Council of Laboratory Professionals Focus on Stemming Workforce Shortage

Addressing the nationwide shortage of medical laboratory professionals is the top goal of the ASCP Council of Laboratory Professionals (CLP) for the year ahead. “The lack of visibility of our profession is a is a major concern I want to champion,” says CLP Chair Tiffany Channer, MPH, MLS (ASCP) ^CM.

Ms. Channer is urging CLP members to visit their local schools and educate students about the variety of career opportunities within medical laboratory sciences. She also hopes to develop mentorship activities to support younger laboratory professionals on the leadership track.

“Baby Boomers, with their vast years of experience, are retiring in droves. Younger professionals are promoted without a blueprint of managing operations,” she says. “Younger colleagues lack the depth of expertise in budget management, staff scheduling, conflict resolution and preparation for inspections. They are treading water, and we need to support them. The Council, as a collective group, is being split in work groups to develop an activity or course that could assist with this concern.”

Ms. Channer is also interested in developing partnerships with other organizations, particularly those focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education and outreach. “My ultimate focus is to educate, enlighten and motivate current and future laboratory professionals of the critical role that medical laboratory science has in health care,” she says. “The CLP is the voice of laboratory professionals. There is a tremendous lack of laboratory professionals working in rural areas. This impacts the quality of life for individuals residing within those communities; hence, the health of the public is affected. The CLP is conducting a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to identify how best to tackle it.”

In the meantime, she is taking her message into different volunteer spaces. “I wear my Career Ambassador lab coat at many events,” she says, with a laugh. “My lab coat gets a lot of attention, which allows me to educate others on the Career Ambassador 2.0 program. Last week, I wore it to my alma mater, Stony Brook University. I was a part of an alumni panel, speaking to the junior medical laboratory science class about our different career journeys and how medical laboratory science has given us such amazing opportunities. In my speech, I spoke of the importance of volunteerism and getting involved in professional societies. I received many questions from students and some panelists about my lab coat as well as my efforts. If we want to grow our profession, we have to get out there and tell our stories!”