It’s National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. I mentioned FOAM’s bird patrol in an earlier post about unsung heroes working behind the scenes. The men and women working in our clinical labs might fit in the same category. Where would we be without the laboratory pros that generate the medical information that’s so pivotal to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease? At UTMB, we have about 300 faculty and staff working in 14 clinical laboratories. Annually, they perform about 4 million lab tests, read 50,000 Pap smears, process 16,000 surgical specimens, collect more than 9,000 units of blood and issue more than 30,000 blood components for transfusion. Busy? You bet. Join me in thanking these hardworking colleagues as we celebrate the vital role they play in promoting health and keeping us well.
(Events on campus have been taking place this week, and two at Shriners are in today’s announcements…)
(Added May 26: The SAHS’s Jane Finley and Hank Thierry had a great guest column in the Daily News today that talks about the national shortage in many critical clinical lab positions. UTMB scores a daily double on this celebration: we employ great clinical lab staff, but we also do a great job training tomorrow’s CLS workforce.)
Thank you for the positive thoughts. We are definitely behind the scenes, but contribute to the diagnosis, treatment and monitors of illness and wellness. Don’t beleive it when you hear – “A simple lab test”. There are many details and controls that are involved in reporting accurate, precise and timely laboratory results! Thank you!
Thanks for your accurate words describing and recognizing the importance of the UTMB clinical laboratories staff and the work they do. Their dedication, productivity, professionalism and loyalty are in consonance with their commitment to our patients and community . Congratulations to all our lab professionals today and always.