by Barbara J. McKenna, MD, FASCP

I love to hear a choir. I love the humanity... to see the faces of real people devoting themselves to a piece of music. I like the teamwork. It makes me feel optimistic about the human race when I see them cooperating like that.

— Paul McCartney

Pathologists and laboratory professionals might experience a similar sense of optimism after walking through their own laboratory on a weekday morning and seeing common vignettes such as these:

• A cytopathologist leans on the door frame of the cytotechnology screening room while discussing a challenging case with the cytotechnologist who screened it. Together, they decide on the most appropriate diagnosis.
• In the frozen section suite, a histotechnologist and pathologist work in concert to manage a lineup of frozen sections that have arrived from three different operating rooms. They clearly have a system in place to manage the work efficiently, as each seems to anticipate the other’s actions.
• When an unusual pattern of antibiotic resistance appears in a patient’s bacterial isolate, the microbiology technologist and laboratory director review the frequency of this finding in other laboratory isolates. They then discuss the best way to communicate this finding to the clinical care team.

Just as any laboratory is a diverse collection of professionals who work in concert to achieve excellence in laboratory medicine, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is an organization that, from its inception, has recognized the importance of harmony in the laboratory.

A group of 40 physicians, who were among the early practitioners of laboratory medicine, formed the ASCP in 1922. Two of their primary objectives were to establish standards for the performance of laboratory tests and to enhance the recognition and status of the nascent profession. The next logical step was the 1928 formation of the Board of Certification, an organization formed to insure laboratory tests are performed by qualified individuals. BOC certification has been the gold standard for the certification of laboratory professionals ever since, and more than 430,000 individuals have become certified since the organization’s inception.

However, the achievements did not stop there. Throughout its history, ASCP has balanced service to its pathologist members with attention to the importance of excellence throughout the profession and, today, can take credit for many firsts:

• The first compilation of standardized laboratory techniques
• The first journal devoted to laboratory medicine
• The first Curriculum for Schools of Medical Technology
• The first continuing education program offered specifically for medical technologists (It was conducted by Dr. Emma Moss, who later became the first female ASCP president as well as the first female president of any pathology society.)
• Establishment of the Board of Schools and publication of the Essentials of an Acceptable Medical Technology School (The Board of Schools later became the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.)
• The first regional workshops for directors of medical technology schools (They were cosponsored by ASCP and the American Society for Medical Technology, today’s American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.)
• First pathology organization to create Associate and Affiliate member categories
• The first self-assessment tool for technologists (TechSample)
• The first pathology organization to include technologists on its board of directors and executive committee
• Establishment of laboratory professional certification programs in 28 countries.

ASCP is the only organization whose composition truly reflects your laboratory. Its membership comprises pathologists, medical technologists, histotechnologists, cytotechnologists, pathology assistants, and phlebotomists. Pathology residents and technology students are also members.

At every level of the Society, the theme continues. The chairs of the Fellow Council, the Council of Laboratory Professionals, and the Resident Council all hold seats on the ASCP Board of Directors. Cytopathologists and cytotechnologists work as an ensemble to create cytology assessment programs. The various committees overseen by the Commissions on Education and Assessment include representatives from every ASCP membership category— and they all work together to make sure ASCP programs meet members’ needs.

The Public Policy Commission and the ASCP Washington Office, meanwhile, strive to bring attention to issues that affect every area of laboratory medicine, from pathologist reimbursement and the clinical laboratory fee schedule to the laboratory workforce shortage and state licensure of laboratory professionals.

I could go on and on, but you already know the song. You and your colleagues are busy living it day in and day out. ASCP Board member Irina Lutinger, MPH, FACHE, MASCP, H(ASCP)DLM, is senior administrative director for clinical laboratories at New York University Langone Medical Center. She is also a talented pianist. At a recent ASCP event, she explained her view of the laboratory. She said it is like a symphony orchestra with the various divisions playing together under a single conductor. It takes talented individuals with special skills to keep laboratory instruments calibrated, just as it does to keep musical instruments tuned. When the laboratory is working well, it produces accurate and elegantly sound test results, just as properly tuned woodwinds and strings make beautiful music.

Today, when you look around your laboratory, notice the choir of people working in harmony to produce those elegantly accurate and sound test results. You know this does not happen without training, practice, and ongoing education. You know laboratories could not properly serve patients without skilled individuals to draw their blood, analyze their specimens, handle and prepare their biopsies, and then determine what it all means. The fact is, we could not serve any patients without all of us. ASCP understands this.

Dr. McKenna is Associate Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Director, Surgical Pathology Fellowship Program, and attending physician, University of Michigan Hospitals, Ann Arbor, MI.