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.

CASE STUDY: SLE COMPLICATED BY CATASTROPHIC PRESENTATION OF ANTI-PHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME

April Nelsen, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM; Rosemarie Clauson, MLS(ASCP)CM; Kassi Erickson, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM; Stacie Lansink, MS, MT(ASCP); and Tiffany Niemann, MLS(ASCP)CM After weeks of shortness of breath and sharp chest pain, a 48-year-old Caucasian female presented to the ED in a hypertensive state; her blood pressure was 193/113. Her history revealed preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy resulting…

FIFTY YEARS WITH ASCLS

George A. Fritsma, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM Lt. George Fritsma in 1970 and George Fritsma now. When I joined ASCLS—then the American Society for Medical Technology (ASMT)—in 1970, I was an Air Force first lieutenant directing a lab at Selfridge AFB north of Detroit. The annual convention was held at Cobo Hall (since demolished) in downtown Detroit,…

HOW STATE MEETINGS ENGAGE REGION I MEMBERS

Lisa Hochstein, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region I Director ASCLS-NY brings continuing education opportunities to all members by holding meetings upstate and downstate in alternate years. In Region I, we have three active constituent state societies. These societies are both large and small and each takes steps to make their state meetings work for their members.…

WE WANT YOU: LABVOCATE

Cindy Johnson, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS President Merriam-Webster defines advocacy as the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal. Advocacy is one of the strategic pillars of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). The Society works towards actively shaping the environment for laboratory professionals to be key advocates for patient safety and…

EACH OF US MUST BE AN ADVOCATE

Stephanie Mihane, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region VIII Director Advocacy is active support of a cause. ASCLS advocacy can be understood as standing up and speaking out for the collective good, voicing concerns of the members, and collaborating with individuals or groups to provide support in maintaining our expertise and healthy patient outcomes. It is up to…

Chart of names of programs listed as NAACLS accredited MLS Programs

Defining Our Identity

Jennifer Bushnell, MEd, MT(ASCP) The setting makes no difference, whether business or social. Most of us would agree that a person’s name is one of his or her most valued forms of identity. To use someone’s name correctly is a sign of respect and good manners. It feels good when people remember our names. On…

CLEC 2020: WHO’S COMING AND WHAT’S NEW?

Dana Bostic, MBA, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, CLEC 2020 Steering Committee Chair; and Hassan Aziz, PhD, FACSs, MLS(ASCP)CM, CLEC 2020 Steering Committee Vice Chair Over 500 clinical laboratory science educators, industry partners, and friends from across the country—including around the globe—will come together next month in Orlando, Florida, for the 36th Annual Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference. We…

ADVOCATING FOR THE PROFESSION AS A DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL

Katie Napier, ASCLS Developing Professionals Forum Region IV Representative Katie Napier and fellow students from the University of Cincinnati Medical Laboratory Science program pose in front of the U.S. Capitol during the 2019 Legislative Symposium in Washington, D.C. When I’ve asked my classmates at the University of Cincinnati how they knew about the medical laboratory…