April ASCP President’s Message by Lee Hilborne, MD, MPH, DLM(ASCP)^CM, FASCP, FCAP

This month is our chance to again celebrate laboratory medicine with National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, April 20-26, 2008. And, with somewhere between 60 and 80 percent of all healthcare decisions driven by laboratory diagnostics, there is a great deal to celebrate.

Recruit the Media to Help Showcase the Profession

While we celebrate Lab Week among friends and colleagues at our own laboratories, we should also make this an opportunity to showcase the laboratory to others, conveying the message of just how important laboratory medicine is to patients and the larger healthcare community. Before you begin, however, make sure your hospital administration is aware of your Lab Week plans, especially if they involve the media or will take place outside laboratory walls.

Lab Week gives us an opportunity to talk about the future of pathology and laboratory medicine with local media. Brainstorm with some of your colleagues and come up with some good story ideas or “news hooks.” Then, contact the local media and offer to help them put together an article or feature presentation on laboratory medicine and the growing number of career opportunities it offers.

As I noted last month, we anticipate a tremendous shortage of laboratory professionals in the decade ahead. Many now working in the field are approaching retirement and there are not enough new graduates entering the profession to adequately meet the needs of our nation’s healthcare system. Providing information and sharing your excitement for what you do might just encourage a few young people to explore careers in laboratory medicine.

Mentoring Makes a Difference

Most of us have had professional mentors to motivate and encourage us at one time or another. I am no exception. I was encouraged to pursue a career in pathology and laboratory medicine by my medical school advisor, Dr. Sidney Saltzstein, professor of Pathology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Saltzstein is not only an excellent surgical pathologist, he was also committed to humanitarian issues; serving, for example, as president of the California Division of the American Cancer Society. I soon realized that Dr. Saltzstein’s enthusiasm and dedication were exactly what I wanted from my career.

When I began my residency at UCLA, I was awestruck by the fact that I was working side-by-side with many of the best and brightest pathologists in the United States. Some of my UCLA mentors had even authored well-known pathology textbooks. How could I ever be part of something so incredible? Yet in the end, I was so inspired by these individuals that I decided to stay and join the faculty.

I believe mentors can greatly influence the decisions young people make about their futures. But, we need to reach them early—preferably while they are in high school, or possibly even sooner. Perhaps some kind of a summer mentoring program at your institution is possible; or maybe you can reach out to scientifically-gifted young people in other ways. Drawing young people into laboratory careers will not only benefit the profession, it will give you a sense of personal satisfaction to play a small but important part in someone’s life.

Happy National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week!

Many members of our UCLA Health System team are now preparing for Lab Week. The first activity was to gather for the picture that accompanies this article. It reflects the sentiments of our UCLA laboratory family. We all wish you the best during Lab Week and for the year to come.

In preparation for this article, I asked several UCLA colleagues to reflect on what it means to be a laboratory professional. Their responses were inspiring. Here are just two comments that reflect the sentiments of the entire team:

Elizabeth Wagar, MD, FASCP, FCAP
“Working in the clinical laboratory is wonderful. We are at the center of everything related to patient care. Also, practicing pathology is an opportunity to interface with all types of healthcare professionals and keep up with changes in healthcare at all levels.”

Pontip Wises, MT(ASCP)
“I entered the healthcare profession when my grandfather was terminally ill. Being in this profession, I know that doing what I do makes an impact on someone’s life.”

To find out more about what you might do to plan for National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, visit www.labweek.org and select the Lab Week Planning guide. Please take a moment to share your thoughts with us about what laboratory medicine means to you and to the public we serve by writing to me at president@ascp.org.