Reception Wraps Up Opening Day of CLEC
The first day of CLEC came to a close on Thursday night with a reception with exhibits, poster presentations and technology demonstrations.
During the reception, attendees were able to network with colleagues across the country -- and internationally.
Lester Hardegree, EdD, MT (ASCP), program director and associate professor of biomedical sciences at Qatar University, said CLEC offers a great way to rub elbows with the stars of clinical lab education. The knowledge imparted at CLEC helps Dr. Hardegree at the first NAACLS-accredited foreign program.
His colleague in the Qatar program, Cynthia A. Brown, CLS(NCA), MT(ASCP), said her experience in Qatar has been eye-opening. “I’m not seeing everything through the American lens now,” she explained. Brown said Qatar’s phenomenal economic growth in the past 50 years has propelled the country’s medical lab program (and healthcare, in general) quickly into the 21st century. In fact, when the two-and-a-half year process for accreditation was sealed, the lab program was the first accredited program at the university. The process, she said, moved quickly because of the eagerness and cooperation of the administration at the university.
Meanwhile, back on American soil, Dennis J. Ernst, MT(ASCP), director of the Center for Phlebotomy Education in Ramsey, IN, is thrilled about the new school of phlebotomy recently started by the Center. Ernst was among the many exhibitors showcasing wares during the opening reception. Most recently, an order of the draw pen has kept Ernst busy. He said he did not anticipate the popularity of the pen, and has ordered thousands more to keep pace with demand.
Toward the end of the night, everyone was treated to a large 25th anniversary CLEC cake decorated with the Denver theme, “Education With Altitude.”
Friday’s agenda ranges from levels of practice to digital moviemaking in the classroom and cost effective methods for incorporation of molecular techniques into the CLS program.