity, the Doctorate in Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS), building strong interdisciplinary relationships, and more.
The recorded sessions are now available to stream online through ELMC2 On Demand. All individual sessions are $10 for ASCLS Members/$15 for non-members. The All Access bundle of all 21 sessions is available at the discounted rate of $150 for ASCLS members/$210 for non-members.
Those who attended ELMC2 live in January found the program full of valuable information and tools:
- “Having spoken with a number of staff members who participated in the conference, everyone was thrilled with the content offered. Statements like, ‘I didn’t even mind that it was on a Saturday,’ were heard repeatedly … It was thoughtful, thought provoking, energizing, and invigorating.”
- “Great resources recommended. I already bought four books.”
- “The topics covered were very wide ranging, which was great.”
Developing and Ascending Professionals Forums Seeking Officer Nominations
Deadline: May 31
Would you like to take on a leadership role in the Developing Professionals Forum (DPF) or the Ascending Professionals Forum (APF)? Or do you know someone who would make an excellent fit? The DPF is seeking its next chair, vice chair, and secretary, and the APF is seeking its next vice chair and secretary. All applicants must be ASCLS Developing or Ascending Professional members as of February 28, 2023.
Submit your applications by May 31, 2023.
Developing Professionals Chair Responsibilities—one-year term (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Serves as a voting member of the ASCLS Board of Directors (BOD).
- Requires travel to the ASCLS BOD Fall Meeting and Planning Day, October 21-22, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Saturday and Sunday before Laboratory Legislative Symposium).
- Requires participation in the ASCLS BOD Interim Meeting (virtual) in Spring 2024—typically on a Sunday afternoon in March.
- Requires travel to the July 7-11, 2024, Joint Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Works with the vice chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Must host and participate in monthly conference calls of the DPF that will be determined based on the availability of the DPF Leadership Council.
Developing Professionals Vice Chair Responsibilities—one-year term (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and secretary in any activities and functions related to the forum.
- Works with the chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Stands in for the chair if they are unable to complete their duties.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the DPF Leadership Council.
Developing Professionals Secretary Responsibilities—one-year term (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and vice chair in any activities and functions related to the forum.
- Works with the chair, vice chair, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Records the proceedings of all meetings of the DPF.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the DPF Leadership Council.
Ascending Professionals Vice Chair Responsibilities—one-year term, three-year commitment (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and secretary in any activities and functions related to the forum.
- Works with the chair, secretary, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Stands in for the chair if he/she is unable to complete his/her duties.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the APF Leadership Council.
- Make an effort to attend the Laboratory Legislative Symposium, October 23-24, 2023, in Alexandria, Virginia, and the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting, July 7-11, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- Transitions to chair of the forum after their term as vice chair, then to past chair and member of the ASCLS Board of Directors in their third year.
Ascending Professionals Secretary Responsibilities—two-year term, may serve two terms (full responsibilities are listed in the Guidelines for Governance):
- Assists the chair and vice chair in scheduling any activities and functions related to the forum
- Works with the chair, vice chair, past chair, advisor, and other members to complete the charges for the year.
- Records the proceedings of all meetings of the APF.
- Must participate in monthly conference calls that will be determined based on the availability of the APF Leadership Council.
- Make an effort to attend the Laboratory Legislative Symposium, October 23-24, 2023, in Alexandria, Virginia, and the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting, July 7-11, 2024, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Diversity Advocacy Council Call for Officer Nominations
Deadline May 31
Learn more and submit your nominations
The ASCLS Diversity Advocacy Council (DAC) is seeking nominees for the positions of vice-chair and secretary.
Vice-chair: The vice-chair will serve in the absence of the chair. The vice-chair shall assist the chair in the discharge of his/her duties. In the event of a vacancy in the position of the chair, the vice chair shall assume the duties of the chair for the unexpired term of the office. The vice-chair shall function in the capacity of program chairperson.
The vice-chair serves a one- (1-) year term beginning and ending with the ASCLS House of Delegates Meeting, held this year on June 30, 2023. The vice-chair will succeed to chair in their second year, then past chair in their final year of the three-year commitment.
Secretary: The secretary shall record and keep in permanent form the minutes of all meetings of the DAC; keeping records of board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each board member, and assuring that DAC records are maintained.
The secretary of the council is elected for a two- (2-) year term, and can serve a maximum of two (2) terms.
Public Health Laboratory Opportunities
Public Health Laboratory Internship
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have partnered to place college students in public health laboratories to gain valuable early-career experience. They are seeking college students who are interested in exploring a career in the laboratory sciences.
APHL interns will join a public health laboratory team to make an impact on protecting the health of our communities. Interns assist scientists working on meaningful projects while building skills such as general lab practices (e.g., pipetting, calibrations, etc.), data analysis, report management, problem solving, teamwork, effective communication, and more. Start dates are flexible. Learn more
Public Health Laboratory Fellowship
This APHL-CDC initiative prepares scientists for careers in public health laboratory science. They are seeking degreed applicants who are interested in starting or furthering an exciting new career in laboratory science while working collaboratively with industry leaders and developing professional networks.
APHL-CDC fellowships support a wide spectrum of public health laboratory program areas, such as: bioinformatics, biorisk management (biosafety), environmental health, infectious disease, informatics, food safety, newborn screening, and quality management. Each fellow will be trained in alignment with established public health laboratory core competencies and functions and will work on unique program-specific projects and other initiatives in host laboratories. Start dates are flexible. Learn more
New Episode of Off the Bench Podcast
Subscribe to the Off the Bench Podcast for discussions on scientific and not-so-scientific ideas in laboratory medicine. New episodes drop the last Friday of each month.
On the March 31 episode, host Galina Dronova and Allison Germ outline and provide tips on how to host a trivia night for lab folks—perfect for Lab Week! And, they introduce a new segment, Doryan’s Takes, with Doryan Redding reflecting on what Lab Week means to her. Special thanks go out to our episode sponsor, the University of Cincinnati Online.
Subscribe to the podcast through Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
Voices Under 40
Spotlight: Adrienne Davis Zapfe, EdD, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM, Cincinnati, Ohio
Adrienne is an assistant professor in the Medical Laboratory Science Program at the University of Cincinnati (UC), where she teaches both on-campus and distance learning students in the clinical year of the program, as well as contributes to course development and delivery within the UC Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science Leadership Program. Her teaching responsibilities include clinical fluids analysis, advanced laboratory concepts, and leadership and education strategies in medical laboratory sciences.
Adrienne has served ASCLS recently at the national level as a member and chair of the P.A.C.E.® Committee and on the Leadership Development Committee. She has also been serving multiple roles on the ASCLS-Ohio Board of Directors, including on the Nominations Committee and Scholarship Committee and as president of ASCLS-Ohio. Read more.
ASCLS Voices Under 40 honors ASCLS members who have shown exceptional commitment to the Society, the laboratory profession, and their community at large at a younger age in their professional career. Each month we spotlight one of the shining voices who were selected from many nominations across the country.
Local Events
Save the dates for upcoming spring meetings.
ASCLS-Wisconsin State Convention
April 18-19
Brookfield, Wisconsin
ASCLS-New Jersey Spring Seminar
April 20
Somerset, New Jersey
ASCLS-Alaska, Oregon, and Washington Joint Spring Meeting
April 20-21
Virtual
ASCLS-Missouri Conference and Exhibits
April 20-21
Springfield, Missouri
Florida Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Spring Symposium
April 22
Lakeland, Florida
ASCLS-Oregon Networking Night
April 23
Happy Valley, Oregon
ASCLS-Idaho Spring Conference
April 27-28
Twin Falls, Idaho
ASCLS-Kansas and ASCP Wheatlands Joint Meeting
April 27-28
Claflin, Kansas
ASCLS-North Dakota Spring Symposium
April 27-28
Minot, North Dakota
Kentucky Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Spring Meeting
April 28
Richmond, Kentucky
North Carolina Society for Clinical Laboratory Science Spring Symposium
April 29
Charlotte, North Carolina
ASCLS-Oregon Book Club
April 29
Virtual
ASCLS-Colorado & ASCLS-Wyoming Clinical Laboratory Collaborative Conference
May 4-5
Denver, Colorado
ASCLS-Capital Area Society Spring Meeting
May 6
Virtual
ASCLS-New York Spring Seminar
June 16
Rochester, New York
ASCLS-Georgia/ASCLS-South Carolina Joint Annual Meeting
August 26
Augusta, Georgia
Connect: The Community Conversations
ASCLS Connect is an invaluable way to ask questions, share feedback, and stay connected with your community of laboratorians. Here are some of the recent discussions you may have missed:
- The Membership Committee posts “Membership Mondays” questions each week to spur discussion and get to know fellow ASCLS members. A recent question was:
- In the Open Forum, members shared ideas to celebrate Lab Week.
- Also in the Open Forum, members Linda Smith and Kathy Doig shared a PowerPoint presentation about the change of our professional title to MLS .
- Members gave advice in the Open Forum on good resources for anyone taking the Specialist in Hematology Exam.
- In the Microbiology/Public Health Scientific Assembly, members shared Marburg virus explainer articles.
Key Dates
Ask Me Anything: All Things JAM
April 23
Webinar – Classification of New Thyroid Tumors & Impact on Clinical Management
April 25
2023 ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting Early Registration Deadline
April 28