Kali Hieb, MT
(ASCP)
MLT Campus Coordinator, Bismarck, ND
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal has stirred up some controversy among laboratory professionals. The article was written to shed light on the role of the laboratory and the ever increasing shortage of laboratory professionals. To view the full article, click on the following link. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124217357954413095.html
Instead of being excited and grateful that an article about laboratory medicine was actually published in the Wall Street Journal, some couldn’t help but point out the technical flaws of the article. Specifically, the article uses “technician” and “technologist” interchangeably when referring to laboratory workers. Apparently this is bothersome, especially to those who have advanced degrees. Why would we expect a journalist to get it right when we as a profession don’t even know what to call ourselves? Why should we expect the public to know the difference? For years, we have placed a multitude of acronyms behind our names in an attempt to define the many levels of education in the laboratory. MT, MLT, CLT, CLS, NCA, ASCP – who are we anyway? When you are a patient in the hospital, do you know if your nurse has an associate, bachelor or masters degree? Is it necessary to know which nursing board exam they took after they graduated? Do you really care? I don’t. I’m only interested in my nurse being the best. Nobody questions the role of the nurse, and nobody seems confused about what to call a nurse. A nurse is a nurse. Why then, are we so upset when someone doesn’t “get it right” with our profession? What would we like our patients, the media, the public, and our co-workers to call us?
We complicate matters with our desire for recognition, yet most of us don’t want to be the center of attention. We are happy tending to business within the confines of the laboratory with minimal patient contact and even less contact with other healthcare professionals. Recently, some laboratory awareness efforts have touted us as the “behind-the-scenes heroes” of healthcare. I agree that what we do is extremely important, and I am very proud to be a laboratory professional, but I’m not too sure about the hero part… Or am I?
Several years ago, I was working the evening shift at a local hospital. The surgical floor called the lab for a STAT blood draw. I went to the floor, and obtained the samples I needed. As I walked down the hall toward the elevator, a frantic nurse hollered “Hey lab girl! We need to add some tests to that patient’s order”. Seriously, I thought… “LAB GIRL”? Insulted, I turned to meet her and held my tongue as we discussed the additional tests. Several deep breaths later and ready to return to the lab, I expressed my displeasure with the “lab girl” reference. The nurse explained that she didn’t mean anything by it and said “I never know what to call you guys”. I smiled, turned, and headed down the hall. In the elevator, I giggled as I imagined a new laboratory dress code: spandex, tights, and a huge, flowing “L”-emblazoned cape. Lab girl, saving the day with her super-hero diagnostic powers. Wonder Woman would be so proud!