Mary Ann McLane, PhD, ASCLS Past President Back in 2017, when I received the ASCLS Lifetime Achievement Award, I commented that, “Retirement does not mean that I am dead. You haven’t seen anything yet!” Retirement became a true reality in January 2019, with no more paychecks, joining Medicare, and moving to a retirement community in…
At the 2019 Joint Annual Meeting, ASCLS recognized 22 members who achieved the 50 Years of ASCLS Membership Milestone. This impressive list includes Susan Leclair and Cheryl Caskey, two members who personify the meaning of #Lab4Life. Susan was a founder of and currently directs the Consumer Information Response Team, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary.…
Inspiring 2019 Joint Annual Meeting, What 50 Years of Active ASCLS Membership Looks Like, Apply for the New Position Paper Taskforce, and more!
Roslyn McQueen, PhD, CCRC, ASCLS President Throughout the year, my ASCLS Today articles have focused on the theme of ASCEND – Exemplifying Sustainable Excellence in Laboratory Medicine. ASCEND represents the call to action for an organization experiencing change and transformation. Each letter in the word ASCEND represents a component of six target areas. This month’s…
Stephanie Mihane, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region VIII Director As healthcare becomes more consumer focused, the need for immediate results continues to drive the ever-increasing demand for point of care testing. Photo credit: Philips Communications I have been a point of care coordinator for Kaiser Permanente for over 12 years, and a lot has changed since I…
Beth Warning, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region IV Director The Area Health Education Center (AHEC) organizes the Health Careers Showcase (top) and Health Career Explorer program (bottom) to recruit high school students into healthcare careers, including medical laboratory science. We are often asked to share our story of how we became a medical laboratory professional. For…
THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-CARE Kim Von Ahsen, MHA, MLS(ASCP)CMSLSCM, ASCLS Region VI Director Doing little acts of kindness are another form of self-care, which is essential to your overall health. I love the ritual of having a cup of coffee in the morning. Like, I really, REALLY love starting my day with coffee. Often, I’ll…
Carolyn Sabady, PBT(ASCP) Top: Graduates of the ACL Laboratories (AdvocateAurora Health) phlebotomy training program. Bottom: Author Carolyn Sabady is phlebotomy supervisor at ACL Laboratories. There is an urgent need across the country for phlebotomists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate of phlebotomists is projected to grow 25 percent between 2016 and…
Thanh Nguyen, MLS(ASCP)CM As I researched career opportunities for medical laboratory scientists (MLSs) back in 2016, I found a very disturbing issue. My home state of Nebraska and nearby Iowa were not states with personnel licensure requirements for laboratory professionals. One mistake in the laboratory testing can result in so much damage. It caused me…
Joshua X. Pulido, MHA, MT(ASCP) Respiratory tract infections are common and can be asymptomatic or manifest as a mild illness with progression into serious complications, hospitalization,1,2 or death.4 Influenza and other viral pathogens such as adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, respiratory syncytial virus, and rhinovirus are common causes of respiratory infections.3 Early identification and diagnosis of these…