“We had one local hospital lose three phleboto-
mists on the same day because they got a $10/hour raise proposal to go to another place. I lost two phlebotomists who left for an extra $10/hour. When the grocery stores were offering an extra $5 per hour in COVID hazard pay, the people in the lab asked, ‘What about us?’” Other major roadblocks to staffing include fewer
staff members in non-SARS-CoV-2 areas of the lab, making it difficult to meet turnaround-time goals (44%), fear/anxiety among prospective job candidates about working in a lab during the pandemic (36%), and more staff than usual assigned to the pre-analytical area to keep up with SARS-CoV-2 tests (33%). “We brought in some recently graduated phle- botomists during the pandemic, but as soon as they saw the PPE they had to wear, they didn’t do well and left in fear of the COVID-19 patients they were testing,” said Panton.
Real-world solutions to staffing Continuing education was noted as a popular op- tion for retaining and recruiting staff with 60% of respondents saying their labs have pursued this route, up from 42% in 2021. More than half (53%) said their employers have offered financial incen- tives (sign-on bonuses, merit allowances, retention bonuses). Other tactics include: • Partnerships with local colleges and tech schools to offer internships in their labs (44%)
• Shift changes to offer employee scheduling flexibility (44%) • Efforts to address safety concerns, such as repetitive stress injuries and injuries from sharps (43%)
Panton and her team launched a medical lab
technician (MLT) training program five years ago in partnership with two colleges to address staff shortages, taking on four-to-five MLT students per semester. She comments: “I was told a couple of years ago that, in California, there were 66 graduates of MLT programs entering the workforce each year while there was expected to be 6,500 potential openings in the next five years. Taking on students was not easy on our staff, but once the students had basic training, they were able to be helpful. A lot of schools let students go during the pandemic, but we allowed them to work so they could continue their training.” Hurst says his lab has put in place programs and pro- cesses to help grow their own technicians. They provide tuition support and scholarships to phlebotomists who want to go back to school to become lab technicians, provided they stay with them for a specified number of years following graduation. They have also brought in lab aids who can handle basics tasks, freeing up technicians to run tests and discern results. At Mahaska Health, Schroeder says he has suc- cessfully identified and hired technicians through
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networking both in the U.S. and beyond its bor- ders. He recently hired a local tech recommended by one of his staff members. In his past positions, he had hired techs from the Philippines, and they, in turn, have recommended others for employ- ment. He is currently in the process of hiring two additional Filipino techs.
Of those lab professionals who participated in the survey, 17% said their employers have offered perks, such as free parking, onsite gym, onsite day care, and reimbursement of public transportation costs, to try to recruit and retain staff members. Panton acknowledged that keeping staff members happy is a challenge, particularly when the lab can’t offer higher wages, and shared her approach focused on providing flexibility: “The lab is dynamic, and personnel is your number one factor. I would put out the schedule six-to-eight weeks in advance while a typical hospital would put it out two-to-four weeks in advance. That way, my staff members had plenty of time to tell me what days they wanted off around their other jobs and personal lives. If they had any desire to make a change, they could trade among themselves without limit. We had to make daily adjustments to workload, but having the template helped everyone significantly.” The establishment of clinical ladders (structures to encourage professional development, such as from novice to expert) is a popular technique for staff recruitment and retainment, with 33% of those surveyed saying their labs have pursued this, fol- lowed by implementation of succession-planning processes that offer additional responsibilities to top performers and measure results (22%).
Addressing supply chain disruptions Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinical lab industry is still feeling the impacts of supply chain disruptions and shortages. When asked what best practices they have implemented to address supply-chain issues during the pandemic: • 58% of respondents said they have utilized multiple testing platforms
• 51% have implemented standing orders (instead of just in time) for crucial supplies
• 47% have worked with state public health officials to gain access to needed testing supplies
• 22% have re-vamped product-evaluation process to measure performance of new supplies and new vendors more accurately
• 19% have switched to reusable types of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as moving from disposable to reusable lab coats Hurst’s lab has implemented multiple platforms to diversify its testing options. That way, if they face
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