Who Is Going to Lead Your Laboratory in 2014?
Approximately 20 percent of lab managers report planning to retire in the next 5 years, and a shortage of nearly 5,000 medical technologists is projected per year.
On Thursday afternoon, Tara Kochis, executive vice president of Slone Partners, Miami Beach, FL, a laboratory staffing company, provided some somber stats about the lack of new workers entering the workforce to replace them.
Kochis said, "It's pretty alarming ... There's a shortage of folks interested in healthcare in general."
She said lab leaders should have proper succession plans in place.
Succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing suitable employees through mentoring, coaching, training and job rotation to replace key players.
Kochis said 20 percent of a laboratory's workforce should be high performers, based on a matrix of performance and potential.
By identifying the people who have "the ability, initiative and ideas" to lead your lab, Kochis said laboratories build competitive advantage.
"Few healthcare organizations have a strong leadership development process. Implement coaching and you will have a significant advantage over your competition," she concluded.
The session was sponsored by ADVANCE Newsmagazines.