The American Society for Clinical Pathology Ambassador Program aims to raise awareness of the laboratory professions among among middle school and high school students. Ten laboratory professionals have been selected to serve as ASCP Ambassadors for 2009–2010. Ambassadors who make 10 presentations during the 2009–2010 school year will receive $1,000 at the end of their one-year tenure. Each Ambassador has been certified within the past five years.
The Ambassadors are as follows:
Holly E. Berg, MT(ASCP)CM, Spokane, WA, Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital
Rachael M. Dalhoff, MLT(ASCP)CM, St. Cloud, MN, CentraCare Laboratory Services
Joyce D. Jones, MT(ASCP)CM, Moline, IL, Metropolitan Medical Laboratory
Katrina R. Lamar, MT(ASCP)CM, Kathleen, GA, Medical Center of Central Georgia
Amy Jean Lamarca, MT(ASCP)CM, Astoria, NY, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Melanie A. LeBlanc, MT(ASCP)CM, Cullman, AL, Cullman Regional Medical Center
Sean A. McNair, CT(ASCP)CM, Brooklyn, NY, Quest Diagnostics
Laura A. Pabian, MT(ASCP)CM, Portland, OR, Legacy Emanuel
Glenda P. Prudencio, MT(ASCP)CM, Austin, TX, University Medical Center at Brackenridge
Brianna Selvaggi, MT(ASCP)CM, West Babylon, NY, New York Blood Center
“We are hoping this program opens the door for students interested in being a part of the medical field and further solidifies new professionals’ choice to be a part of the laboratory team,” said Lynnette G. Chakkaphak, MS, MT(ASCP), chair of the ASCP Council of Laboratory Professionals. “We are excited that ASCP and Roche have a common goal of addressing the laboratory workforce shortage by engaging new professionals and young people across the country.”
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.
ASCP Ambassadors were required to:
- 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 on CD or DVD. A 1,000 word written essay may be submitted in lieu of a video essay.
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.
The ASCP Ambassador Program is sponsored by Roche.
The ASCP hopes to continue the program with a call for more Ambassadors next year. An application will be available spring 2010. Please visit this page again at that time. For more information, please contact William Rodgers at 312.541.4946 or william.rodgers@ascp.org.