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.
Jessica Lawless, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum Vice Chair Photo credit: Josef F. Stuefer As a graduate of Texas A&M University, which has one of the most active alumni organizations in the world, I have always understood the importance of networking. This is one of the reasons I jumped at the opportunity to join—and stay…
Chloe Thompson, MLS(ASCP)CM The symptoms of burnout range from increased cynicism and decreased ability to concentrate on our tasks at hand to disrupted sleep, headaches, and other physical symptoms. Photo credit: Rolf Dietrich Brecher Burnout. We all know the feeling—where work has somehow infiltrated every aspect of life, how stress is amplified, and there never…
Jie Gao, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM The clinical laboratory always seeks to improve services due to its close association to patient safety and satisfaction. However, clinical laboratory testing is a highly complex process (i.e., preanalytical phase, analytical phase, and postanalytical phase), and the frequency of laboratory errors has been reported to be 0.012-0.6 percent of all test…
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…
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,…
Sarah Beatty, MHSA, MLS(ASCP)CM, and Doryan Redding, ASCLS Patient Safety Committee Members 2019 was a busy year in patient safety. It saw new innovations in technology and practice as providers, health centers, and organizations move toward thinking of patients as more than just a number. Instead, patient safety initiatives, such as patient-centered care and personalized…
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.…
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…
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…
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…