Since the ASCP took over the popular and progressive NCA in 2009, I have periodically received emails from medical lab professionals not happy with the merger for various reasons.  Prompted by this overwhelming response, I have previously blogged about this subject. I have also addressed the mixed response to the move. Recently I have ...

  On July 4, 1776 the United States declared independence from Britain and a vigorous new democracy was born. This year we celebrate our 236th birthday and our founding fathers are probably sputtering in wonderment, ''Who knew this experiment in democracy would be so successful?'' When American patriots chose to defy King, Crown, a powerful ...

  We all know that it is illegal to discriminate against someone in hiring based on age. But guess what? Hiring managers and human resource recruiters are human and make decisions based on a variety of factors, some consciously and some unconsciously. I have been helping friends update their resumes recently and so have seen a variety of ...

We are all familiar with the concept of generic versus brand name for medication. Once a pharmaceutical manufacturer loses its patent exclusivity to make and sell a drug (at an inflated price, usually), other manufacturers can make the same drug. Competition drives down the price and consumers benefit from getting a certain medication of the same ...

We stand on the cusp of a new  year. It is natural and customary to be reflective of the year which is almost behind us and to look forward to the brand new year ahead. Many folks make resolutions, sometimes out of habit, sometimes out of a sense of obligation. The problem with resolutions is that studies show  that  by ...

The simple definition of ethics is '' a sense of right and wrong.''  And we all know that right and wrong are in the eyes of the beholder. Right?  Morals seem so subjective and personal. However, ethics as a science is not as subjective and malleable as this definition suggests. As individuals and healthcare professionals, medical ...

This past Saturday, I was on the way to an appointment when I stopped to get gas. I was filling up, preoccupied with my thoughts, when to my surprise and disbelief a fully dressed clown casually emerged from a van. But I digress; back to the clown later. This made me recall an incident I had witnessed recently. I was observing point of care ...

It's that time of year when we get a day off from work to gorge ourselves, watch television and get ready for Christmas shopping. Asked, ''What are you grateful for?'' most people come up with the obvious ''family, health, a job.'' These are all wonderful, legitimate things to be grateful for and which we too often take for granted. Like many ...

Just about everyone knows someone in the workplace whose mantra is ''that's the way we have always done it here.'' People like that are usually afraid of change and so cling desperately to the status quo long after it has outlived its usefulness. There is also an inherent element of power. A new hot shot technologist/scientist/director joins the ...