James Payne
Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy Instructor, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES (WEMOCO Career and Technical Education Center), USA
Biggest challenge in pathology? I have written and spoken extensively about the need for all laboratorians to assist in getting the word out about laboratory medicine. This includes reaching out to young people in schools and community organizations along with building allies in the political arena (not just a proclamation request during lab week).
We all know that everyone learns best from doing. It is my opinion that we need as many students as possible to be immersed in the laboratory environment to see if this is where they belong. We need to provide students in middle and/or high school with the opportunity to see what a laboratory is like, so they enter college with a more informed decision. At minimum, students should be shadowing in labs and if possible, having them attend an extensive laboratory training program like my public high school Medical Laboratory Assisting and Phlebotomy program. The more laboratory experience they have, the stronger their conviction that they have it right and the more drive to be successful.
Controversial opinion? My most controversial opinion about the field is that what we have been doing to address the workforce shortage is not working and therefore we need to think about innovative ways to address the problem at hand. We must reach out to young people where they are, provide them with the materials, resources, and experiences they need to fall in love with the laboratory. We need to actively reach out to our schools, community organizations, and even politicians (not just for lab week) to help them fully understand the value of the laboratory in ensuring the health and safety of themselves, their families, and their communities. We must not punish students who did not know about the laboratory career pathways as science majors when they went to college and provide them with the training needed so they are qualified laboratorians.
We also need to modernize the language that we use to describe ourselves. As an example, most medical laboratory organizations are pushing for title changes like Medical Laboratory Scientists instead of Medical Technologist.
Staff need to feel like there is an ability for advancement and increased responsibility (along with increased pay) so that they do not feel stuck in the current position. We need to be thinking about growing our own and bringing people from entry level (the ”minor league” of the medical laboratory) to college requiring careers (the “major league”) inside our own organizations with providing both academic and financial support to our staff.
Then we need to educate other medical professionals in what we do and how we specifically help hundreds of patients a day in their treatment. We cannot wait for the industry to get better if we, both individuals and laboratories in general, are not willing to help in making these changes. In my opinion, none of what I have described here is truly revolutionary, but it is treated as such. I am working every day to implement these key changes, especially with young people, as this is where I have the greatest expertise.
Qualities of innovative thinkers? The single most important quality in truly innovative thinking, in my opinion, is resilience. If you have a truly revolutionary idea, then you will likely receive push back that it cannot be done but you must work to help convince people that you are correct through building evidence of success. I was able to do this through my graduates who left my program and began working for UR Medicine as phlebotomists and laboratory assistants. They were so much farther advanced than their typical level 1 or 2 hires that the leadership of UR Medicine steadily saw the value in supporting my program.
Eventually I was able to convince not only UR Medicine administration but also our other local hospital system, Rochester Regional Health, to take on our students for training co-ops and shadowing experiences. I have continued to have my graduates provide evidence that what we are doing has great value so that regional hospital systems are fighting for our students along with college programs around New York State.
If you are an innovative thinker, you need resilience to keep your convictions and make sure that you create a brand through evidence that cannot be ignored by the leaders in your field.
