The American Society for Clinical Pathology 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. 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. Ambassadors who make 10 presentations receive a $1,000 award at the end of their one-year tenure.

ASCP’s Wage and Vacancy Report, published in the March 2009 issue of LabMedicine, shows that half of all labs currently struggle to fill laboratory science positions. A 2007 survey by the Coordinating Council for the Clinical Laboratory Workforce (CCCLW) found that the vast majority of high school students are unaware that the medical laboratory profession is a viable career choice. Of 3,960 people new laboratory professionals surveyed, 76% learned about the career option only after leaving high school. The CCCLW concluded that awareness and recruitment efforts should be directed to the high school level.

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Eligibility
To be considered for the ASCP 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)
• Submit a one-page letter of recommendation from supervisor, hospital administrator, clinical director, or professor that speaks to the candidate’s passion for the laboratory profession
• Have become ASCP certified within the past five years
• Be a member of ASCP
• Submit 5-minute video essay that answers the question: “Why did I become a laboratory professional?” This essay will serve as the template for selected Ambassadors’ presentations. Video submissions should be uploaded to YouTube. A link to your video should be included in your application or emailed to ambassador@ascp.org  

Responsibilities
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 Ambassadors are expected to create unique presentations that draw on their personal experiences. ASCP will provide 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.

Award
Each Ambassador who submits documentation of 10 satisfactory presentations will receive a $1,000 award.

Deadline
Applications must be received by ASCP by August 1, 2010.

Selection
ASCP will announce the Ambassadors in mid-August. Additional information and support materials will be provided to Ambassadors in September.

Funding
The ASCP Ambassador Program is generously sponsored by Roche, one of the world’s leading research-oriented healthcare groups with core business in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.

For more information, please contact ambassador@ascp.org.