Modernizing the Medical Laboratory Profession to Meet the 21st Century Challenges

The field of medicine is one which is very crucial to				knowledge if well utilized can save life! I had a
humanity and must be devoid of egocentrism,				background training that to a greater extent recognize
monopoly and similar sentiments and dogmatism that				the essentiality of first aid and being a part of the
at the long run will transpire into an inimical and				primary healthcare delivery system. I am not a doctor
detrimental outcome which will negatively impact on				or physician, but rather a medical laboratory scientist
the primary beneficiary- the patient. The fundamental				whose professors recognizes the fact that during the
goal of any healthcare delivery system should be how				course of our training we must know how to deal with
to meet the challenges of providing the best possible				some situation without compromising life and at the
healthcare services that is pragmatic, efficient,				same time impersonating. Is it therefore possible to
proficient, timely, and accurate, and at the same time				train medical laboratory scientist in such a way that
less expensive.				they too can have the knowledge base to intervene if
				need be in a medical situation to the extent that life
Consequently revisiting the Medical laboratory science				can be preserve as far as it depends on that
profession and trying to reposition, rejuvenate and				knowledge?
restructure its current curriculum to meet and if				There is an absolute necessity of training the modern
possible surpass the currently achieved standard of				medical laboratory scientist in the fashion that they are
healthcare services is very crucial and almost nearly				vastly knowledgeable in the area of physiology,
indispensable if the country hope to modernize and				anatomy, biochemistry and pharmacology and some
achieve the primary goals of the medical and				basic clinical maneuvers in addition to the most
healthcare profession and aspirations.				fundamental essentiality of performing diagnostic and
Without an iota of doubt, this noble profession is as				or laboratory tests. We all cannot be a nurse,
complex as humanity itself and any approach thereof				pharmacist or Genetics, nevertheless we can lend a
in trying to elucidate the best way to uplift the field				professional helping hand by being able to assist in the
must definitely take into cognizance such complexity				most comprehensive manner the bone of contention
and diversity. Medicine as we used to know has				and by so doing elevate the practice for the benefit of
evolved a great deal and today represents greater				the patient and the system at large.
diversity than seen in the 19th and even the 20th				By and large, any curriculum that hopes to
century. From a general perspective when link with the				accommodate the tentative modernization that I am
healthcare profession as a whole, this laudable and				asking for may take a minimum of 3 years post
very imperative field can be broadly divided into Clinical				graduation from the medical laboratory technology
and Laboratory with specialty such as diagnostics				program. During the 3 years period, the prospective
falling into the later even when they might not be				student shall receive the necessary educational and
directly related, while on the other hand nursing and				professional training needed to enhance his or her
pharmacy among others may fall into the clinical				capacity to midwife in the most qualified manner the
aspect of the medicine.				laboratory results, the clinical interpretation from a
The fundamental inclination to this brief summation is				laboratory management perspective and recommend
essentially related to how does the status quo hope to				if need be further test(s) or elimination of some already
modernize the medical and allied healthcare profession				ordered ones.
in such a way that the medical laboratory technology				Two years shall be spent on correlating clinical and
discipline is allow to reach its full potential in becoming				laboratory studies in relation to patients through the
the true corner stone of modern medicine and its				thorough studying of the physiology, anatomy,
professionals are given the due recognition by the				biochemistry and pharmacology, and also pathology.
state? I wish to reiterate the fact that my perspective				The last year of study should be concentrated in a
may vary from some of my colleagues principally as a				given area of the clinical laboratory discipline namely;
result of my background training which by omission or				clinical biochemistry (chemical pathology), hematology,
commission imbibe in me the mentality of seeing my				microbiology, immunology, coagulation study, urinalysis
profession from a noble and pragmatic angle in terms				and instrumentation (automation), laboratory information
of its usefulness, necessity and indispensability in the				services (LIS), genetics, among others.
provision of a comprehensive healthcare services.				In a nutshell in order to reposition the field of medical
Consequently the call for modernization of the				laboratory science to become better equip to deal with
profession is not in any way one which blatantly				the challenges of the 21st century medical and health
request for a synonymous training scope with that of				concerns, there is an absolute necessity to upgrade or
physician or pathologist, instead it is a call for the				modernize this area of healthcare that is very crucial
incorporation of curriculum that will enable the medical				and in some cases nearly indispensable as far as the
technologist to be able to professionally and legally				diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of a
interpret, aid in the diagnosis, therapy, management and				medical condition is concerned. Its professionals who
prophylaxis of a given medical condition without				are involved in the carrying out of diagnostic tests in
compromising either the patient or the primary				order to generate results that is use to substantiate or
healthcare provider. This again raise the concern about				refute a given provisional diagnosis and or in
why it is necessary for the field to determine that				adequately and scientifically managing the conditions
monopoly and egocentrism within the multi-complex				must be treated with respect and be given due sue
discipline should be relegated to the background and				place of honor among the committee of professions.
instead focus and emphasis must be on providing the
best healthcare delivery system.				The patients stand to gain the most if we can allow
I am very quick to point out that as a consequence to				our selfish interest or desire for monopolistic inclination
the emergence of varieties of complex scenarios				to be sacrificed in order to move the United States of
which cloud the easy elucidation of the causative				America healthcare delivery system forward in order
organisms or agents implicated in diseased conditions,				to become second to none in the world and by so
the role of the medical laboratory scientists have				doing once more provide the kind of leadership that
changed dramatically from that of primarily responding				mankind is expected of the country. As the saying
to just the healthcare provider, to now include the				goes necessity is the mother of invention and the
determination of the exactness, that is the accuracy				medical laboratory profession is in itself a child of
and that the same time the best possible treatment				necessity that should be allow to grow, rather than
and prevention of the cause as necessitated by the				being truncated or marginalized at the detriment of the
contemporary curriculum. Medical Laboratory Scientist				patients.
are therefore evolving to become more independent in				Ours is the generation that has the pragmatic potential
decision making and in some cases have				for change as epitomized by the inauguration of the
tremendously helped to reduce both cost and waste				44th president of the United States of America in
as a result of their timely intervention, a fact that has				President Barack Obama which some cynic pundits
been widely recognized within the status quo but				have concluded will never happen in the country. The
never allowed to be publicize for reason beyond				attestation to the pragmatism, broadmindedness and
imagination.				the desire for concrete actions and solutions to the
The modernization of the medical laboratory				nefarious problems facing the nation especially in
profession should be able to make an average				context of the economic maladies has been one of
graduate to be capable of comprehensively utilizing the				the fundamental reasons why the president defeated
new curriculum to assist in the interpretation, diagnosis				his opponent in the November 4th 2008 general
and treatment recommendation of the condition(s) as it				election.
relates to the laboratory test(s). This in my opinion can				Physicians, Pharmacists, Nurses and the other allied
be achieved with the help of adopting a scheme of				healthcare professionals could be making history and
studying that may be similar to that of the Physician				changing the spectrum of the profession for the best if
Assistance training, in respect of pragmatically				only they are willing to support the aspiration of the
understanding the clinical implications of laboratory data,				medical laboratory scientists in orchestrating the
but with less emphasis on clinical and invariably greater				necessary modalities that will bring about a lasting and
inclinations to the laboratory management of diseases				durable change and career progression with the
and other medical conditions.				ultimate goal of positively impacting on the healthcare
In order for the field of medical laboratory profession				delivery system and further leading to a reduction in
to pragmatically achieve such goal of making it to				the cost of doing business.
become a 21st century specialty, which will be				It has never been my dream to train as a physician as
responsive to primary healthcare providers and the				epitomized by my aspiration to pursue the medical
patients, there is no doubt that Physicians and				laboratory science profession during my
Pathologist must buy into the idea of allowing what is				undergraduate studies at the University of Calabar
best for the patient to become a reality rather than				College of Medical Sciences. However I was also
becoming sentimental- which is understandable. Relying				made to understand within my professional and
on the conviction that the patient comes first, I do				academic training that I will be very useful and
believe that the prevailing status quo can work itself				respected as a medical laboratory scientist especially
out and aid the field to become ready.				based on my job discretion, performance and potential
At this juncture I wish to briefly but modestly narrate				to make a pragmatically positive difference. In the
an incident that happened during a flight from Frankfurt				United States of America the above conviction seems
Germany to Washington Dulles Airport in which a				to be a mirage and consequently it may not be good
passenger on board developed symptom of acute				enough for those who aspire to be like me.
fatigue and thirst leading to fainting. The flight				We must change, since the later is just inevitable; life
attendance immediately announced that there was a				without change is not worth living and that is why I do
medical emergency on board and seeks the				hope that somehow the healthcare profession and its
intervention of any medical personnel. Without giving				professionals can help the medical laboratory
the credit to myself alone, I recognize among other				profession to transition from its current status to that
things that the pulse rate and the blood pressure was				which will enable the citizenry to better utilize their
okay and the dry mouth might be sequel to				profession at full capacity rather than the prevailing
dehydration and or anxiety. The passenger had to lie				circumstances in which the job and responsibilities are
on the floor with the head slightly down in comparison				more or less haphazardly distributed in context of how
to the leg in order to allow for greater blood flow to				laboratory data are generated and yet the generators
the brain. With the vital signs okay and the patient				have little or no input as to how these results are
having regain consciousness I advice that he should				consequently utilized to bring about the diagnosis,
given as much fluid as possible and in the absent of				treatment and management of the conditions that
pure glucose-D drink the juice on board did suffice for				might have necessitated the request in the first place.
this purpose. Fortunately there was no need for fluid				I am proud of being who I am and look forward to
infusion and by the end of the day it all went well.				achieving the peak of my career which based on my
Upon arrival in the USA I was later presented with an				mentors may culminate in the award of a doctorate
American Express gift certificate and a thank you				degree in the field of medical laboratory profession in
letter from the medical director of the airline in addition				addition to the capacity to touch lives through
to the many on board gifts and appreciation. The				researches and other veritable tools that will help bring
above narration is not about wanting anybody to thank				about further progress, innovation and discovery in the
me further, but rather as an example of how				health and medical profession.

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Modernizing the Medical Laboratory Profession to Meet the 21st Century Challenges