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…
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…
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…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Minh Kosfeld, PhD, MLT(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most diagnosed cancer in males worldwide and is first in the United States. Since 1994, an FDA-approved protocol for PCa screening for men aged 50 and older has used the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Victoria Roop, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor Phlebotomy handheld solutions (PHH) is an on-the-go technology that allows laboratory phlebotomists the ability to properly identify a patient, print labels at bedside, and provide a real-time list of specimens needing collection. Patient safety is always a number one concern within…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Looking for Future Leaders At the ASCLS, AGT & SAFMLS Joint Annual Meeting in July 2024, ASCLS delegates will choose from the candidates who have indicated a willingness to serve in a leadership position for the coming year. This is one of the many benefits and responsibilities of…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Crafting Character and Cultivating Professionalism in Aspiring Medical Laboratory Scientists and Technicians Phyllis Ingham, EdD, MLS(ASCP)CM, AHI(AMT), ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor As laboratorians, we all know the important vital role we play daily in the healthcare arena. While the work we do often seems hidden “behind” the white…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Ogechi Ohaeto, MLS(ASCP), ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum Vice-Chair, ASCLS Diversity Advocacy Council Secretary Stephanie Whitehead, MBA, MPH, MLS(ASCP), ASCLS Diversity Advocacy Forum Member As the holiday season is upon us, it is important to consider the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) of all in our workplaces when…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Juan Ulises Rojo, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM As we celebrated Medical Laboratory Professionals Week this past April, conversations about community within the clinical laboratory science profession were a major point of discussion in conferences and meetings. From this, the thought can come to mind as to what makes a certain…
Volume 37 Number 6 | December 2023 Ronald A. Hodge, MLS(ASCP), SM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor A 67-year-old male sinus cancer patient presented to the Emergency Department (ED) at Willis Knighton Medical Center with chest pain. Because the patient had a history of leukocytosis and immunosuppression, ceftriaxone and azithromycin, IV antibiotics were begun in the…