Melissa Blosser
Public Relations Specialist
Banner Lassen Medical Center
National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week April 22th-28th, 2012, and the Medical Lab professionals at Banner Lassen Medical Center have plenty to celebrate.
As team members of one of the largest industries in the United States, the dedicated efforts of laboratory professionals often go unnoticed by the general public. Since the development of this career group in the 1920s, the clinical laboratory science professional has played an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease.
Today, the clinical laboratorian is a key member of a health care team. There are approximately 300,000 practitioners of clinical laboratory science in the United States.
“For us it’s not just about drawing blood, we give doctors and patients answers,” said Cindy Garringer, phlebotomist at Banner Lassen Medical Center.
The Lab Professionals at Banner Lassen Medical Center were excited this year due to their recently purchased new lab chemistry analyzer allowing laboratory tests to be performed more efficient and faster results to doctors and patients. The analyzer is uniquely designed to increase laboratory productivity and is able to perform more than 100 different tests.
“This machine will allow us to get tests results back faster to the doctors and the patients,” said Lab Manager Banner Lassen, Lee Asnin. “It also allows us to do a number of tests in house, that we previously couldn’t do,” he said.
An example of one of these types of tests is an ammonia test commonly ordered by physicians to monitor liver function. Previously, an ammonia test was not done in house causing a delay in test results back to patients and physicians. With this new analyzer an ammonia test can be done and back to the physician at a faster rate.
The new analyzer also provides fewer steps for each specimen going through the system. “If we get a value back that is high or low, we can program the machine to repeat the process and validate it,” said Asnin. “In the past, we had to do this manually,” he said.
The Medical Laboratory field continues to gain strides in medical technology and Clinical Laboratory Scientist jobs are in great demand these days. Also known as medical technologist or clinical laboratory technician, those who work in this field have to examine and analyze body fluids and cells. This is a great job if you are interested in biology, medical science, and chemistry, as it allows you to look for virus, bacteria, and other microorganisms, among other things.
“I do this job for the love of science, and our patients,” said Tom Olson, Clinical Lab Scientist at Banner Lassen Medical Center.
