CHICAGO, June 17, 2008—The laboratory team at St. Joseph Mercy Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan celebrated National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW) like many others across the country—open house for the rest of the hospital and the public, heritage pot lucks—meals that celebrate the diversity of the staff—and recognition of standout workers.
The team also had a fundraiser, raising about $600. Rather than using the money for office supplies or new scrubs, the group decided to give the money to the scholarship fund at the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
“We know that the ASCP is working hard on our behalf as lab professionals and we wanted to say thank you,” said Anne Venner, a finance and marketing specialist at SJMH and a member of the Lab Week committee. “We know how it important it is to support ASCP’s work on the workforce shortage and many other important issues that advocate for this profession.”
Venner explained that during this year’s Lab Week celebration, a logo competition was held. The winning logo would be placed on water bottles and shirts to raise money. The Transfusion Services team won the competition with a picture of a microscope encircled by the words: “Laboratory Professionals: Behind the Scenes, Behind the Cure.”
The proceeds were sent to the general ASCP scholarship fund, money that sustains the organization’s annual awards that support individuals interested in pursuing a career in the laboratory profession.
St. Joseph Mercy Health is located in Ann Arbor, Mich.
NMLPW is a chance for medical laboratory personnel to celebrate their professionalism and be recognized for their efforts. It is also an opportunity to inform the public of the workforce shortage in this field and how it affects the healthcare system. The Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that 10,000 new clinical laboratory scientists and technicians per year are needed over the next 10 years, but fewer than 5,000 are graduating from laboratory science programs annually. In 2005, nearly 44 percent of labs across the country reported having difficulty filling positions. Laboratory professionals do everything from test blood to uncover diseases to analyzing abnormal cells. More information on these lab positions can be found here.
NMLPW is held during the last full week in April each year and is co-sponsored with several other laboratory professional associations. For more information, click here.
To read more stories about how other labs celebrated Lab Week, 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.