ASCP Ambassador Programs Offer Opportunity to Share Love of the Profession With Younger Generation

Pathologists and laboratory professionals are integral to patient care. Yet, because they often work behind the scenes in laboratories, few patients see them and realize how important their work is. “Out of sight, out of mind,” says Aadil Ahmed, MD.

“Even in medical school, there is not much exposure to the field of pathology,” says Dr. Ahmed, who visits schools to talk about careers in the profession. “The main purpose of my outreach is to educate people about how important pathology is and to teach students about career choices in pathology.”

ASCP Career Ambassador Kelsey Johnson, MLS(ASCP)^CM, feels just as strongly when promoting the medical laboratory profession. She works in a rural area of Michigan where hospitals are struggling from a shortage of medical technologists. “Promoting rural health care is really important to me,” she says. “As a Career Ambassador, I use tools that ASCP provides to encourage the younger generation to get involved in the laboratory and explore careers in the field.”

ASCP’s Career Ambassadors 2.0 and Pathology Ambassadors programs are designed to raise awareness of the pathology and laboratory professions among high school students, college students and even medical students. These programs also aim to address the laboratory workforce shortage by encouraging dedicated ASCP members to go into classrooms nationwide to talk about fulfilling careers within the profession.

Yet some may wonder how to get invited to visit schools. Dr. Ahmed offers a few tips to get started.

First, ask friends and family who may have a child in high school or have a teacher in the family to see if they can help you make a connection within a local school. Additionally, communicate with high school teachers, science teachers, career guidance counselors and principals in your area and see if you can arrange a visit.

“Let them know you’re not just communicating about career options in pathology or laboratory medicine, but also to increase general awareness about the importance of our work in patient care,” Dr. Ahmed says. “And, ask them to connect you with their colleagues within the school district to expand your network.”

Next, Dr. Ahmed says to think about your presentation to the students. Understand what resonates with students so you can connect with them. Don’t use medical jargon. Incorporate activities to involve the students. Keep the presentation light, humorous and simple.

Career Ambassador Jeannie Guglielmo, MLS(ASCP)^CM, adds, “Be personable. Go out of your way to ask students their names and how they’re doing that day. They want to see you are down to earth and that they can relate to you.”

Other tips from Ms. Guglielmo: Overprepare your lesson so that you have more than enough activities to fill the time. Share stories. Students love to hear how you solved a case and to know that you are really passionate about your work. Incorporate activities that appeal to different learning styles, such as video clips, hands-on activities, and books with pictures of different types of cases.

ASCP provides a variety of resources to help Career Ambassadors and Pathology Ambassadors give effective, engaging presentations. On the ASCP Ambassador Programs webpage, ambassadors and other interested individuals can find a link to the newly redesigned What’s My Next website created to engage students curious about laboratory science careers. In addition to being a great resource for Career and Pathology Ambassadors, all pathologists and laboratory professionals are encouraged share the link with students and educators they know in order to help raise awareness of career opportunities in the medical laboratory. To learn more about the ASCP Career Ambassadors 2.0 and Pathology Ambassadors programs and discover more resources for giving a great presentation, visit https://www.ascp.org/content/get-involved/ambassadors.