Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Claude Rector, MA, MLS(ASCP), ASCLS President I am asked from time to time about what it’s like to be a medical laboratory scientist. My answer might surprise many who are reading this article today. I would like to share my story of the best day ever of my…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Stacy Walz, PhD, MLS(ASCP) Picture it: College freshman sets foot on campus, full of dreams and confidence, declares biochemistry as her major, and seeks to go to medical school to become a physician. Fast forward a few weeks, and that same college freshman is struggling in her 17…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Ali Nussbaum, MHHSA, MLS(ASCP)CM, caPM, ASCLS Board of Directors In May of 2023 I was asked to be a panelist for an ASCLS-Minnesota student night held at a nearby hospital. I agreed immediately. Speaking to students and helping them engage early with the profession is crucial to get…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Jesse L. Day, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum Chair “How did you discover the field of clinical laboratory science?” Well, it’s a unique story that I haven’t shared very much. Stepping back in time a bit, I think of 14-year-old Jesse, unsure of what I wanted to…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Victoria Roop, MLS (ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor Laboratory professionals are driven to provide accurate and timely objective data to clinicians and patients alike to help aid in diagnoses and treatment plans. The COVID-19 pandemic has moved mountains in technological advances and transformed modern laboratory practices and visibility…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Alexandra Adams, MLS(ASCP), ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor When I was a kid, I wanted to be a doctor because I loved my science classes and thought the only career available was through medical school. I was wrong and had a family member introduce me to the laboratory. I…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Ali Nussbaum, MHHSA, MLS(ASCP)CM, caPM, ASCLS Board of Directors When I was in graduate school, I interviewed a team outside of the one I was on to discover what they felt was the biggest hinderance to their success. I chose to interview the Laboratory Information System (LIS) team.…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Mahesh Percy, MBA, DMLT; Alvin Billey, MBBS; and Ewarld Marshall, MD, MScMED Abstract In hereditary elliptocytosis (HE), the characteristic finding is elliptical red blood cells (RBCs) on the peripheral smear. The patients are usually asymptomatic and rarely present with hemolysis. Because of the silent nature of this condition,…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 Melonie Falcon, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, CMQ/OE, CQIA (ASQ), ASCLS Joint Annual Meeting Steering Committee Chair Heather Herrington, DVM, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Joint Annual Meeting Host Liaison, ASCLS Ascending Professional Director The 2024 Joint Annual Meeting (JAM), hosted by ASCLS and our partner organizations, the Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT) and…
Volume 38 Number 2 | April 2024 April German, MLS(ASCP)CM, Westgard Sigma-QM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor As medical and clinical laboratory scientists, quality control is at the core of our work. However, as new scientists entering the field, we often learn to accept and reject quality control. Our troubleshooting skills are limited to retest, recalibrate,…