News, Analysis, Trends, Management Innovations for
Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

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Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

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Microbiologist Writes Children’s Book on Becoming a Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Encouraging the next generation of clinical laboratorians could contribute to solving current staffing shortages in the nation’s medical laboratories

This holiday season brings an exciting new gift that will catch the attention of Dark Daily’s readers. It’s a children’s book that introduces young readers to working in clinical laboratories!

The book, titled, “I Want to be a Laboratory Scientist,” follows a girl named Kori who is working on a school project about her mother’s job as a microbiology clinical laboratory scientist.

“This is a steppingstone into the career of laboratory science, so we should share what we do with the world. Any lab scientist who has a child, niece, nephew, or grandchild in their life should give this gift. It could open an entirely new world of possibilities for them. It could make them excited for science,” said the book’s author Kelli Garcia, microbiology supervisor at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, part of Trinity Health of New England, in an exclusive interview with Dark Daily.

“Most children have a small idea or image of what options are available in medicine or science—usually a doctor or nurse. They never see the people that work behind the scenes or different areas,” Garcia noted.

She penned her book with hopes of calling attention to medical fields beyond those most commonly seen by children, as she also had only learned about the field when she was graduating from college.

“I Want to be a Laboratory Scientist,” is now available at many major retailers, including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. (Graphic copyright: Kelli Garcia.)

Opening Children’s Eyes

Garcia’s journey took about four years from the moment she began writing to finally finding a publisher for her 36-page book that’s geared toward 6-8 year-olds. “I spent many hours writing and rewriting so it wouldn’t be too specific but also not too minimal that the point and purpose would be missed,” she said, adding that her daughter was her muse.

Garcia’s own children have excitedly brought the book to their schools and shared them with their local library. Such steps could help a field that is working hard to keep up with demand.

“There are so many ways to engage children in different areas of science as long as we make those areas known to them. They don’t all wants to be a doctor or nurse, but some still want to help in another way. This book will show them you can be in medicine helping people but behind the scenes—the unsung hero,” microbiologist and children’s book author Kelli Garcia (above) told Dark Daily. She added, “It will also make them aware that laboratory science is a rewarding career and show that it’s not just doctors and nurses who are involved in treating patients.” (Photo copyright: Kelli Garcia.)

Helping with Laboratory Staffing Shortages

“Over the decade, there are expected to be about 24,200 job openings each year, primarily due to the need to replace workers who retire or leave the field,” according to an American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) news story. The organization also noted that recent data from the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) show that only 4,246 students graduated from medical laboratory scientist (MLS) programs and only 4,380 students graduated from medical laboratory technician (MLT) programs.

Those low numbers are not going unnoticed. The Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024, introduced in September by State Representative Deborah Ross (NC-02), was created to help bring a much-needed boost to the field. The Act brought in grants for clinical laboratory staff training in accredited institutions and added “medical laboratory professionals to the National Health Service Corps,” the ASCLS noted.

The ASCLS continues to encourage those working in clinical laboratories to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill to further support the field.

Hope is growing that more students will choose clinical laboratory work for their futures. Medical and clinical laboratory technologist was listed in Careers Fittest rankings of the top 14 careers to consider in 2024/2025. Careers Fittest cited an 11% job growth expected in the area by 2031.

It is a worthy objective to educate younger children about the career path of a clinical laboratory scientist and opportunities to work in microbiology laboratories. Perhaps Garcia’s new children’s book will help with that trend, and just in time for the holidays!

—Kristin Althea O’Connor

Related Information:

New Book Inspires Kids to Become Lab Scientists

Labvocate Action Alert: Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act Introduced in Congress

H.R.9849-Medical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Relief Act of 2024

The Best Careers for the Future: 14 High-Growth Jobs (2024–2025 and Beyond)

Microbiology: What is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist?

COLA Clinical Laboratory Workforce Summit in Fort Worth, Texas, Engages Stakeholders in Effort to Train More Medical Laboratory Scientists

Representatives from almost 50 different clinical laboratories, professional associations, and societies came together this week to align efforts to expand the supply and retention of qualified laboratory scientists

FORT WORTH, TEXAS—Last week, representatives from a broad cross section of clinical laboratories, lab and pathology associations, public health laboratories, and lab regulatory bodies gathered specifically to identify ways to expand the number of skilled lab professionals.

COLA organized the “Workforce Action Alliance Summit,” a one-day gathering of key clinical laboratory stakeholders who share a common interest in developing initiatives that would directly increase the number of individuals choosing to pursue a career in laboratory medicine.

This is not a new problem, as the lack of trained laboratory scientists across all scientific disciplines has been acute for many years.

COLA Graphic
The logo above was developed by COLA to support the Workforce Action Alliance Summit. This year’s first work session took place last week in Fort Worth, Texas. Participants came from such organizations as the CDC Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS), American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC), along with a number of clinical laboratories. The goal of this initiative is to pull together wide-ranging interests within the profession of laboratory medicine and align specific efforts with projects that directly increase the recruitment, training, and retention of skilled laboratory scientists. (Graphic copyright: COLA.)

Call to Action

In a communication sent to invited participants, COLA’s CEO, Nancy Stratton, and COO, Kathy Nucifora, described the objective of the summit, writing:

“Clearly a call to collective action is required if we are to address the impending clinical laboratory workforce shortage. The past three years have demonstrated the significance of a resilient laboratory infrastructure, not only for the daily care of millions of Americans, but also during the global pandemic. The numerous efforts currently underway to resolve the shortage are unquestionably a component of the solution. Many, however, believe that these efforts are insufficient to close the gap between the projected number of new entrants into the profession, the rate at which those currently in the profession are departing, and the future demand for laboratory testing.”

Robert L. Michel, Editor-in-Chief of Dark Daily’s sister publication The Dark Report was a participant at COLA’S workforce summit. The Dark Report regularly profiles clinical laboratory organizations that have developed innovative and productive initiatives designed to increase the number of students choosing to train as medical technologists (MTs), clinical laboratory scientists (CLSs), medical laboratory technologists (MLTs) and other skilled lab positions.

In materials distributed at the summit, the ongoing gap between demand for skilled lab professionals and the supply was illustrated thusly:

“The US Department of Labor estimates 320,000 bachelors and associates degreed laboratory professionals are working in the United States. If each of those professionals worked a standard 40-year career, the natural annual attrition of 2.5% would require 8,000 new professionals to maintain their current numbers. This exceeds the current output of accredited educational programs by more than 1,000 annually.” 

Case Studies of Success

Over the course of the day, participants at the summit heard about the successes of certain laboratory organizations designed to get more students into training programs, supported by the educational courses required for them to become certified in their chosen area of laboratory medicine. These case studies centered around several themes:

  • Obtaining funding specifically to establish an MT/CLS training program to increase the number of candidates in a region. One example involved ARUP Laboratories and its success at working with a local Congressional representative to get a $3 million federal grant funded as part of a larger legislative package.
  • The medical laboratory scientist (MLS) program at Saint Louis University (SLU) worked with Quest Diagnostics to launch an accelerated bachelor’s degree program. The 16-month program combines online academic courses with intensive hands-on learning and clinical experiences in Quest’s Lenexa, Kansas, laboratory. The first students in this accelerated degree program began their studies in the spring semester of 2023.
  • By rethinking the structure of its existing didactic and experiential learning structure, NorthShore University HealthSystem’s MLS program, located at Evanston Hospital north of Chicago, doubled its enrollment capacity.

During the afternoon, working groups addressed ways that lab organizations can collaborate to increase recruitment and retention of laboratory scientists across all disciplines of lab medicine. This input was synthesized into action planning for the three priorities that can lead to expanding the lab workforce.

By day’s end, several working groups were organized with specific next steps. COLA is taking the lead in managing this initiative and giving it momentum. All clinical laboratory professionals and pathologists are welcome to participate in the Workforce Action Alliance (WAA). Anyone wishing to learn more can contact COLA by clicking here, calling 800-981-9883, or by visiting https://education.cola.org/contact-us-page.

Robert L. Michel

Related Information:

COLA Workforce Action Alliance Summit

Building the Capacity and Resiliency of the Laboratory Workforce

Industry Execs Will Convene to Address the Lab Workforce Shortage

Executives Convene to Address the Laboratory Workforce Shortage

Biomedical and Molecular Diagnostics Firms Compete To Hire Already-Scarce Medical Laboratory Technologists

In Silicon Valley, biotech and molecular companies “raid” hospital laboratories to hire away MTs and CLSs

Competition for already hard-to-find medical technologists (MT) and clinical laboratory scientists (CLS) is heating up as biomedical and molecular development companies vie with hospitals and medical laboratories for these highly-prized workers. Growth in demand for MTs and CLSs by biotech companies means that clinical laboratories will face stiff competition when recruiting and hiring for these positions.

This competition for hiring MTs and CLSs was recently the topic of a story in the San Francisco Business Times (SFBT). Molecular development companies in the Bay Area want to hire qualified clinical laboratory professionals. The demand pressure from this emerging sector is driving up wages and further stressing the capacity of underfunded job-training programs, according to the article. (more…)

Vacancy Rates for MTs and Technical Staff in Medical Laboratories Continue to Climb

American Society of Clinical Pathology study cites better pay and lack of skills as main barriers to recruiting MTs, CLSs, and MLTs

Staffing shortages of medical technologists (MT) continue to be a significant problem for clinical laboratories across America. Moreover, the vacancy rates of qualified clinical laboratory scientists required to properly staff medical laboratories are increasing. These findings were released recently by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

At the management level, it was reported that recruiters are finding it particularly hard to fill supervisory positions in Histology Laboratories and Blood Banks. Further, experts predict that Chemistry, Immunology and Histology labs will suffer most over the next five years as Baby Boomers retire in ever-increasing numbers.

(more…)

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