ADVANCE Outlook: Lab Professionals : Professionalism

Avoiding Post-Conference Overload

Amanda Koehler — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:36:00 GMT

Through working on ADVANCE , I have had the opportunity to travel to many great cities across our nation. I love going to conferences, seeing new places and getting to meet all of you ADVANCE readers! However, I know when I get back to the office after...(read more)

How to Work a Room

Amanda Koehler — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:47:00 GMT

Networking has become an important part of finding a new job or even advancing in your current position or overall career. Attending events with your colleagues is always a great time to network. However, sometimes people feel embarrassed, shy or uncomfortable...(read more)

Signs of the Times

Matthew T. Patton — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:46:00 GMT

Acknowledging healthcare reform has been controversial would definitely be an understatement. Almost everywhere I've traveled lately I've heard highly emotional and passionate positions for both sides of the debate. This past weekend, a large group of...(read more)

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

Amanda Koehler — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:04:00 GMT

In her article in the Sept. 7 issue titled "How to Win in Office Politics," writer Karen Appold mentioned the book Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work Without Using Weapons or Duct Tape by Marsha Petrie Sue. In the book, Sue discusses...(read more)

The Importance of Recognition

Amanda Koehler — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:37:00 GMT

Everyone likes to be recognized for his or her work. Managers need to make sure they show their appreciation for their laboratorians. In his book GIVING the Real Recognition Way , Roy Saunderson goes over different recognition scenarios and what managers...(read more)

St. Jude Reveals New Display at Memphis Airport

Matthew T. Patton — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:24:00 GMT

Highlighting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a new display was unveiled recently at the Memphis International Airport in the Danny Thomas Terminal. Inspired by the airport terminal's architecture, the permanent display illustrates in words and...(read more)

Working With Other Generations

Amanda Koehler — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:48:00 GMT

Whenever Ira Wolfe, president, Success Performance Solutions, starts a meeting, he asks who in the audience can name all four Beatles. "It's amazing the shock on the boomers' faces when all the hands don't go up," he said. "I then ask who can name the...(read more)

Job Scope

Kerri Penno — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:29:00 GMT

Are you a healthcare provider? A Career Builder article posted on CNN and written by Rachel Zupek lists the "top jobs for night owls." Zupek theorizes some of us just aren't cut out for the 9-5 world and are simply more productive if working a night job;...(read more)

Opportunity for Students

Amanda Koehler — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:37:00 GMT

Students planning on attending the 2009 ASCLS Annual Meeting July 21-25 in Chicago can apply for the Beckman Coulter Student Travel Grant.

According to Michele "Mickey" Yost, ASCLS Student Forum Chair, the grant will assist in supporting up to five students to attend the annual meeting.

ASCLS student members must submit an application, located at the Student Forum Web site, www.ascls.org/student/studentforum. Then click on Beckman Coulter Student Travel Grant. Yost, a grant recipient in 2008, said selection criteria include professional activities in your state or region and your need for travel funding.

The completed application and meeting registration must be received by April 17 to be eligible for consideration.

For more about the upcoming meeting, visit the ASCLS Annual Meeting Web site at www.ascls.org/conferences/2009AM.

Contact Yost with questions at clsstudentforum@gmail.com.

Last Chance!

Kerri Penno — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:19:00 GMT

Don't miss your opportunity to enter our Laboratory and Laboratory Professional of the Year contests!

We've extended the deadline to enter the annual ADVANCE Laboratory Professional of the Year and Laboratory Facility of the Year Contests to Wednesday, Feb. 25. Click here today to nominate your facility or a coworker for these prestigious awards. All entries should be no longer than 500 words

When nominating a laboratory professional, consider:

How does the nominee improve work environment, patient satisfaction and relations with medical teams?
How does the nominee adjust to change and cope with difficult times?
How does the nominee support other lab professionals and implement the team concept in meeting goals?
How does the nominee go "above and beyond" to make a difference?
How does the nominee pursue continuing education, certification and learn new techniques?

When nominating a laboratory, consider:

How does the facility improve employee and patient satisfaction?
How does the facility participate in community outreach events?
How does the facility encourage innovative programs?
How does the facility go "above and beyond" to make a difference?
How does the facility foster teamwork and good staff relations?

Win Cash and Prizes

$1,000 and a commemorative plaque for the winning laboratory
$200 and a commemorative plaque for the second place laboratory
$100 and a commemorative plaque for the third place laboratory
$500 and a commemorative plaque for the winning laboratory professional
$200 and a commemorative plaque for the second place laboratory professional
$100 and a commemorative plaque for the third place laboratory professional

Nominate a winner and receive a $35 gift certificate to the ADVANCE Healthcare Shop. The winning essays, along with photos, will be featured in the April 20 issue of ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals. These contests are sponsored by Aureus Medical Group, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, CELLNETIX, LabCorp, NewYork-Presbyterian, NYU Langone Medical Center, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, Spectra Laboratories and Spectrum Laboratory Network.

E-mail: kpenno@advanceweb.com with any questions. For more information and discussions on National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week 2009, visit our Lab Week Tool Kit.

Tips to Motivate and Retain Employees

Amanda Koehler — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:07:00 GMT

In their book The New Manager's Tool Kit, Don and Sheryl Grimme give tips on things a new manager needs to know "to hit the ground running." The book focuses on how to lead people, how to be effective and how to optimize the contributions of your employees, among other topics.

One part I found especially interesting was "Grimme's Top 10 Tips to Motivate and Retain Talented Employees." Read over these and think about them. If you are a manager, do you do these things for your employees? And if you are an employee, does your manager do these things for you? Don't be afraid to share your feedback!

1. Pay employees fairly and well; then get them to forget about money.

2. Treat each other and every employee with respect. Show that you care about each employee as a person, not just as a worker.

3. Praise accomplishments... and attempts.

4. Clearly communicate goals, responsibilities and expectations. Never criticize in public -- redirect in private.

5. Recognize performance appropriately and consistently.

6. Involve employees in plans and decisions, especially those that affect them. Solicit employees' ideas and opinions. Encourage initiative.

7. Create opportunities for employees to learn and grow. Link the goals of the organization with the goals of each individual in it.

8. Actively listen to employees' concerns--both work-related and personal.

9. Share information--promptly, openly and clearly. Tell the truth... with compassion.

10. Celebrate successes and milestones reached--both organizational and personal. Create an organizational culture that is open, trusting and fun.

Hollywood and the Lab Profession

Amanda Koehler — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:56:00 GMT

Over the weekend, I was catching up on the first season of my new favorite show, Dexter. On the show, the main character does blood spatter analysis for the Miami police, and has a deep, dark secret -- he's a serial killer who kills other killers. Phew.

Baddie slaying aside, in the episode called "Truth Be Told," Dexter submits an urgent blood sample to a lab professional. For the less than a minute she's shown, the young girl is jammin' out to her iPod, and Dexter has a hard time getting her attention. (But at least she is wearing gloves!)

Does it bother you how laboratory professionals are represented on television and in movies? That on House, the doctors seem to do everything, including running lab tests?

What are some examples of shows or movies that show lab professionals--or ones that don't include them when they should? Have you ever seen an episode of a TV show or a movie that did the lab profession justice? I'm interested in hearing what you have to say!

AACC/ASCLS Meeting in Full Swing

Matthew Patton — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:08:00 GMT

We're in Washington, DC for the annual confab of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry and American Society for Clnical Laboratory Science. And the meeting is moving along great according to its organizers.

On Wednesday morning, the ASCLS awards ceremony honored several of its brightest and best. We'll be printing a full report in an upcoming issue.

We'll have more about the scientific sessions in an upcoming blog update. Stay tuned!

A Reliable Source?

Amanda Koehler — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:07:00 GMT

Today I read an article from The San Francisco Chronicle on researchers' attempt to create an online library of human genetics on Wikipedia. There have already been 7,500 Wikipedia entries on different genes. The researchers are hoping the popular online encyclopedia will help form a collaboration among scientists.

When I read this, I had a flashback to college, around the time when Wikipedia became popular. I could hear Professor O'Brien's voice in my head: "Do not use Wikipedia as a source on any assignments."

For those of you unfamiliar with the Web site, anyone who signs up for an account can edit and add anything to an entry. This can cause inaccuracies, and can soil the reputability of the entry... hence the reason why my classmates and I weren't allowed to use it as a source in most of my college courses.

An example Professor O'Brien pointed out to my public relations class proves this point. In 2005, someone edited the Wikipedia entry on John Seigenthaler Sr., former assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy. This person added that Seigenthaler was at one point thought to be involved in the assassinations of Kennedy and his brother, JFK. A good friend of the Kennedys and a pallbearer at Robert Kennedy's funeral, Seigenthaler was outraged when this untrue tidbit was printed on the Web site and spoke out about the dangers of Wikipedia inaccuracy, calling his case "Internet character assassination."

According to The San Francisco Chronicle article, the researches acknowledge the "completely open and anonymous nature of Wikipedia." They even considered using another forum for their project, Citizendium, where users must provide their real names and field experts are asked to check articles for mistakes. However, Wikipedia was chosen for its popularity.

In my opinion, Wikipedia is a great source to find out quick, trivial information, such as who sang Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" on the second season of American Idol (the answer's Ruben Studdard, by the way), but when it comes to using Wikipedia as a source for something scholarly, scientific and important such as a forum on human genetics, I might have to stick with Professor O'Brien.

What do you think about using Wikipedia as a forum for human genetics?

Managing Your Friends

Amanda Koehler — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:35:00 GMT

Last week I started writing a story for the Web site about moving up the lab career ladder. For the story, I interviewed Randall Hansen, PhD, founder and president, Quintessential Careers. I asked Dr. Hansen about some of the common obstacles laboratorians could face when transitioning from a regular technologist or technician to a management position.

One point he brought up is that a new manager could become the boss of his former peers. This could cause some issues or awkwardness for both the manager and the laboratorians, but Dr. Hansen mentioned it doesn't have to affect your friendship, as long as you can separate the professional and personal relationships.

However, something Dr. Hansen told me brought me back about 12 years. He said, when it comes to managing your friends, "You have to be extremely careful of giving preferential (or perceived preferential) treatment to your closest friends in the lab."

Years ago, my dad used to coach my sister and I in softball and basketball. Obviously, all the girls on the teams (and their parents) knew he was coaching his daughters. My dad (who was, in my opinion, a great coach) never gave Emily and I any special treatment. Although he's never came out and said this, I believe he was harder on us than he was on the other girls -- and maybe one of the reasons why was because he didn't want anyone to think we were getting any preferential (or even perceived preferential) treatment.

It can be tough to manage (or coach) people with whom you have an established personal relationship. You might not even be giving your friends any special treatment, but others in the lab may think so anyway, just because you are their friends.

Have you experienced or seen preferential or perceived preferential treatment in your lab between friends, as either a laboratorian or a manager?