Educating laboratory staff for the future.

The escalating shortage of laboratory workers is compounded by fewer graduates of accredited programs and changes in the work environment. Looking ahead, the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences held a national conference and invited a wide spectrum of stakeholders to address what CLS/MT and CLT/MLT skills will be needed in the years 2005 and 2015. The results of the conference were used to revise accrediting standards. Faculties in accredited programs are working to transform the new standards into new curricular configurations. Laboratory administration must contribute to this transformation by actively supporting the clinical components of education and maintaining strong communication links with academic institutions. Administration needs to lead the way in creating a laboratory workplace that is more interesting and inviting to those making career decisions. It will take the combined efforts of laboratory administration and staff, educators, and professional organizations to restructure the workplace for the future and to redesign curriculum for appropriately educating professionals. This will be an important step toward addressing the staffing crisis in the laboratory.