As the demand for coronavirus tests increases, the number of professionals remains the same—in a field already facing shortages ForbesFrontlines
But while the world deals with a major pandemic, the profession is fighting major shortages of personnel. While the U.S. and world clamor and scream for “more tests” during the SARSCoV2 pandemic, many would be led to believe that our largest hurdle to help our patients is the lack of COVID-19 tests and pre-analytical supplies. But the biggest hurdle of all is the lack of medical laboratory professionals who conduct those tests.
Now, fast forward to what is happening all over the U.S. and world. Hundreds of thousands of SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 tests are being run. Put that on top of the workload and one can quickly see that it would take way over the normal 40-hour work period to make testing happen. And just because there is a pandemic does not mean other diseases stop. People do not stop having heart disease, diabetes, influenza infections, pregnancies, just because of a pandemic due to a single virus.
This complexity of the task is reflected in education. A medical laboratory science degree often requires an average of 5 years of college education. We all have bachelor’s degrees and have certification and/or a license to practice. Many of us also have a master’s degree, and some even have doctorates.
As a result, it’s likely that shortages may get worse. Nationally, there are approximately 2,600 MLS and 2,300 MLT students graduating each year, creating a total of 4,900 new personnel to fill over 9,100 job openings – resulting in a 46% vacancy rate. This is a statistic that can be cured with more awareness - if students who loved science knew the amazing laboratory medicine profession has an actual college major, many might leverage that love of science into this career path.
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