If you already are a laboratorian, following are ideas for how you and your co-workers can spread the word about the importance of this vital profession:
- Celebrate the laboratory profession by wearing COLA’s special wristband! Featuring the slogan Laboratorians: Saving Lives One Test at Time, COLA wristbands are a great way to help raise awareness of the contribution that laboratorians make to health care, show appreciation for laboratory personnel, and, in general, salute these valued professionals. To order your free wristband, click here.
- Share the stories and other information on this site as a way of honoring the work laboratory professionals perform every day
- Speak out on the critical role you play as part of the healthcare team – and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Your work has an impact on each and every patient.
- Create displays in hospital lobbies or physician office waiting rooms, featuring pictures of laboratorians, their names, titles and a short description of the job they perform.
- Request speaking opportunities for young laboratorians at local school career days.
- Hold “getting to know you” job shadowing days, pairing personnel from non-laboratory sections of hospitals and other large health facilities with laboratory workers.
- Develop “scrambled” word games or puzzles featuring the laboratory profession; place in lobbies and waiting rooms for hospital staff and patients to enjoy. Provide answers on reverse side.
- Create contests highlighting the role of the laboratorian for non-lab personnel, with “Lab Week” merchandise for prizes.
- Distribute Lab Week buttons to patients or put tent cards on each patient tray.
- Make a video of your laboratory that traces a specimen throughout the lab, explaining why samples must be taken first thing in the morning or what "fasting" really means. Air the tape on your closed circuit television system.
- Ask doctors, nurses, or hospital or physician office co-workers to support laboratorians by wearing “Laboratorians: Saving Lives One Test at a Time” wristbands.
- Suggest a story on laboratory professionals to the local media during National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week.
- Visit www.ascp.org for more ideas on how to help raise awareness of the laboratory profession.
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