Renew Your ASCLS Membership Today

Society News Now – May 2026

Time to Renew Your ASCLS Membership | Cast Your Vote in ASCLS Elections | JAM 2026: One Meeting, Three Organizations, Countless Takeaways | Call for CLEC 2027 Session Proposals | ELMC2 Seeking Session Proposals Focused on Laboratory Management | and More Time to Renew Your ASCLS Membership Your ASCLS membership is coming up for renewal.…

Happy Medical Laboratory Professionals Week!

Society News Now – April 2026

Happy Medical Laboratory Professionals Week! | Meet the Candidates for ASCLS National Office | Register for 2026 LabJAM by April 28 and Save | Free Webinar: Sickle Cell Anemia – Blood Product Allocation and Future Therapies | CLEC 2026 On Demand | and More Happy Medical Laboratory Professionals Week! April 19-25, 2026 Whether you plan…

Kyle B. Riding

Patient Safety is the DNA of ASCLS

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary ASCLS has long centered patient safety as a core value, empowering medical laboratory professionals to protect patients through advocacy, education, and ethical practice. From early initiatives like the Consumer Information Response Team to today’s Diagnostic Equity partnership, the organization champions health literacy, diagnostic fairness, and a culture…

Yan Zheng

Regulatory Framework and Surveillance Systems Ensuring Blood Supply Safety in the United States

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article outlines the FDA’s comprehensive regulatory framework ensuring the safety of the U.S. blood supply through strict donor eligibility criteria, infectious disease testing, and routine inspections. It highlights updates to the Donor History Questionnaire, the shift to individualized risk‑based screening, and the TTIMS surveillance system, which…

Jeffrey Clifford

Incorporating Professionalism and Ethics into Educational Programs in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article explains how the University of Utah’s Medical Laboratory Science program integrates professionalism and ethics throughout its curriculum. Students explore ethical issues early, study codes of ethics, create a class pledge, and revisit ethical expectations before clinical rotations. Interprofessional activities reinforce shared values, preparing graduates for…

The Fine Line

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article explores the tension between speed and accuracy in medical laboratory work, especially in hematology, where complex cases demand careful review. While efficiency supports patient care, rushing can risk missed abnormalities. The author reflects on personal experiences, peer insights, and management literature, emphasizing that balancing turnaround…

Christian Baguistan

Ensuring Safety through Validation and Verification

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article explains how validation, verification, quality control, and risk management work together to ensure clinical laboratory safety. Validation confirms a method’s reliability; verification ensures it performs correctly in a specific lab; QC detects ongoing errors; and risk management strengthens procedures—creating a comprehensive system that protects patients,…

Phyllis Ingham

Patient Safety and Ethics in Laboratory Medicine

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article emphasizes that patient safety and ethical practice in laboratory medicine begin in the educational classroom. By integrating safety concepts, quality principles, and ethical decision‑making throughout Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Laboratory Technician curricula, students learn that every specimen represents a patient. Early, consistent training builds…

"If a system only works when cognitive capacity is maxed out, it isn't efficient—it's fragile"

Parallel Processing, Human Factors, and the Ethics of How We Investigate Error

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article explains how parallel processing affects medical laboratory work and why errors often stem from cognitive overload rather than individual negligence. Drawing on human factors and neurobiology, it urges root cause analyses to examine system‑imposed cognitive demands, interruptions, and missing supports. Understanding these pressures leads to…

Dhara Parekh

Patient Safety, Quality, and Ethics in Medical Laboratory Practice

Volume 40 Number 2 | April 2026 Summary The article explains how patient safety, quality, and ethics are deeply interconnected in laboratory medicine. Accurate testing, adherence to procedures, and ethical decision‑making protect patients throughout all testing phases. Real‑world examples show how professionalism guides difficult decisions, while emerging technologies like AI offer benefits but require careful…