Continued mutations in SARS-CoV-2 mean new and emerging variants, a sign that COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon, despite a relaxing of public health measures around the country. And due to the increased availability of at-home antigen-based testing, published case counts are likely being underreported by public health officials, making a COVID-19 resurgence more difficult to detect.
Now more than ever, the country needs expert medical laboratory professionals to keep up with testing demands, both for COVID-19 and countless other illnesses and conditions.
What Do Medical Laboratory Professionals Do?
This week is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week in the U.S., saluting members of the healthcare team many patients will likely never meet. These are professionals who work behind the scenes of medicine, aiding physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and countless others to generate data about every patient’s health status.
More than 335,000 clinical and medical laboratory professionals in this country perform 14 billion diagnostic tests each year. That 14 billion was before the COVID-19 pandemic, and equates to roughly one medical laboratory scientist per 1,000 people.
While the profession certainly gained exposure and notoriety from the pandemic, many fail to recognize the extrinsic value laboratory personnel bring to their institutions and communities.
As a medical microbiologist and laboratory director, I can attest unequivocally that medical laboratory scientists are essential in healthcare. And although the pandemic exacerbated the need for laboratory professionals, it did not create the need overnight. These experts use their education and training, both theoretical and applied knowledge, to provide clinicians that missing piece of the puzzle.
The role of medical laboratory professionals extends far beyond COVID-19 testing. These experts perform glucose testing that leads to the diagnosis of diabetes, which affects more than 37 million Americans. They recognize abnormal cells in blood specimens that aid in diagnosis and staging of leukemia and lymphoma. They identify abnormally shaped red blood cells that cause sickle cell disease. They confirm that a patient is having a heart attack by measuring a specific protein in the blood released as a result of myocardial tissue damage. They also identify the microbial pathogen causing infections and determine which antibiotics can be prescribed for treatment.
The Need for More Lab Testing Capacity
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered society and our global economy in extraordinary ways — and continues to take a toll. Average daily cases per 100,000 persons have risen recently in a majority of states, ranging from a 5% to 425% increase. That may shift to greater increases in new cases now that several major airlines have dropped masking requirements for passengers and flight crews. It’s also possible the newest COVID-19 variant (Omicron XE), dubbed “Frankenstein” by some, may lead to more cases. If we want an accurate picture of case counts, lab testing, as opposed to at-home testing, is the best way to accomplish that goal.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the U.S. has performed nearly 997 million diagnostic tests. Clinical laboratories and testing personnel have clearly been involved in the longest sprint in history.
Yet, there are already not enough students graduating from U.S. medical laboratory science training programs to fill needed positions, as data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting 11% growth in those jobs from 2020 to 2030.
The supply of trainees is not meeting the demand to keep labs adequately staffed. Laboratory directors across the country have shared their struggles in hiring qualified personnel and retaining them before the pandemic. Even institutions like mine with an established training program are not immune to shortages. It recently took us more than a year to fill a vacant supervisor position. According to a white paper published by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, training programs in the U.S. are educating less than half of the number of laboratory professionals needed to fill vacant positions.
The Coordinating Council on the Clinical Laboratory Workforce is advocating for greater awareness and encouraging people to consider a career in laboratory sciences, whether that interest starts in high school, as a college student, or later on when looking for a career change. The profession lends incredible amounts of flexibility, including options to specialize in a particular specialty of laboratory medicine and gain focused knowledge, or remaining a generalist.
Medical laboratory scientists can be employed anywhere, and with the number of openings available, many laboratories are offering incentives to attract prospective employees. There are also numerous opportunities for growth in this field within, and outside of, the walls of the lab.
To be sure, every healthcare professional is important. If there are not enough trained medical laboratory scientists, who is going to perform the laboratory tests ordered by doctors?
The world needs an adequate supply of medical laboratory scientists to perform necessary testing, not only during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also far beyond. Every patient needs to know their physician is backed by a comprehensive team of healthcare professionals, including medical lab scientists who are running the tests to ensure a proper diagnosis.
Nicholas Moore, PhD, is an associate professor of medical laboratory science, infectious disease, and pathology at Rush University Medical Center, and a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.
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