Celebrate National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

For over 300,000 employees in the laboratory science field across the nation, this is a time to be recognized and appreciated.  Since 1975 the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science, has dedicated a week to recognize laboratory professionals for the importance of their work. A clinical laboratory science professional has a major role in diagnosis and preventions of several different diseases that strike millions every year. 

I really knew very little of the Laboratory area until I moved over to my current position as Branch Manager of the Medical Lab division at Aureus. I still have a lot to learn, but after a few client visits, I can say it has been eye opening.  On one of my client visits, I went into the department and saw all of the laboratory professionals working and thought, “Wow, there is a lot going on here.”  The lab was really like a hub to get information for all parts of the hospital. In most cases, these professionals were working in small spaces. Their backs were almost touching as they were working and performing their tests. Equipment was being used on every table and at times it looked like controlled chaos. However, everyone knew what their role was and there seemed to be a well-coordinated effort by the whole department. I was truly impressed.  I saw people with smiles on their faces. I saw others offering a helping hand. I have also seen labs that were very large and had more space.  The environment may vary, but the job always gets done! 

I know that this job can seem to be thankless at times, as there is really no contact with patients or even others outside of the lab. With the vital impact these lab professionals have on diagnosing and getting information to the right people for proper treatment, I believe  it is extremely important to let them know how appreciative we are.

So, to all of those in the laboratory science field, I personally want to say thank you for all the work that you do! I am grateful for your hard work and dedication. For those of you that are not in the field I encourage you to say thank you and recognize how important the laboratory science professionals are to the healthcare industry.

Enjoy your week of recognition – it is well deserved!

Mark Engelbart started with Aureus Medical in June 1999. He began as a Recruiter and within four months became an Account Manager in the Imaging division. He worked his way up, becoming a Team Leader in 2002 and then a Branch Manager in Imaging in 2007.  Mark then moved to the Medical Laboratory division in June 2009 where he currently serves as the Branch Manager.  He and his wife, Michelle have three sons: Jake (7), Tyler (4), and Blake (1).