American Society for Clinical Pathology - Wage and Vacancy Report: Laboratory Workforce Shortage Reaches Crisis

ASCP Wage and Vacancy Report Shows Labs Experiencing Hiring Difficulties

CHICAGO – March 3, 2009 – Half of all laboratories nationwide struggle to hire laboratory personnel. Increased competition for qualified staff and lower compensation for laboratory work were cited as major issues among others.

Published in the March 2009 issue of LabMedicine, the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s (ASCP) Wage & Vacancy survey provides current wage data and information about the distribution of personnel within the nation’s clinical laboratory workforce and is conducted every two years. The Society first started tracking this data in 1988 and is the primary source of information for academic, governmental, and industry labor analysts in defining the state of the nation’s clinical laboratory workforce.

Sixty-three percent of clinical laboratories report increased competition for qualified staff as a stumbling block to hiring new personnel. Thirty-three percent report low compensation as a problem and 28 percent say that applicants are unwilling to relocate. According to the survey, medical technologists (MT) at the staff level are the most difficult to replace (63 percent) followed by medical laboratory technicians (MLT) at 38 percent.

MTs have the highest vacancy rate at 10.4 percent, highest in the East North Central and Far West. Laboratory assistants (LA) also reported high vacancy at 8.8 percent with the largest holes in high-volume testing labs (26.3 percent). Histotechnicians (HT) also rated among the highest in vacancies at 8 percent. The survey showed MLTs with a 6.4 percent vacancy rate, highest in outpatient clinics, reference labs and high-volume testing labs.

The national average salary for a full-time MT is $47, 840 per year. MT supervisors checked in at about $59,240, and managers reported an average of about $70,720 annually. Cytotechnologist (CT) wages are slightly higher with staff level workers making an average of $58,032. The survey shows that the highest earner in the field is the pathologists’ assistant (PA), with staff level wages around $72,800 per year. Staff level laboratory assistants make an average annual salary of $28,080, while phlebotomists (PBT) earn $27,040 annually.

Another workforce shortage issue is baby boomer retirement. Thirteen percent of the current laboratory staff is likely to retire in the next five years, according to the survey. Hiring qualified staff to replace baby boomer workers will prove tough with fewer becoming trained. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that by 2012, 138,000 lab professionals will be needed, but fewer than 50,000 will be trained. And as boomers hit their highest healthcare consuming years, an increasing number of laboratory tests will exacerbate the need for trained laboratory professionals.

The survey also shows turnover rates across the field. Since last year, MT staff positions in hospital labs endured a 30 percent increase in turnover, 38 percent for PBT staff positions. Phlebotomist turnover in the West South Central states and in the Far West was significantly higher (56 percent and 50 percent, respectively).

Finally, exposure and awareness of the laboratory profession has had an effect on recruitment. A recent survey by the Coordinating Council on the Clinical Laboratory Workforce showed that of 4,500 students enrolled in a clinical science program, 75 percent were not even aware of the profession until after high school. ASCP has several initiatives to increase awareness of students to career options in laboratory medicine, including a new partnership with Abbott Laboratories and Channel One to introduce pre-college students to clinical laboratory science.

To view the entire survey, click here.

###

Founded in 1922, ASCP is a professional society with 130,000 member pathologists and laboratory professionals. Based in Chicago, the ASCP provides excellence in education, certification, and advocacy on behalf of patients, pathologists, and laboratory professionals. Visit ASCP’s Web site at www.ascp.org.

Read dozens of other stories about the serious shortage of laboratory personnel in the US, and what the ASCP is doing to fight the problem here.

resources: related to this section

documents

Fellowship Training Still Viewed as Critical to Careers in Pathology
ASCP Resident Council Annual Survey Highlights Career, Salary Trends
More than half of post-graduate year three and four pathology resident respondents to the ASCP Resident Council survey stated that they were interested in fellowships for the purpose of their long-term career interests. more...

Improving Laboratories in Haiti: ASCP’s Relief Mission
ASCP sent five volunteers to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in June to help reorganize two laboratories destroyed by the earthquake in January. These volunteers witnessed the State University Hospital of Haiti's diagnostic laboratory operating under two large white tents. Roughly 30 technicians and students worked elbow to elbow in the sweltering heat, often turning away large numbers of patients due to lack of supplies. more...

ASCP Endorses Campaign to Develop New Antibiotics
ASCP has endorsed an initiative to develop 10 new antibacterial drugs by the year 2020.

ASCP Prepares for Global Annual Meeting in 2011
The American Society for Clinical Pathology’s (ASCP) Annual Meeting is changing. Not subtle change, but a radical transformation into an exciting, multi-day event for education and collegial exchange worldwide among the entire laboratory team. more...

ASCP Awards Labs for Demonstrating Creative Collaboration
Nine labs win party during National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week Phlebotomists at Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, CA. helped the laboratory increase patient satisfaction by 45 percent by doing something very simple – leaving a calling card. When a patient’s blood is drawn at this medical facility in this city, a bright yellow card with the phlebotomist’s name, number and a brief explanation of phlebotomy services is left in the room. Read more about the unique labs.

ASCP Donates 2,000 Textbooks to Tanzanian Medical Technology Schools
Book hand-over ceremony recognizes Society’s efforts
CHICAGO – April 22, 2010 – The ASCP donated 2,000 textbooks to 10 medical technology programs in Tanzania as part of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). more...

ASCP Kicks Off Second Annual Ambassador Program to Raise Awareness of Medical Laboratory Profession
In conjunction with National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (April 19-24), the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is opening the application process for its second annual ASCP Ambassador program, an initiative designed to promote careers in the medical laboratory. more...

ASCP Helps in Haiti
ASCP's Global Outreach program seeks members who are fluent in French or Creole to continue ASCP's support of the national laboratory in Haiti in the wake of the January 2010 earthquake. ASCP consultants have worked in Haiti since 2007 through the Society's involvement in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. more...

ASCP Works to Fight Lab Staff Shortage
Read dozens of stories about the serious shortage of laboratory personnel in the US, and what the ASCP is doing to fight the problem. more...

Gene Patent Class Action Lawsuit Proceeds
A judge overseeing the class action lawsuit to determine the constitutionality of gene patenting has allowed the case to proceed despite a request to dismiss by the defendants. more...

Swine Flu, Gene Patents and Pap vs. HPV are ASCP Annual Meeting Highlights
When a large pandemic like the H1N1 outbreak occurs, what happens behind the scenes in the laboratory to maintain accuracy and patient safety? When a person finds out they have the genetic makeup for cancer, what are the options? How do forensic pathologists recognize certain wounds and how do they go about working with attorneys in these matters? Is the Pap smear doomed? These and other medical laboratory questions will be explored at the 2009 American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Annual Meeting, scheduled from Oct. 28 – Nov. 1. at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Chicago.

What the ASCP BOR/NCA unified certification agency means for laboratory professionals
The agreement to unite the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (BOC) and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA), signed July 21, 2009, affects certified laboratory professionals in different ways. ASCP has developed a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help individuals navigate the transition to the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC). more...

CDC Awards ASCP $5.5 Million for Global Laboratory Outreach
The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Institute for Global Outreach has been awarded $5.5 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to continue the Society’s collaborative work with the agency in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) during 2009-10. more...

President Clinton Proud to Work with ASCP in Africa
The Clinton Foundation’s HIV/AIDS Initiative and ASCP have become partners in a global project to improve the quality of laboratories in Africa. On July 27, 2009, in Kigali, Rwanda, government health officials from 13 African countries launched the first-ever push for accreditation of the continent’s medical laboratories. more...

ASCP BOR and NCA Form Single Certification Agency
The American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (BOR) and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA) on July 21, 2009, signed an agreement forming a single certification agency for medical laboratory professionals. The agency will be called the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC). The agreement is effective on Friday, October 23, 2009. At that time, the NCA will be dissolved as a corporation. more...

ASCP Ambassador Program to Raise Awareness of Laboratory Science Field
April 20, 2009 - The ASCP today launches National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week by announcing a new program to raise awareness of the laboratory profession among high school students. The ASCP Ambassador Program will select up to 10 newly certified laboratory professionals to share their personal stories about why they became laboratory professionals.more...

From:
Email:
To:
Email:
Subject:
Message: