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 being gone for a few days that I sometimes feel overwhelmed. There are e-mails to go ...

  Old Habits Die Hard   I'm a creature of routine. I love routine. I love the predictability of doing the same thing over and over, of knowing what's around the next corner. I start planning things in January that won't be done until July so I can plan everything out. I cut my hair the same time of the day on the same day of the week ...

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 when it comes time to network. Susan RoAne, author of How to Work a Room, tells readers ...

I check email several times daily; because that is the way most of us communicate both socially and professionally. I feel lost without my Blackberry. However, recently I was under the weather and did not check my email (hold on to your seats) for a full twenty four hours!! As I scanned the scores of messages all demanding my attention, ...

I last blogged that I would suggest how to really fix what's not fair in your laboratory. We've all felt rising resentment from unfair treatment: an extra weekend, being blamed for another's mistake, a poor evaluation. Let's consider the chronic problem that's unfair to everyone -- if it hasn't happened to you, it will soon – when the system is ...

''Scott refuses to define the word equitable,'' someone once complained about me. The American Heritage dictionary defines equitable as ''just and impartial,'' then tells us to see fair. Fair, unsurprisingly, is defined as ''just to all parties; equitable.'' Ah, but wait! Ain't equitable one of them hifalutin legal terms? It sure sounds like ...

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 supporters stood on a corner holding handmade signs with messages like, ''Healthcare for ...

We are fast approaching the holiday season, and it is hard to believe it's almost here already. As managers, making the holidays festive for our staff in the workplace should be a common practice. Not everyone enjoys coming to work during the holiday season, but some warm touches around the department can make working a little bit more ...

 Yes, many of you have been wondering about the fears and outcomes of the H1N1 vaccines and what to expect.  I can tell you first hand after seeing more than 2,200 H1N1 vaccines given here what to expect. First, the vaccine comes in the live virus nasal mist version and the dead virus injection version. As of this writing over ...

Just the other day a question of how to alert physicians of laboratory reflex rules came up. After all, everyone's rules are slightly different. Examples: if the dipstick is positive for blood or leukocyte esterase, perform a microscopic examination of urine sediment; if the triglycerides are elevated, perform a direct LDL cholesterol ...