A Look at the Other Side of the Coin

Abstract

![Graphic][1] As I start my journey as chair of the Council of Laboratory Professionals (CLP), I am inspired by the leadership of the volunteers at the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) whom I have met over the years. I spent most of my 36-year career as a histotechnologist in areas outside of a hospital laboratory. It took some time for me to understand how the word clinical in ASCP (as in, of or relating to the observation and treatment of actual patients, rather than theoretical or laboratory studies) relates to what I and many other certified medical technologists, histotechnologists, microbiologists, and molecular technologists—to name a few—do at work. While I found that relationship many years ago, I noticed that many clinical laboratory professionals are familiar with careers outside the hospital, but have little information about them; however, I find that I get a lot of questions from newly certified laboratory professionals. The positions I describe below comprise the lesser-known side of the coin, but are an important part of patient care all over the globe. I would like to share my observations and parts of my professional life in some of the following laboratory fields. Since all laboratory professionals are important to ASCP and to the diversity of the CLP, I would like to talk about these little-known positions many laboratory professionals hold in areas outside of the hospital, clinic, or satellite or contract laboratory. They might not be easily recognized because they work under … [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif