High school students to show value of lab career through video contest
CHICAGO – Feb. 24, 2009 – The Chicago-based American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) has teamed up with Abbott Laboratories and Channel One to sponsor the first-place winner of a contest aimed at raising awareness of the clinical science and laboratory professional field among pre-college students. Channel One reaches some six million teens daily and is described as the leading source of information for young people. It also provides resources to aid teachers in running lessons on laboratory topics.
Through March 6, students will be challenged to create a two-minute video that demonstrates the value and purpose of a career in laboratory medicine. The contest is designed to encourage students to research and understand what laboratory professionals do. The winner will receive $2,500 from ASCP and two runners-up will each receive $1,000. Promotion of the contest and the winning video will be broadcast on Channel One.
The shortage in this field is a result of several issues, including medical laboratory science department school closings, low enrollment rates, retirement from the field, and lack of awareness about the profession.
A few facts:
- A recent survey by the Coordinating Council on the Clinical Laboratory Workforce shows that of 4,500 students currently enrolled in a clinical laboratory program, 75 percent were not aware of the profession before leaving high school.
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests that by 2012, nearly 138,000 laboratory professionals will be needed, and predicts that fewer than 50,000 new laboratorians will be trained by that time.
- The average age of laboratory professionals is mid-40s and many are approaching retirement age.
- The number of laboratory tests is increasing as baby boomers hit their high healthcare consuming years.
- Laboratory test results comprise 70 percent of a patient’s medical record.
Laboratory technologists are highly trained and perform tasks to ensure patients get proper treatment. Often referred to as the “hidden healthcare profession,” laboratory professionals provide information that aids in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases.
Abbott’s Labs Are Vital campaign was launched in 2006 to increase awareness about what laboratory professionals do and promote the field as a viable and satisfying career choice. This contest is one of many initiatives of the Abbott Labs Are Vital program, a campaign organized to address the issues of the clinical laboratory field, including awareness, workforce shortage and recognition.
To learn more about the video contest, visit
http://www.channelone.com/labs-are-vital/.
To learn more about the Labs Are Vital program, visit
http://labsarevital.com/html/main.isx?sitesec=1.0.0.0
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.