Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Andrew Jones, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM As the COVID-19 pandemic began to materialize in early March of 2020, the medical laboratory community faced countless questions. Many of us asked, “How can we provide testing for the hundreds of millions of Americans that are now at risk of contracting a disease…
Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Debbie Shell, MS, MLS(ASCP)CMSM, DLM, ASCLS Government Affairs Committee Chair If a genie were to grant the medical laboratory science profession one wish, speaking with a unified voice could be a solution to many of the issues our profession confronts today. Lack of recognition, short-staffing and burnout, and…
Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Laboratory Manager Recognized for her Commitment to Patient Care April Nelsen, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Immunology/Immunohematology Scientific Assembly Chair Jennie Riles At Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (CRMC), the commitment to patients and residents is the first commitment within the center’s excellence standards, which are “People Quality & Safety, Service,…
Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Mechelle Reeve, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS-Idaho What is joy? Kami McGann is the epitome of joy. And “Choose Joy” became the theme of Hospital Week this year for Valor Health in Emmett, Idaho, where she worked. She was the lead scientist and had recently become the lab manager of Valor…
Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Krystal Yu, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum Secretary, ASCLS Hematology/Hemostasis Scientific Assembly Vice Chair This article first appeared as a post for the ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum blog, The Labora-Story. Read more from The Labora-Story at connect.ascls.org/home. Patient X is a 58-year-old Caucasian female who went to her…
Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Ali Nussbaum, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Political Action Committee Vice Chair Does going to Capitol Hill to tell your elected senators and representatives about career-related legislation seem overwhelming or not appealing? Does even reaching out to your elected officials through email more than you really want to do? That’s…
Volume 35 Number 4 | August 2021 Minh Kosfeld, PhD, MLT(ASCP)CM Patient Physical Examination on Admission Our patient is a previously healthy 56-year-old white man who presents with progressive neuropathy and declining mental status over several months. The patient initially developed numbness of his fingertips and the balls of his feet and began to lose…
Volume 35 Number 3 | June 2021 Maddie Josephs, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS President Diversity and inclusivity initiatives have become more of a priority for many companies and professional organizations. Studies have shown that diversity leads to creativity and improved performance, leading to better decision making and problem solving. As such, diverse organizations tend to be…
Volume 35 Number 3 | June 2021 Angela Darby, MPH, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region III Director In her recent Golden Globes acceptance speech, Jane Fonda made the following remarks: “There’s a story that we’ve been afraid to see and hear about ourselves … a story about which voices we respect and elevate and which we tune…
Volume 35 Number 3 | June 2021 Heather Herrington, DVM, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum Secretary A few years ago, I was at a conference that featured a presenter who talked about diversity and inclusion while we were having breakfast. After her talk, which was quite interesting, we went to our break-out rooms for the…