CMC Celebrates Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
4/25/2018
By Shana Grifith and Andrea Devers, Carlsbad Medical Center Laboratory
Have you ever wondered who conducts the detailed laboratory testing for your annual exam, such as cholesterol and glucose levels, and analyzes the results? Or who conducts specialized testing for genetic disorders like sickle cell disease or Down syndrome? How about those who identify an antibiotic resistant infection like Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and determine which antibiotic is required to save someone's life? Who looks at the blood cells under the microscope to determine if your routine exam shows that the cells are abnormal? And exactly who and what do they do to make sure your blood is compatible with donor blood if you need a transfusion? Well, if you thought that it was your physician, a nurse or someone else you see at your doctor's office or in the hospital, you would be incorrect.
As team members of one of the largest industries in the United States, the dedicated efforts of medical laboratory professionals often go unnoticed by the general public, as well as by the very institutions employing their services. There are approximately 300,000 practitioners of medical laboratory science in the United States. Since the development of this career group in the 1920s, the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) professional has played an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease. Today, the clinical laboratorian is a key member of a health care team.
Medical Laboratory Science professionals provide up to 70 percent of patients' laboratory testing to physicians so they can provide an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. Rodney Forsman, Administrative Director Emeritus of the Mayo Clinic Medical Laboratories and President of the Clinical Laboratory Management Association, stated that 94 percent of the objective medical data in the patient record comes from the laboratory professionals. Doctors rely on laboratory test results to make informed patient diagnoses. Patient history along with physical signs and symptoms are vital, but most diagnoses need confirmation that only laboratory tests can provide.
Phlebotomists are included in this group of laboratory professionals as we know, without phlebotomists, healthcare cannot function. They make sure samples are drawn, transported, and processed properly. A patient’s lab results are only as good as the specimen that was submitted for testing. They are the backbone of the laboratory.
It is estimated that about 40 percent to 50 percent of students who apply enter medical laboratory science major already have a BS, or even an MS or PhD, in another major (such as microbiology, biology or biomedical studies), but they are either unable to find a job or they find out they can't work in a clinical laboratory without the degree and MLS certification. The MLS field is losing a majority of its employees from the baby boomers retiring. The U.S. will need to replace these folks in the coming years and is welcoming and calling out for more science minded laboratory professionals who will be committed to quality patient care.
This week, April 22-28, let’s celebrate those who work tirelessly on their shift analytically and meticulously with every specimen that passes through their hands. Each specimen that is sent to a laboratory is a patient; a mother, brother, sister, or friend, who deserves the highest level of care possible. Phlebotomists, Medical Laboratory Scientists and Pathologists work with dedication and commitment to patients to provide results that render life-saving treatments.
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