APHL 2024 POSTER ABSTRACTS resources , consistently elevated workload and a lack of rewards exacerbated burnout causing many employees to want to leave public health .
To effectively battle the current issues with staff recruitment and retention , public health laboratory leaders must be fully equipped to identify and prevent burnout , one of the leading causes of low professional satisfaction . Given its continued and widespread occurrence , it is incumbent for leaders to address the root causes of burnout and commit to reframing and diminishing its effect in the public health laboratory workforce . The present literature survey focuses on practical leadership techniques to combat burnout gathered from a diverse suite of sources — journal articles , surveys and results from tested initiatives including Emerging Leaders Program ( ELP ) developed resources . Leadership techniques gathered and presented here aim to assist laboratory leaders to identify and prevent burnout with the goal of workforce development , growth and longevity .
Presenter : Adolfo Lara , adolfo . lara @ houstontx . gov
Leading with Purpose : Collectively Raising the Visibility of the Public Health Laboratory Profession
C . Parsons , S . Haber , Guidehouse
This poster will examine strategies and tactics to increase the visibility of laboratory professions as an essential contributor to public health . Awareness of the role of the laboratory in public health , along with an understanding of the professional opportunities available in this field , is crucial to attracting and retaining a strong laboratory workforce and to guaranteeing support , backing and resources for the profession .
The poster will include solutions to questions such as :
• How might we better tell the story of the essential role of the laboratory in the public ’ s health for policy makers , clinicians and future laboratory professionals ?
• What unique promotional or marketing channels could be used to increase awareness ?
• What educational , training , or promotional material should be developed to raise the visibility of the profession ?
• How can we leverage emerging technology ( e . g ., virtual reality , artificial intelligence ) to increase awareness of the profession ?
Viewers will learn strategies and tactics to increase the visibility of the laboratory profession and how to communicate its role as an essential contributor to the public ’ s health . Laboratories across the United States are suffering from a chronic lack of adequate resources and an insufficient workforce pipeline , which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the post-pandemic environment . A crucial step in resolving both issues is increasing awareness of and appreciation for this profession and the role of the laboratory in the healthcare system with policy makers , health care clinicians and potential future laboratory professionals .
Presenter : Chelsea Parsons , cparsons @ guidehouse . com
New Data on Enumeration , Characterization and Supply- Demand Projections of the Laboratory Workforce
R . Ned-Sykes 1 , S . Wilber 2 , S . Yoss 1 , V . Johnson 1 , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1 , Health Resources & Services Administration ( HRSA )/ National Center for Health Workforce Analysis ( NCHWA ) 2
The public health laboratory and clinical laboratory workforces play a vital role in the United States healthcare and public health systems by performing tests that aid patient diagnoses and care and that detect and monitor public health threats . Despite this fact , there is limited information on the overall size , composition and projected supply of and demand for , the laboratory workforce . This is particularly notable given the ongoing concern over workforce shortages and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the current and future workforce . The goal of this collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) and the Health Resources and Services Administration ’ s ( HRSA ) National Center for Health Workforce Analysis was to evaluate and use existing data to estimate the size and composition of the workforce , as well as to produce supply and demand projections . Based on data from the US Census Bureau ’ s America Community Survey , the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification and other sources , the total size of the clinical and public health laboratory workforce in the US is approximately 495,000 testing personnel . This estimate largely excludes administrative , information technology and quality control staff . Of this number , ~ 13,000 are public health laboratory professionals working in federal agencies or in state , local or territorial health departments . Workforce demographics , employment setting and wages were also examined . Projections of the future supply of and demand for , four occupational groups — laboratory technologists / scientists , laboratory technicians , phlebotomists and pathologists — at the national and state levels were calculated through 2036 and were developed using HRSA ’ s Health Workforce Simulation Model . The model takes into account new entrants into the workforce , retirement , population demographics , disease prevalence and current national patterns of healthcare use and delivery , among other factors and was adjusted for estimates of career change . “ Status Quo ” supply and demand projections were generated , as well as alternate scenarios . In status quo projections , supply adequacy is projected to decrease for all four occupational groups , resulting in nationallevel supply adequacies of ~ 85-95 % ( though there is wide variation regionally and by state ) and a deficit of at least 38,000 laboratory professionals in 2036 . Alternate scenarios explored the following situations , either separately or in combination : 10 % increases or decreases in new entrants , career change , or retirement rates ; as well as a reduction in the barriers to access to healthcare . In the Reduced Barriers scenario alone , supply adequacy drops to 79- 86 % in 2036 for the four occupational groups . Projections are more dire under scenarios that combined two or more of the following situations : fewer new entrants , higher career change , higher retirement rate and reduced barriers . These scenarios highlight the need to recruit and retain additional laboratory professionals in order to address growing workforce shortages .
Presenter : Renee Ned-Sykes , rin1 @ cdc . gov
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Fall 2024 LAB MATTERS 141 |