ASCP Survey Gauges Impact of Pandemic on Laboratory Staffing and Testing

Since last March, many laboratories nationwide have shifted their efforts to focus on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. To gauge how laboratory staffing needs have been affected by the pandemic, ASCP added a series of COVID-19 related questions to its biannual Vacancy Survey which was launched in June.

Altogether, 476 individuals in management or human resource positions responded to the pandemic-related questions. Staff in the ASCP Institute for Science, Technology and Policy, which conducted the survey, is currently analyzing the responses separately from the regular portion of the Vacancy Survey which will be released early next year.

Questions asked if the pandemic affected a lab’s testing volumes, staffing levels, the degree of difficulty of obtaining COVID-19 test kits and whether COVID-19 tests were performed in house or outsourced. Twenty-four percent of respondents indicated they furloughed staff rather than laying them off. The majority of those on furlough were medical laboratory scientists or medical laboratory technologists.

Meanwhile, six percent of pathologists who responded said they furloughed between one and 10 percent of their staff pathologists. Nearly half said the average length of furlough longer than a month.

Another series of questions pertained to the overall impact the pandemic response has had on institutions, such as hiring freezes or hiring slow-downs. Sixty percent of respondents said it had affected their institutions, and a majority of respondents indicated they had reassigned lab staff to other positions during the pandemic. Survey responses indicated that turn-around times for lab results remained unchanged.

You can read more about the survey responses by clicking here.