June 2008 ASCP President’s Message by Lee Hilborne, MD, MPH, DLM(ASCP)^CM, FASCP, FCAP

A contingent of ASCP members hit the pavement on Capitol Hill April 29, visiting with more than 60 key Congressional members and high level staffers to educate them on the needs of the laboratory community. It was an unprecedented display of strength on the part of ASCP, with volunteers coming from all parts of the country to represent their Society and their profession. It clearly illustrated our commitment to laboratory medicine and the patients we serve and sent a powerful message to legislators, whose decisions can greatly impact long-term healthcare quality, including laboratory medicine. Hill Day also had an unanticipated but powerful effect on me and several other volunteers.

Before meeting with governmental leaders, volunteers had a chance to get together to prepare and share their enthusiasm about the day ahead. Most of us were pretty excited about what we hoped to accomplish. We would go into the meetings with a well-prepared message and, thus, were able to present our case in a concise and coherent way. But our enthusiasm was based on more than this. It flowed from a shared sense of camaraderie and purpose.

Almost Like Family

Several colleagues commented that working for ASCP was almost like working with family. It was hard work but fun. Many of the volunteers have worked together on other projects and know each other well – others were new and quickly welcomed to the “clan.” Because of this and our shared passion for the profession, we have come to be more like family than colleagues – or even friends. When a “family” works together to achieve a shared vision, they can accomplish a great deal.

Happily, our ASCP family has achieved some pretty amazing things over the past few years. We've dramatically increased our presence and respect in Washington, DC, and with local and state governments. We have worked incredibly well with other specialties, attracted many new ASCP members, and increased our humanitarian efforts and educational programs. Likewise, ASCP certification has become the international gold standard for excellence in laboratory medicine. Virtually every graduate of a laboratory medicine training program in the U.S. took the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) certification exam last year. Now, with the introduction of ASCPi, ASCP-BOC certification is gaining international recognition and acceptance.

During our meetings in Washington it dawned on me that if members of a single organization can achieve so much on their own, imagine what we can accomplish in collaboration with other organizations. This underscored for me the importance of our ongoing collaborative efforts and the need to increase those efforts when possible. In fact, an important step toward that goal was recently taken when officers of the ASCP and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) met to discuss possible areas of cooperation.

Expansion of Collaborative Efforts

A joint memo sent out to ASCP and CAP Fellows noted that laboratory medicine, along with the entire medical profession, is moving fast in many new directions – directions that promise to radically affect how we practice medicine. This evolution will present us with some tremendous challenges. But, it will also present us with opportunities – opportunities to transform the profession’s future and make sure our members have the tools for success needed in the new environment. Although ASCP and CAP have somewhat different missions, and ASCP embraces the entire laboratory profession, both are concerned with preserving the profession and the quality of patient care. It only makes sense that we work together whenever we can. And that’s exactly what we plan to do.

I was reminded how important our advocacy efforts are about a week later when one of our members, medical technologist (MT) Cindy Parrish, shared some of her thoughts with me. Although MTs often go “unnoticed,” Cindy noted, she said she would never change professions. Besides loving what she does, she knows she makes a difference in someone’s life every time she does a lab test. Patients usually come in contact only with phlebotomists who collect their blood, she added. They don’t realize a whole team of highly trained professionals work behind the scenes to provide scores of test results that enable physicians and nurses to properly perform their duties. And, they put the patient first because they know it’s the right thing to do.

Next time I go to Capitol Hill, I’ll be thinking about Cindy and the thousands of others just like her.

Note: See “ASCP Advocates Advance Laboratory Agenda” for more information on ASCP Hill Day.