Volume 39 Number 2 | April 2025

Thao Vu, MS, MLS (ASCP)CM, ASCLS Today Volunteer Contributor

Thao VuMedical laboratory professionals often find themselves in the shadows of healthcare (Robinson & Rohde, 2024). While our work is foundational to diagnosis, treatment, and public health, many individuals outside the profession do not understand how our daily efforts save lives and drive healthcare forward. This lack of visibility has fueled an identity crisis within the field, but it is time to change that narrative.

Every day in the laboratory, we make decisions and take actions that profoundly impact patient outcomes. These are not abstract contributions; they are tangible, life-changing efforts.

The Hematology Lab: Detecting Life-Threatening Conditions

One of the most profound ways we contribute is through the early detection of life-threatening conditions. As an example in hematology, routine complete blood counts can reveal the presence of blasts that indicate leukemia (Arber et al., 2016). For a patient in her 40s who felt “just a little fatigued” and has shortness of breath, a flagged differential led to further investigation, an urgent diagnosis, and the initiation of treatment to save her life (Al-Samkari, n.d.). Without the expertise of the medical laboratory professional who identified and reported the blast findings, that diagnosis might have been delayed with devastating consequences.

Blood Bank: Ensuring Safety in the Face of Complexity

In the blood bank, our work goes far beyond simply processing units of blood. Consider a young sickle cell patient who required regular transfusions and eventually developed multiple antibodies, which makes the search for compatible units increasingly difficult (Yazdanbakhsh et al., 2012). Behind the scenes, medical laboratory professionals screened, crossmatched, and located rare compatible units. That effort ensured the patient’s safety and their ability to continue living a full and active life.

Microbiology: Fighting Infectious Diseases

In the microbiology lab, a single result can change the course of treatment and save a life. For example, the identification of Streptococcus pyogenes in a blood culture from a septic patient can allow physicians to quickly escalate care with targeted antibiotics. Timely results like these, paired with susceptibility testing, guide treatment and reduce mortality, particularly in cases of severe infections and rising antimicrobial resistance (Bläckberg et al., 2022; Jorgensen & Ferraro, 2009; Walker et al., 2014). 

Chemistry: Monitoring and Preventing Crisis

In clinical chemistry, routine panels often uncover silent but deadly conditions. A critical troponin result alerted physicians to a silent heart attack in an older patient who came to the emergency room for what they thought was indigestion. The swift reporting of this result allowed for immediate intervention and saved the patient from a potentially fatal cardiac event (Morrow et al., 2007; Thygesen et al., 2012). 

“… every test result, every rare unit of blood found, and every urgent alert delivered reflects the dedication and expertise of medical laboratory professionals.”

Moving Forward: Turning Our Professional Impact into Recognition and Visibility

To address the identity crisis within our profession, we must take active steps to share our contributions and elevate the visibility of our work.

  1. Share Clinical Laboratory Stories. By sharing cases with colleagues, patients, and the public, we can help bridge the gap in understanding our healthcare role. Whether through articles, presentations, or social media, real stories connect people to the significance of our work (Ingram, 2021).
  2. Advocate for Our Medical Laboratory Profession. Advocating for improved recognition starts with us. Whether it is mentoring students, presenting at conferences, or participating in professional organizations, every action we take to raise awareness contributes to the visibility and appreciation of our field (Robinson & Rohde, 2024).
  3. Develop a Laboratory Culture of Pride. In our labs, celebrating successes and acknowledging each person’s important role in healthcare creates a culture of pride and motivation. Research shows that organizations with robust recognition programs see improvements in employee engagement, retention, and overall job satisfaction, which directly translates to better patient care (Schmitt, 2021).

In the end, every test result, every rare unit of blood found, and every urgent alert delivered reflects the dedication and expertise of medical laboratory professionals. By sharing our professional impact, advocating for the profession, and nurturing a laboratory culture of pride, we can ensure that our contributions are recognized, valued, and empowered to make an even greater difference.

References
  • Al-Samkari, H. (n.d.). Female with new-onset AML and leukostasis [Case study]. American Society of Hematology. https://www.hematology.org/education/trainees/fellows/case-studies/female-with-new-onset-aml-and-leukostasis
  • Arber, D. A., Orazi, A., Hasserjian, R., Thiele, J., Borowitz, M. J., Le Beau, M. M., Bloomfield, C. D., Cazzola, M., & Vardiman, J. W. (2016). The 2016 revision to the World Health Organization classification of myeloid neoplasms and acute leukemia. Blood, 127(20), 2391–2405. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2016-03-643544
  • Bläckberg, A., Svedevall, S., Lundberg, K., Nilson, B., Kahn, F., & Rasmussen, M. (2022). Time to blood culture positivity: An independent predictor of mortality in Streptococcus pyogenes Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 9(6), ofac163. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac163
  • Ingram, C. (2021). Storytelling in medical education, clinical care, and clinician well-being. Archives of Medicine and Health Sciences, 9(2), 337–344. https://doi.org/10.4103/amhs.amhs_289_21
  • Jorgensen, J. H., & Ferraro, M. J. (2009). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing: A review of general principles and contemporary practices. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 49(11), 1749–1755. https://doi.org/10.1086/647952
  • Morrow, D. A., Cannon, C. P., Jesse, R. L., Newby, L. K., Ravkilde, J., Storrow, A. B., & Wu, A. H. B. (2007). National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines: Clinical characteristics and utilization of biochemical markers in acute coronary syndromes. Circulation, 115(13), e356–e375. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.107.182882
  • Robinson, A. T., & Rohde, R. E. (2024). Workforce in the shadow of healthcare: An update on the survival status of laboratory medicine and public health. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 54(5), 40857-40859. https://doi.org/10.26717/BJSTR.2024.54.008604
  • Schmitt, M. M. (2021, November 16). Building a culture of recognition. Consult QD. Cleveland Clinic Health System. https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/building-a-culture-of-recognition
  • Thygesen, K., et al. (2012). Third universal definition of myocardial infarction. Circulation, 126(16), 2020-2035. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0b013e31826e1058
  • Walker, M. J., Barnett, T. C., McArthur, J. D., Cole, J. N., Gillen, C. M., Henningham, A., Sriprakash, K. S., Sanderson-Smith, M. L., & Nizet, V. (2014). Disease manifestations and pathogenic mechanisms of Streptococcus pyogenes. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 27(2), 264–301. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00101-13
  • Yazdanbakhsh, K., Ware, R. E., & Noizat-Pirenne, F. (2012). Red blood cell alloimmunization in sickle cell disease: Pathophysiology, risk factors, and transfusion management. Blood, 120(3), 528–537. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2011-11-327361

Thao Vu is Assistant Professor in the College of Health Professions, Medical Laboratory Sciences Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas.