I draw on a variety of experiences from current observations as well as my background as a veteran clinical lab scientist, and also from years of experience as a healthcare executive. My experience as a hospital chief operating officer as well as a consultant to business and industry gives a broad perspective on healthcare from inside and outside the laboratory.

As a writer, I research topical issues and get tons of e-mail offering various views. These provide a richly textured quilt of ideas. I am also an inveterate observer of life. All these will be fair game to draw on in this blog!

I invite you to be an active part of this discovery exercise. Please get involved. I'm looking for comments, agreement, disagreement and whatever adds to a broader perspective.  Certainly, please share your experiences and ideas here on the blog as often as you like. Get your colleagues involved and if you are an educator, tell your students about it; make it a part of your class discussions!

The blog is titled Press Start to stress the proactive, empowering nature of the discussion. The idea is not to whine and point fingers but to do something, much as a working laboratorian has to press start to get an instrument to actually do anything; otherwise it just sits there.

Glen McDaniel is a veteran laboratorian with quite a diverse background. He has been a clinical lab scientist for over 25 years, and is active in local and national professional organizations. He believes vehemently in a strong, proud profession, with independent practice under the control of clinical lab scientists.

Mr. McDaniel has studied both in Canada and the U.S., and has a bachelor’s degree in medical technology, a masters in clinical chemistry, bachelors in healthcare administration and an MBA as well.

Most recently, he served as a hospital COO. He writes the popular “Scope of Practice” column for ADVANCE and freelances for other magazines. He is also a speaker and provides healthcare consulting for hospitals, corporations and investment bankers. Other areas of interests include conflict resolution, leadership, change and ethics.

Glen can be reached at glenmcdan@aol.com and his Web site is www.glenmcdaniel.com.