Application period for the 2011-12 Career Ambassador Program is now closed.
Information for the 2012-13 application period will be available beginning in April 2012.
To see those who were selected, click here.
The ASCP Career Ambassador Program aims to raise awareness of the laboratory professions among high school students. Each year, ASCP selects laboratory professionals newly certified within the past five years to share their personal stories about why they became laboratory professionals. Career Ambassadors who make 10 presentations receive a $1,000 award at the end of their one-year tenure.
The goal of the program is to expose pre-college students to the critical role that laboratory professionals play as members of the healthcare team and in delivering patient care.
Background
Recent ASCP surveys have shown an interesting phenomenon: The medical laboratory science field is undergoing a critical workforce shortage but there are not enough qualified people to fill the void. A number of issues have led to the shortage including the retirement of baby boomers and lack of funding for educational programs in many of the country’s colleges and universities. However, one of the major culprits is lack of awareness. A 2007 survey by the Coordinating Council for the Clinical Laboratory Workforce showed that 76 percent of people in the profession didn’t find out about the medical laboratory science field until after high school. The Career Ambassador Program is ASCP’s initiative to create awareness to pre-college students.
Who is eligible?
To be considered for the ASCP Career Ambassador program, applicants must:
- Be a graduate of a NAACLS- or CAAHEP- accredited laboratory science program
- Have graduated with a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on 4.0 scale)
- Have become ASCP certified within the past five years
- Be a member of ASCP
What are Career Ambassadors responsible for?
Career Ambassadors will be responsible for preparing their own presentations and for making arrangements for their own classroom presentations. Presentations may also be made at career fairs and other appropriate venues. ASCP will determine whether presentations at alternate venues count toward the award requirements. ASCP will provide suggested talking points, but Career Ambassadors are expected to create unique presentations that draw on their personal experiences. ASCP will provide Career Ambassadors with career brochures to be distributed to students, as well as evaluation forms to be completed by students and teachers. Students will send the evaluation forms to ASCP to document their presentations.
What is the incentive?
Each Career Ambassador who submits documentation of 10 satisfactory presentations will receive a $1,000 award.
Who provides funding?
The ASCP Career Ambassador Program is generously sponsored by Roche, one of the world’s leading research-oriented healthcare groups with core business in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.
Questions?
For more information, please contact ambassador@ascp.org.