ASCP’s Laboratory Workforce Resolution Adopted at 2026 AMA HOD Meeting

• The AMA House of Delegates (HOD) adopted a new policy urging national action to address the worsening shortage of medical laboratory professionals. The policy calls for strengthening training programs, expanding recruitment efforts, and raising awareness of laboratory careers across the healthcare and education systems. 

The ASCP AMA Delegation submitted a resolution to the AMA House of Delegates that was approved during their June annual meeting. The new AMA policy focuses on stabilizing and strengthening the medical laboratory workforce. Prior to submission, the resolution received full approval from the Pathology Section Council, comprised of ASCP, ASC, ASDP, CAP, and NAME – showing support within the pathology and laboratory community. The resolution highlights the essential role of laboratory professionals and pathologists in delivering timely, accurate information and underscores the strain caused by workforce shortages. 

The new AMA policy will support efforts that expand and sustain laboratory education programs, invest in faculty and training infrastructure, and promote greater awareness of laboratory careers among students and the public. It also emphasizes the need for collaboration among educators, accrediting bodies, health systems, and professional societies to address long-standing barriers to entering and remaining in the profession. 

The adoption of this resolution elevates the laboratory workforce as a national priority within organized medicine and ensures the perspectives of laboratory professionals and pathologists are represented in shaping future national workforce policy. The approval of this resolution represents a major advocacy success for ASCP and the AMA Pathology Section Council by demonstrating the influence of unified specialty society collaboration. It also reinforces ASCP’s commitment to supporting the laboratory workforce at a national policy level. 

As laboratory workforce shortages continue to challenge healthcare systems, this new AMA policy provides a strong foundation for future legislative and regulatory efforts aimed at sustaining and advancing the medical laboratory workforce.