HAMILTON, ON, April 11, 2022 /CNW/ - As of April 8, 2022, 59,839,826 COVID-19 tests have been performed in Canada 1, and the vast majority of them were performed by medical laboratory professionals. Many of us have a better understanding of the laboratory's role in testing, diagnosis and treatment of diseases since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, medical laboratory professionals have always been a part of the health care team. Every day they provide answers for diagnosis and treatment for everything from diabetes, heart attacks, cancer and, of course, COVID-19 and all its variants.
From April 10–16, 2022, Canada will celebrate this important health profession during National Medical Laboratory Week (Lab Week). This national celebration is a time to recognize the valuable contributions that medical laboratory technologists (MLTs) and medical laboratory assistants (MLAs) make to patient care.
As part of this celebration, the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) is sharing stories from lab professionals themselves, recounting their personal experiences with patients and how those experiences shaped their professional careers.
"Often, medical lab professionals work behind the scenes, behind closed doors, away from patients," says CSMLS CEO Christine Nielsen. "These stories show just how involved they are in patient care. Some times they are the one who saves a person's life through their expertise and knowledge."
The stories are an honest look at the various challenges MLTs and MLAs face daily. The stories will be released throughout Lab Week and can be found at: https://medlabprofessionals.ca/. They will be shared via CSMLS social media: @csmls on Facebook and Twitter and @csmls_scslm on Instagram.
One element to bring Canada together for Lab Week is through light displays by buildings and monuments across the country. There are over 19 sites that will be lit up in indigo as a symbol of our collective appreciation for our medical laboratory professionals. A schedule of the light displays can be found here: www.labweek.csmls.org.
"Lab Week is just one week out of the year to put a spotlight on medical laboratory professionals," says CSMLS President, Lucie Alain. "But, these health professionals work 24/7 for Canadians. Often, they are a key part of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Considering everything they have done for us throughout the pandemic, they deserve the respect and recognition all year long."
Medical Laboratory Technologists, Diagnostic Cytology Technologists, Clinical Genetics Technologists and Medical Laboratory Assistants are all part of the medical laboratory community across Canada. To learn more about their specialized work and their impact on patient care, visit https://medlabprofessionals.ca/.
The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science is the national certifying body for medical laboratory technologists and medical laboratory assistants, and the national professional society for Canada's medical laboratory professionals. Incorporated in 1937 as the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, the society has over 14,000 members in Canada and in countries around the world. For more information about the CSMLS, visit: csmls.org.
1 https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/epidemiological-summary-covid-19-cases.html
SOURCE Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science
Michael Grant, Director, Marketing & Communications, CSMLS, [email protected]
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