The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PLM) is celebrating National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week April 22 to 28. Medical laboratory professionals are among the unsung heroes of patient care - the team behind the scenes who are “doing the best with every test.”
While you may never meet them in person, laboratory technologists are an integral and important part of your health care. Many of your physician’s decisions for your primary or specialized care will depend on the expertise and advice from clinical labs in some way.
Pathologists and lab technologists supervise and perform laboratory tests on blood and tissue specimens collected from patients. These test results are used to help make diagnoses and prescribe medications. Laboratory personnel prepare individualized reports and determine which tests can provide additional information. They may also consult with your physician or clinical programs on your future care and treatment.
During Lab Week, PLM is showing its appreciation and gratitude in many ways to the more than 600 people working in the labs and approximately 200 faculty members in 33 different laboratories across the Penn Medicine campus.
In anticipation of the week, 18 lab technologists from a range of clinical laboratories got together to tape a “Morning Wake-Up Call” feature for NBC10 television news. The Calls were broadcast on Tuesday, April 17, Monday, April 23, and Wednesday, April 25.
The Department is also showing an informational video “Follow the Specimen: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Pathology and Laboratory Medicine" all week in the Ravdin Lobby, along with an informational display and posters showcasing the four main areas of PLM: Anatomic Pathology; Clinical Pathology; Transfusion Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology. There were also raffles of 15 gift baskets, with proceeds benefiting two local charities — the People’s Emergency Center (PEC) and MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance).
The lab managers planned many fun activities for all of the lab professionals in each individual lab, such as daily gift raffles, candy grams, and lunch treats. At Presbyterian Hospital, lab technologists held a Lab Virtual Tour and a Lab Open House. Now, the next time you have your blood drawn and you wonder where it goes and what happens next, you have the faces of the unsung heroes to go with your results.