Lab Matters Fall 2023 | Page 115

APHL 2023 POSTER ABSTRACTS

QC ) procedures to validate data and ensure its quality . This work requires highly skilled individuals for its various roles , and new scientists quickly find if they are meant for a career on the bench and / or field . It is imperative that the industry fosters a culture of constant quality improvement and workforce development so that there are qualified individuals committed to fulfilling the requirements of federal public health and environmental testing programs , including the formation of partnerships between utilities and public health entities . When laboratories are undervalued , not only are these programs put at risk , but the purpose behind them are put at risk as well . This problem is only magnified by high turnover rates and hiring challenges , which leaves many laboratories in a constant cycle of training new scientists , only to see them leave soon after . Similar to other industries , the environmental laboratory workforce is aging out and needs to have creative solutions to recruit and retain effective staff . There are immediate industry needs for chemists in radiochemistry and highly-skilled chemists to conduct analyses for PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern . Education is key for effective workforce development , and may occur through public outreach , internships , fellowships and citizen science . The industry needs young men and women that understand the role of the laboratory , are passionate about the public health and environmental protection and are willing to spend a career in public service . This poster will serve as a follow-up to the poster presented at APHL Annual Conference 2022 ( The Vital Role of the Environmental Laboratory as Public Health Laboratories ), by exploring the needs of the industry and how a strong workforce can be developed . It is based on an article written for Journal AWWA by members of the APHL Environmental Laboratory Science Committee , the AWWA Water Quality Laboratory Committee and the WEF Laboratory Practices Committee .

Presenter : Hunter Adams , hunter . adams @ wichitafallstx . gov topic areas depicted on the Framework have been developed into eLearning courses , particularly the Basic Level Core areas , also called the “ Gen Eds ”, while other content / topic areas are awaiting development . Many of these Gen Eds , in fact , have broad applicability , and can be used across many laboratory programs , not just human and animal food testing .

2 . Assessment . Individuals can assess themselves against the Standard , while supervisors can also assess their staff against the Standard .

3 . Evaluation . Existing courses and training programs / materials can be evaluated against the competencies and behavioral anchors , for inclusion within the Standard .

4 . Career Path Development . Laboratory professionals can essentially “ map out ” their career advancement .

5 . Staffing Practices . Laboratory managers and directors can use the Standard for hiring , onboarding , and for creating job descriptions .

6 . Open-Source Catalog . Existing training materials and related resources can be arranged and categorized according to the Curriculum Framework .

Application of the State Food and Feed Laboratory National Curriculum Standard is critical to a national integrated food safety system , as outlined in FSMA . The Standard can be used for all state food and feed laboratory personnel , thereby assuring a competent laboratory workforce doing comparable work across all levels of jurisdiction . Additionally , use of the Standard will assure a continuous pipeline of competent hires at all levels , from beginning laboratory analysts to laboratory directors .

Presenter : Christopher Weiss , chris . weiss @ ifpti . org

Using the State Food and Feed Laboratory National Curriculum Standard

C . Weiss , S . Brace , C . Kaml , G . Wojtala ; International Food Protection Training Institute

IFPTI and APHL , in collaboration with FDA , AFDO , and AAFCO have been building the State Food and Feed Laboratory National Curriculum Standard for more than ten years . The Standard is represented on the poster via the State Food and Feed Laboratory Curriculum Framework ( LCF ), a career-spanning , color-coded schematic of the human and animal food laboratory profession . The Standard is being built by experts representing state and local public health and agricultural laboratories , and federal agencies . The LCF spans five professional levels and depicts the content / topic areas in which laboratory professionals must possess competencies ( knowledge , skills , and abilities ) to successfully perform their jobs . Content / topic areas are either Core ( apply to all laboratory professionals ), Program-Specific ( apply to laboratory professionals specializing in chemistry or microbiology ) or apply to Specialized Laboratories . Each content / topic area of the LCF is built out as a set of competencies , with corresponding behavioral anchors , which act as guidance for competency assessment . There has been significant development of the National Standard , and it is now time to discuss how the Standard can be used within the laboratory environment . Practical applications of the Standard include , but are not limited to :

1 . Training Design and Development . Many of the content /