ASCLS Today is the membership newsletter of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

To submit an article for ASCLS Today, contact Editor Debra Rodahl.

Carly Preston

Common Laboratory Deficiencies and Ways to Avoid Them

Volume 39 Number 1 | February 2025 Carly Preston, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor During the 2023 November Clinical Laboratory Improvement Advisory Committee (CLIAC) meeting, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) released a report compiling its 15-year investigation into the most common deficiencies cited against laboratories. The goal of the report was to identify…

Phyllis Ingham

Becoming a Leader That Makes a Difference

Volume 39 Number 1 | February 2025 It Begins with Asking, How Can I Help Phyllis Ingham EdD, MLS(ASCP)CM, AHI(AMT), ASCLS Leadership Development Committee Chair True leadership is not about titles, power, or accolades. It is about service, empathy, and the willingness to prioritize the needs of others. At its heart, impactful leadership begins with…

Pat Tille

Ethics of Association Leadership—Walking a Fine Line

Volume 38 Number 6 | December 2024 Pat Tille, PhD, MLS(ASCP), AHI(AMT), FACSc, ASCLS President Leadership. What does that mean, and how does one navigate the relationship and expectations of others in a member-driven organization such as the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)? As a member of ASCLS since 1992, several strategic actions…

Larissa Todd

From the Classroom to the Bench

Volume 38 Number 6 | December 2024 Instilling Values that Ensure Patient Safety Every Step of the Way Larissa Todd, MLS (ASCP)CM, ASCLS Patient Safety Committee While the workings of the laboratory may seem distant from the patient experience, it’s essential to recognize that patients are ultimately the end users of laboratory services. Ensuring patient…

Sarah Bergbower

Turning a Patient Case into Patient Advocacy

Volume 38 Number 6 | December 2024 Sarah Bergbower, DCLS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor A 32-year-old G4 P3003 presents for a regular obstetric visit at 28 weeks gestation. A point-of-care urine dipstick was performed on a freshly voided sample with the results of interest shown in Table 1. Results were not discussed with the…

Jin Heo and Andrew Samon

Choosing Your Path

Volume 38 Number 6 | December 2024 A Medical Laboratorian’s Experience in Hospital Vs. Reference Laboratories Jin Heo, MLS(ASCP)CM, CLT(NY), ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum Councilor Andrew Samon, MLS(ASCP)MB, ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum Councilor Hello, we are Andrew and Jin, two laboratory professionals who started our professional careers in either a reference or hospital laboratory and…

Work phone and personal phone

A Tale of Two Phones

Volume 38 Number 6 | December 2024 Heather R. Parks, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor Or shall I say, many, many phones. And phone calls. While brainstorming about patient safety, I thought back to times when I (gasp!) have made mistakes in the lab. Usually, I did not hit save on the computer, I…

Kristen Smith and Amanda Suchanek

Antimicrobial Breakpoints Are Key to Patient Safety

Volume 38 Number 6 | December 2024 Kristen L. Smith, PhD, D(ABMM) Amanda Suchanek, PhD Our role as medical laboratory science professionals is to provide information that clinicians can use to guide treatment of their patients. This directive is intimately tied to patient safety. From developing the test menu to the final interpretation of test…