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Lezlee Koch, Past ASCLS Region V Director

URGENT TIMES REQUIRE URGENT ACTIONS – PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT IS CRITICAL

We are in the midst of "urgent times". Clinical laboratory professionals across the nation are practicing their profession during a time of upheaval and turmoil due to the extreme economic downturn. Every day in the news we are seeing extreme actions healthcare facilities are taking to respond to the current economic crisis. These actions document the fact that healthcare is not recession proof. The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics demonstrate that more hospitals recorded mass lay offs in 2008 than any year in the past decade.

Unfortunately this economic crisis has not crested yet. An American Hospital Association report has documented that credit is continuing to tighten and the unemployment rate continues to increase which will lead to increasing numbers of patients that are not able to pay for healthcare. All of these factors will lead to healthcare continuing to take drastic measures to remain fiscally sound. A national survey completed in December 2008 documents that the laboratory profession and its professionals are not immune to the drastic measures being taken. Areas of impact being seen in clinical laboratories across the nation include:

Budget cuts
Severe cut backs in education programs
Implementation of hiring freezes
Elimination of overtime
Mandatory reduction in hours
Reduction in force/lay offs
Wage cuts and benefit reductions
Delayed capital purchases
Bringing more testing in-house but not increasing staffing levels (do more with less)
Closing of satellite locations and smaller facilities
Hiring less educated staff to perform testing, or cross training entry level positions to perform some testing responsibilities
Mandating supervisory staff to work the bench fulltime

The fallout of these drastic impact areas has not even begun to be identified. Without appropriate staffing, clinical laboratories may mandate overtime which can lead to morale issues and fatigue – leading to increasing errors, decreasing service levels, and decreasing quality. Without appropriate instrumentation, clinical laboratories may impact directly on testing availability or service issues related to instrument downtimes. All of these have the potential to impact on clinical laboratory professionals and the way they strive to provide accessible, affordable, and safe clinical laboratory services.

Over the past several weeks I’ve heard clinical laboratory professionals question whether the economic downturn will impact negatively on professional organizations and actions that need to be taken to move our profession forward. My response to these discussions is, "Now more than ever Clinical Laboratory Science professionals must be united, visible and involved in their profession!"

It is especially critical during times like these that clinical laboratory professionals MUST be visible in their workplaces, demonstrate the value they bring to healthcare, and support strong advocacy at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Clinical Laboratory Science Professionals MUST be united to speak out in a common LOUD voice for the profession. This can not be done by individual practitioners alone. There is strength and power in numbers! Now is the time for ALL Clinical Laboratory Professionals to:

Become or remain members in strong professional organizations such as ASCLS!
Offer their talents and time to assist in accomplishing professional actions!
Be positive advocates for their profession!
Grow their professional network so they have instant access to professional leaders throughout the nation!
Take personal responsibility for their professional growth so they become more valuable to their employer and their profession!
Seek additional responsibility within their facilities and within their communities!
Be positive role models and mentors!
Identify new cost-effective ways to accomplish tasks!
Be accountable, flexible, involved, and engaged in their workplaces and in their profession!
Be aware and ready to respond to all areas that have the ability to impact on their profession!
Live and practice their profession every day based on a strong code of ethics – Duty to the Patient, Duty to Colleagues and the Profession, Duty to Society!

Now is not the time to back away from taking professional actions or choose not to invest in our professional selves and our profession! United in ASCLS… Clinical Laboratory Science Professionals Make A Difference By Being Involved & Supporting Each Other and Our Profession!