Cindy Johnson, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS President Dear ASCLS Family, As I sit down to write this letter, I am reminded daily of the strength and wisdom that have been displayed by all of you as we continue to fight the battle against a newly identified virus known as COVID-19. Who would of thought that we…
Learning from the Past and De-Weaponizing Disease Miles Tompkins, MLT(ASCP)CM, ASCLS-Oklahoma President, ASCLS Diversity Advocacy Council Chair “I won’t come to your funeral when you die from AIDS.” Despite being almost 25 years since I came out as a gay man, those words are still emblazoned in my memory as if they were spoken to…
Conversations from Twitter Kathryn Golab, MLS(ASCP)CM This past February, the American Journal for Clinical Pathology released the results of a study completed by the ASCP Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy about workforce job satisfaction, well-being, and burnout among laboratory professionals. Not surprisingly, the study found that 85.3 percent of survey respondents had experienced…
Karrie Hovis, MHS, MLS(ASCP)CM, CQIA Author Karrie Hovis was redeployed to the molecular laboratory to perform the SARS-CoV-2 assay. Monday, March 9, 2020, started like any other weekday. Kids went to school while parents reported to the office. However, the citizens of New Orleans and surrounding areas were not prepared for what the next five…
Navigating the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in North Dakota Christie Massen PhD, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM The North Dakota Public Health Laboratory staff before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The laboratory capacity expanded during the pandemic through many critical partnerships. Being the laboratory director at the North Dakota Department of Health during the SARS-CoV-2 has been rewarding, and the lab has…
George A. Fritsma, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM In February of 2017, George Fritsma and the late Cindy Johns led a Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC) plenary session entitled, “Enhancing Laboratory Communication to Reduce Extra-analytical Errors.” The presenters referred to the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation’s Choosing Wisely® (CW) initiative, founded with Consumer Reports in 2012.…
Kristen Croom, MLS(ASCP)CM, MB(ASCP), ASCLS Region X Director I want to start by saying a huge MAHALO to our laboratory teams working to care for our patients during this pandemic. We have seen unprecedented changes to our healthcare system and our entire way of life. Our laboratory family has the opportunity to come together and…
Beth Warning, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, AHI(AMT), ASCLS Region IV Director Linda Gorman befriended author Beth Warning at the 2001 CLEC. Through their friendship, Beth was introduced to more and more opportunities within ASCLS. At one time or another, you may have been asked why you chose ASCLS as your professional society, considering we have several from…
Paula Griswold, PhD, MT(ASCP), and Jessica Dolecheck, PhD Part of soft skills training, ULM College of Health Sciences faculty coordinated professional luncheons where healthcare employers and students interacted for meaningful, social connections. Photo credit: ULM Photo Services Preparing students for careers in healthcare requires competencies in technical skills and acquiring an understanding of the field…
Aymen Alsaihati Healthcare and laboratory practices need to implement a high-quality management system to assure patient safety and provide reliable and precise results. This, in turn, will help in providing more accurate diagnoses. “Accreditation is an effective way to demonstrate competence of the laboratory, a tool to recognize laboratories world-wide, is linked to periodical audits…