Volume 40 Number 5 | October 2026
Summary
In this article, Maria Sue Abiera examines the mental health challenges facing medical laboratory professionals, including moral distress, ethical dilemmas, burnout, and workforce pressures. She argues that resilience is a professional necessity, not a luxury, and calls for stronger institutional support, wellness initiatives, and peer-based programs to help laboratory professionals thrive and provide safe patient care.
Maria Sue Abiera, MS, MLS(AMT), Volunteer Contributor
We, the medical laboratory scientists (MLSs), are the silent, steady backbone of healthcare. We are the ones who ensure data accuracy, whether or not the stakes are at their highest. We operate in the background, often fueled by caffeine and the quiet satisfaction of a perfectly run batch, knowing that the hospital would likely grind to a halt without our results.
However, there is a hidden cost to this dedication. We face the weight of ethical dilemmas and moral distress—the pressure to release results faster than our ability to ensure accuracy, the demand to “suck it up” when the workload exceeds our capacity, and the struggle to prioritize patient safety when institutional policies prioritize cost-cutting.
I have lived this reality, and I have seen the tragedy that unfolds when we ignore our mental health. It is time we stop viewing resilience as a “nice-to-have” and start treating it as a clinical necessity.
The Science of the Struggle
Our ability to perform under pressure depends entirely on the state of our mental health. Recent research confirms this connection. A study of Canadian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic found that higher moral distress was directly linked to more severe symptoms of anxiety and depression, while moral resilience served as a protective buffer (Beadle et al., 2024).
“… a mentally healthy person is not someone who is perpetually happy, but someone who can navigate a breadth of emotions—including anger, fear, and grief—while possessing the ability to restore their internal balance.”
Furthermore, stress and burnout are not just “part of the job”; they are documented drivers of decreased work performance and declining mental health (Shehadeh et al., 2022).
To address this, we must first redefine what “mental health” means. It is not just the absence of illness; it is a balanced state of mind that allows us to use our skills effectively and live in harmony with others. As Galderisi et al. (2015) argue in World Psychiatry, a mentally healthy person is not someone who is perpetually happy, but someone who can navigate a breadth of emotions—including anger, fear, and grief—while possessing the ability to restore their internal balance.
Ethical Dilemmas vs. Moral Distress
While the terms are often used interchangeably, they are distinct. An ethical dilemma is a situation where two or more principles conflict. Moral distress, however, is the emotional response to being blocked from doing what you know is ethically right due to institutional constraints.
In the lab, these are common. We face hospital policies that may favor cost-savings over quality assurance (Ogunbanjo and Van Bogaert, 2014) and the introduction of advanced diagnostic AI, which, while helpful, introduces new ethical questions regarding privacy and over-reliance on automation (Goetghebeur et al., 2010).
As Beth Warning, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, AHI(AMT), noted in ASCLS Today (Dec 2024), our profession faces unique stressors: workforce shortages, the challenge of working with inadequately trained staff, invisibility, and, unfortunately, bullying. These are not just “lab problems”—they are systemic issues that demand systemic solutions.
Building Our Resilience Muscle
Resilience is not a fixed trait; it is a process of adapting well in the face of adversity (Southwick et al., 2014). Think of it as a muscle—it can be strengthened, but it requires the right environment to function.
During the pandemic, research showed that while MLS professionals adapted to massive changes, they required more than just PPE; they needed emotional support (Wolszczak-Biedrzycka et al., 2022). Resilience is a mediating factor that alleviates psychological distress, but it cannot be built in a vacuum. We need national, institutional changes and structural modifications to truly support the mental health of laboratory providers.
Helping Lab Professionals Heal
Many hospitals have implemented excellent support programs, such as the “Helping Healers Heal” program launched by NYC Health + Hospitals in 2018. This peer-led initiative offers first aid to providers in high-stress departments.
The MLS community should advocate for similar initiatives. Let’s adapt this concept and create the “Helping Lab Professionals Heal” program.
We should also advocate for access to hospital “wellness rooms,” dedicated spaces where staff can decompress during shifts, another project initiated in 2022 by NYC Health + Hospital. If 50 percent of healthcare workers are burned out, as the CDC reports, we deserve the same access to support as our colleagues in nursing and medicine.
When You Are Your Own Resource
If you work in a startup lab or a smaller facility where such programs don’t exist, the burden of preservation falls more heavily on the individual.
In these environments, protecting your mental health is a professional duty. Promoting hope through daily practices, such as sharing stories with colleagues, problem-solving together, and prioritizing self-care practices like meditation, diet, and exercise is vital (Ramurthy, 2024). We must remember that we cannot pour from an empty cup.
You Are Not Alone
We are the backbone of healthcare, but even a backbone needs support. If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. You can call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org in the US and Canada. Let’s commit to taking care of each other as well as we take care of our patients. After all, the most important instrument in the laboratory is you.
Maria Sue Abiera is Founder and Technical Lab Consultant at Clinical Laboratory Scientist Consulting in Staten Island, New York.