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.
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…
Cheyenne Reyes, MLS(ASCP)CM From left: Jessica Lawless and Cheyenne Reyes visited the staff of John Kennedy, senator from Louisiana, during the 2019 Legislative Symposium. My first Legislative Symposium was an experience that I will forever remember. Being able to see how the government works and how it can so closely affect us in this profession…
Allicia Gunderman Before attending the 2019 Legislative Symposium, I was aware of the shortage of medical laboratory scientists. But seeing the magnitude of the shortage and oncoming retirement presented at the symposium was eye opening. The statistics presented there made me wonder why MLS professionals have so little visibility in a time of such dire…
Justin Hanenberg, MLS(ASCP)CM From left: Justin Hanenberg and Amanda Fulton organized a social gathering for ASCLS-CA at Angel City Brewery during their Oktoberfest celebration. And Justin represented ASCLS-CA at the 2019 Legislative Symposium in Washington, D.C. Major changes are coming to the California chapter of ASCLS. A “changing of the guard” might be the most…
Claude Rector, MA, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Region VII Director What do you do? We have all been asked that question. How do you answer that question? Is it an easy question to answer? Do you think the person who asked that question understood your answer? My first introduction to how one might answer that question was…