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UB to address medical lab worker shortage
UB is partnering with the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) for a Commitment to Action through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) that will create more medical laboratory job opportunities in New York State by expanding educational access to laboratory science programs.
The goal of the ASCP, UB and CGI commitment is to increase the number of graduating laboratory professionals in New York by 10 percent during the five-year project, from an annual graduation rate of 237 to 355.
In addition to UB, ASCP also is partnering with Stony Brook University and Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, as well as with a coalition of clinical laboratory organizations, government agencies and industry partners.
The plan will develop classrooms and distance-learning curricula, create a coordinated network of clinical rotation sites, create an accelerated technician-to-technologist program and develop an electronic-instrumentation simulation laboratory.
The long-term goal is to create a model for New York State that can be implemented throughout the U.S.
“We know that federal funding for training programs like laboratory science is drying up,” says John E. Tomaszewski, professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and ASCP’s immediate past president. “ASCP views this and other obstacles as a call to action for a reinvigorated approach to developing career opportunities in laboratory science. Our commitment with ASCP through the Clinton Global Initiative has provided a renewed outlook on successfully creating jobs through education and providing the highest quality of patient care.”
According to ASCP, the Expanding the Laboratory Workforce for the 21st Century initiative is being launched to ensure that hospitals and clinics are staffed with well-trained and qualified personnel to provide accurate test results and maintain high standards of safety in the laboratory.
The project will address the factors that are contributing to the shortage of qualified laboratory personnel, such as an aging workforce and the recent closure of clinical laboratory science training programs.
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