2023 Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference attendees in New Orleans

Society News Now – January 2024

Advocacy Win in Final Personnel Regulations Published by CMS, Nominations Deadline Extended, ASCLS Awards and Scholarships Season, CLS Journal Updates, Last Chance to Attend CLEC 2024 at the Regular Registration Rate, Check out Upcoming Events, and more. Final Personnel Regulations Published by CMS Influenced by Medical Laboratory Professionals On December 28, 2023, The Centers for…

2023 Constituent Society Members of the Year

Society News Now – December 2023

ASCLS comments on the FDA proposed regulation of LDTs, 2024 ASCLS awards open for nominations, call for nominations for national positions, Clinical Laboratory Science journal seeking manuscript reviewers, CLEC 2024 early registration discount ends next Wednesday, and more. ASCLS Comments on the FDA Proposed Regulation of Laboratory Developed Tests On December 4, ASCLS submitted formal…

Claude Rector

Every Day is Patient Safety Day

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Claude Rector, MA, MLS(ASCP), ASCLS President When I moved from education to management this past spring, I felt the reality of a heightened sense of awareness regarding patient safety. The laboratory results were live and in real time. I had been in the student education laboratory far too…

Catherine Otto

Ethical Clinical Laboratory Science Practice is Linked to Improving Patient Safety

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Catherine Otto, PhD, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, SHCMDLMCM, ASCLS Patient Safety Committee Member Ethical clinical laboratory science practice improves patient safety. Ensuring and improving patient safety requires following ethical principles of practice in order to provide safe clinical laboratory services. Although the term, “patient safety,” was not used when our…

Sarah Bergbower

STAT Crypto: Learning from Pre-Pre-Analytical Error

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Sarah Bergbower, DCLS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor As a Doctor of Clinical Laboratory Science (DCLS), I am often interested in the medical laboratory science professional’s role in identifying and limiting pre-pre- and post-post-analytical errors. Defined by Laposata and Dighe, “pre-pre” analytical errors result from inappropriate test selection,…

Aditi Sarkar

The Ethical Imperative in Laboratory Testing: Through the Lens of a Novice Medical Laboratory Scientist

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Aditi Sarkar, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum Chair In the realm of modern medicine, laboratory testing stands as a foundation for clinical decision making. These tests are potent tools guiding physicians in diagnoses, prognoses, and treatment strategies. While laboratory tests hold this pivotal role, they must be…

Beth Warning

Moral Distress: A Roadblock to Doing the Right Thing

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Beth Warning, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, AHI(AMT), ASCLS Board of Directors Moral distress is common in many health professions. It is well documented in nursing and among physicians and can be identified in nearly every healthcare profession. The fact that we can apply it to laboratory professionals doesn’t make us…

Lindsey Davenport-Landry

The Right Thing May Be the Hard Thing

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 How Do We Make the Hard Thing Easier to Do? K. Lindsey Davenport-Landry, DCLS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Board of Directors In the clinical laboratory we are required to utilize critical thinking and decision-making skills every day. Looking through the microscope, examining an organism growing on a plate, or reviewing…

Thao Vu

It Starts with the Laboratory Environment

Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Thao Vu, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor Creating a culture of quality patient care begins with the right lab environment. As medical laboratory professionals, we have a duty to produce reliable and accurate laboratory results for each patient. Learning should not cease when a diploma and certification…