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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 536-1120 | |
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April 15, 2008 | |
Delivering Today´s Results for a Healthier Tomorrow National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week Celebrates Healthcare´s "Unsung Heroes" |
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| PLYMOUTH, N.H. --- Andrea Harper is a medical technologist who works in the laboratory at Speare Memorial Hospital. She is just one of the 297,000 medical laboratory professionals employed nationwide. Chances of the average patient ever meeting Andrea—slim to none. |  |
| While more than 10 billion laboratory testes are performed each year in the United States, according to the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), and those results account for 80 percent of disease diagnosis, the vital role laboratory professionals play in healthcare tends to remain behind the scenes. This week, Speare Memorial Hospital is joining laboratories across the nation in bringing their contributions front and center by celebrating National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. | |
| As medical knowledge and technological developments have increased over the years, so too has the need for medical laboratory testing. A growing world population, an emphasis on preventative medicine, the identification of new diseases, and a shrinking global village have also contributed to the increasing demand and importance of laboratory medicine. | |
| However, says Harper, "While demand for laboratory services has increased, the number of professionals is decreasing due to an aging workforce and fewer numbers of people choosing the profession." According to Harper the ratio of professionals entering the field to those exiting is 2:7. She says while television shows such as CSI and House shine the spotlight on the profession, laboratory science remains very much "sight unseen". | |
| "I´m 40 and one of the youngest employees in the Speare lab," notes Harper, which is consistent with the national average of 43.7 years of age. The ASCP projects it needs 13,200 new medical laboratory professionals every year through 2010 to keep pace with demand for laboratory services and testing, but fewer than 5,000 are graduating each year. | |
| By bringing attention to the looming, problematic shortage, the goal of National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week is not only to recognize achievement, but help patients understand the potential future impact on their healthcare. As SMH Laboratory Service Director Robert Ryan states, "It takes a single drop of blood to test and monitor 85 percent of the body´s major organ functions; but it takes a team of dedicated professionals to ensure testing accuracy and deliver results that literally save lives." | |
| Speare Memorial Hospital is a 24-hour, acute care, non-profit community hospital and health care provider serving Plymouth, and the communities of central New Hampshire, for more than a century. | |
| Michele Barney Hutchins Director of Community Relations Speare Memorial Hospital (603) 238-6468 mhutchins@spearehospital.com | |