Lab Week 2021: Creative Ways to Celebrate the Medical Laboratory Teams During a Pandemic

As we celebrate Lab Week 2021 from April 18-24, it is important to honor all of the medical laboratory professionals who have gone the extra mile this year to provide quality patient care. They have heroically worked behind the scenes every day, especially in the fight against the COVID-19.   

“A little recognition can go a long way in letting laboratory professionals know they are seen and their work is valued. Hopefully honoring these individuals will also help combat burnout,” says Michelle Campbell, MLS(ASCP)CM, MBCM, Development Technologist in the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. 

In prior years, many health systems celebrated Lab Week by giving tours to provide other healthcare professionals a peek into the “often hidden world” of the lab. That may not be a viable option for some labs this year, Ms. Campbell notes.

“What employers can do is harness their social media pages and internal webpages to highlight the laboratory and their work,” she advises. “One creative way to do this is a spotlight series where, each day, a different member of the lab team is interviewed about their job, shares what inspired them to become a laboratory professional, and even a fun bit about their life outside of work.” 

Ms. Campbell says that while the laboratory she works in has not yet started to plan its Lab Week celebration, she has a few ideas about ways for her colleagues to celebrate while still maintaining social distancing. These include providing individually-wrapped treats, staggering celebration times among co-workers so the area doesn’t get too crowded, and playing trivia and other games for prizes in a virtual space or via email.

“In previous years, we have played lab BINGO via email,” she says, reminiscing. “Everyone has a BINGO card, but instead of calling out numbers face-to-face, they are periodically sent via email. Once someone has BINGO, they send out an email to the whole group virtually yelling “BINGO!!” No matter the activities we choose, it is certainly a year to celebrate lab professionals a little extra!”