Of the healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and therapists receive the most publicity. They are the most visible in hospitals and other healthcare facilities; however, these are not the only healthcare workers in the field. In order to diagnose many illnesses (including COVID-19), doctors rely on the tests of laboratory technicians and technologists, and last week, medical laboratory professionals celebrated National Lab Week. Laird hospital celebrated Lab Week as well, and they should be recognized for all the hard work they do.
Medical laboratory professionals work behind the scenes in order to run tests that are crucial in medical diagnoses. They work in many subfields—hematology, chemistry, immunology, coagulation, microbiology, blood bank, and many more. Their many jobs require at least an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science. Many continue their educations by obtaining master’s degrees, and all medical laboratory scientists undergo on-the-job training. They supervise most medical tests done by other medical professionals; if a medical test is considered complex (like a blood-compatibility test or a chemistry test), only lab workers can perform the test. If the test is considered simple (like a urine pregnancy test), other healthcare workers can perform the test under the supervision of laboratory scientists. These tests are vital for the diagnoses of many diseases, including COVID-19. Laboratory professionals are crucial in the fight against COVID-19 and deserve recognition for their work.
The lab at Laird Hospital works in many of the subfields and consists of two phlebotomists, six full-time technologists, and two part-time technologists/PRNs. Phlebotomists collect specimens while the technologists test the specimens. Both parts have an equally important role to play. Because of these features, this makes the lab at Laird a full-service lab. The laboratory scientists at Laird Hospital celebrated Lab Week last week with posters and balloons; the lab manager also fed them a celebratory lunch, and all the other hospital staff signed a poster for the laboratory scientists. These local laboratory scientists are heroes not just in the fight against COVID-19 but in the fight against many other diseases as well.
Medical laboratory scientists across the globe play perhaps the most important role in diagnosing diseases and running many different tests. Contrary to popular opinion, doctors and nurses cannot do scientific lab work. While the role they play is also vital, they simply lack the training required for this job, and because of a national shortage of laboratory scientists, they deserve support. While many overlooked National Lab Week, Union did not, and we will always support our laboratory scientists.
