TACLS
CONVENTION 99
Cecile Sanders, TACLS
Convention 99 Co-Chair
If you
weren’t one of the 400+ attendees, you missed an outstanding convention
in Austin, March 24-26. Dr. Red Duke kicked off the convention with
a keynote address on Wednesday evening to a standing room only crowd.
His “Prescription for Stress” focused on his daily routine as a trauma
surgeon and included many “outtakes” from his televised “Health
Watch” spots. His dry humor and Texas twang kept the audience in
stitches.
The program was one
of the best ever and included topics in every discipline. Because
the convention was co-sponsored by CLMA, several scientific sessions on
management, CLIA inspections, and Medicare reimbursement topics were held.
Because of the
limited interest from CLT programs across the state, no MLT Student Bowl
was held. The CLS programs, however, held a spirited competition
with students from four programs. First place was captured by M.D.
Anderson, second went to the Methodist Hospital, Houston, and third place
went to UT Southwestern.
A Town Lake
river boat dinner cruise was held on a chilly Thursday evening.
Although the bats had already flown their perches from beneath the
Congress Avenue bridge, those on the boats enjoyed the sights of downtown
Austin by night and the wonderful fajita buffet.
The results of the
election were announced. Judy Baughman from McAllen was elected
President-Elect. Duncan Sam from Corpus Christi was elected Board
Member-at-Large, and Cynthia Martine from Galveston was elected to the
Nominations Committee. Cheri Jennings of Houston was selected as
TACLS Member of the Year and received a $500 award for the honor from
Laura Driscoll of Olympus America. Vicki Freeman from UTMB in
Galveston was selected as Educator of the Year and was presented an
Olympus camera from Olympus America.
Delegates to
the ASCLS Convention were elected at the House of Delegates, held on
Friday. Steve Speights, who attended the ASCLS Legislative Day as a
TACLS representative, gave a detailed report. The budget was
approved for the next fiscal year. Next year’s convention will be
held in Dallas March 30-April 1.
To those who
attended, THANKS! To those who didn’t, mark your calendars for
next year in Dallas. It’ll be too good to miss!
Former TACLS Presidents
Camille St. John, Cecile Sanders, Ellen Sanderson, Bob Weir, Phil Kostroun,
Debbie Faubion, Thomasine Newby
M.D. Anderson Hospital Student Bowl Team
Mandy Hunsinger, Stephanie York, Karen McClure, Cheryl Osting, Melanie
Stringer, Michelle Hedrick, Nancy Bannkson, La Morris Thompson
Methodist Hospital Houston Student Bowl Team
Renee Webb, Clint Shaw, Leslie Gerdes, Tatia Feltman, Deanna Forsell,
Sanam Hussain, Anne Marie Daniel
TACLS President Ellen Sanderson and Olympus America representative, Laura
Driscoll.
TACLS
AWARDS CEREMONY
The following
individuals were recognized at the TACLS Annual Meeting in Austin for
their service to TACLS.
H.A. Bardwell Award:
Thomasine Newby
Board Service Award:
Doramarie Arocha and John Wentz
Presidential Merit
Award: Debra Faubion and Cecile Sanders
Special
Commendations: TACLS Convention Committee:
Dave Falleur, Cecile
Sanders, Kay Baitz, Phil Kostroun, Carolyn Ragland, Lou Caruana, Suzanne
Calhoun, Diane Saegert, Jim Harris, Rita Broad, Bunny Salter, Gilbert
Carrasco, and Terry Kotrla
Membership Awards:
50 Years: Enid
Davidson, Gale Gregory
40 Years: Joan
Muehlberger, Vera Berg
30 Years: Anne
Brindley, Lou Caruana, Madeline Ducate, Candy McNally, Sue Rowland,
Shirley Stanford, Harold Wuthrich
20 Years: Gail Ackall,
Sylvia Dobson-Helpen, Jan Fouche, Catarina Hernandez, Cheri Jennings,
David McGlasson, Jo McKelvey, Karen Redrow, Deborah Robison, Cindy
Williford
Member of the
Year Sponsor: Fisher Healthcare
TACLS Member of the
Year: Cheri Jennings
TACLS Educator of the
Year: Vicki Freeman
DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION AWARDS OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN GRANT FUNDS TO UTMB’S
CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCES DEPARTMENT FOR WEB-BASED EDUCATION
Students
interested in obtaining a baccalaureate degree in Clinical Laboratory
Sciences (CLS) will be able to take classes anywhere in the world and at
anytime they choose thanks to the Web-Based Education in Clinical
Laboratory Sciences (WEBCLS) grant from the Department of Education’s
“Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships.”
The University
of Texas Medical Branch’s (UTMB) School of Allied Health Sciences CLS
department and nine collaborating partners were awarded over one million
dollars in funding to develop, implement, and evaluate an interactive
web-based curriculum model for baccalaureate level CLS education.
WEBCLS curriculum
model will include web-based course materials for CLS, on-line interactive
CLS course laboratories using video and animation, interactive discussion
and chat sessions, on-line testing and evaluation, and a pilot
demonstration of a virtual practice laboratory. This web-based form of
learning uses the WWW, Internet, and intranets as the vehicle for
delivering the training to learners anywhere and at any time. This
medium is capable of supporting a wide range of multimedia technologies,
making it an ideal environment for learning.
“Today’s students
and those of the new millennium need a more time-and-place independent,
asynchronous method of course delivery, says Dr. Vicki Freeman, Chair and
Associate Professor CLS Department at UTMB. “People are trying to
balance work, families and educational opportunities. This web-based
method of delivery gives students the freedom to fit education into their
busy lives.”
WEBCLS curriculum
will provide an articulation route for non-traditional associate degree
clinical laboratory technicians (CLTs/MLTs) in rural, medically undeserved
areas of the United States who wish to obtain their baccalaureate degree.
The courses developed will also provide continuing education (CE) and
laboratory professional retraining material. “There are many CLTs
that are trained in the community college who are capable of earning a
bachelor's degree but lack the financial resources to move to a
metropolitan area to continue their education or are tied to their
communities by family or work obligations,” say Freeman. “But these
ties to rural communities mean that they provide a ready pool of potential
CLSs already committed to an underserved area. With development, they can
upgrade the quantity and quality of health care services in their home
regions.”
The ten collaborating
partners include four institutions known for their CLS rural distance
education programs, The University of Texas Medical Branch, the University
of Nebraska Medical Center, the University of Kentucky Center for Rural
Health and Wharton County Junior College. Three partnering institutions,
The University of Texas at Pan American, The University of Texas at
Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and Seminole State College, serve
students in rural, multicultural communities. Also included is The
University of Houston Clear Lake, recognized for its expertise in
instructional technology. The final partners are the Southern
Regional Education Board's (SREB) Electronic Campus and the National
Laboratory Training Network (NLTN). These partners bring the strength of
expertise in distance education and web-based education, sensitivity to
multicultural issues, awareness of rural, community health issues and
knowledge of the laboratory community. The partners also bring needed
resources to fully develop the project and scale it up for national
dissemination.
These courses will be
marketed via virtual campuses with CLS programs nation-wide through
licensing agreements. Review modules and CE courses will be marketed and
distributed through the NLTN. The interactive web-based curriculum model
will be shared among faculty in partnership institutions for training and
professional development, among graduate students in instructional
technology as a case study, at professional meetings and through scholarly
publications.
For more information
about WEBCLS contact Chantele Singleton, Project Manager at (409) 772-3055
or email at csinglet@utmb.edu.
How Fast Should
We Go Down the Information Highway?
The TACLS Board has
been discussing setting up a website for the organization. Possible uses
for this website include publicity for continuing education opportunities
such as our Annual Meeting as well as the distribution of information
about our organization and the field of clinical laboratory science. One
of the possibilities which we are considering is eliminating one or more
of the regular paper issues of our newsletter and substituting regular
updates on the website. We would still retain at least two regular issues
of the newsletter each year. However, the Board does not want to
disenfranchise our members who might not have internet access. Therefore,
we would like your input before we make any major moves with the
newsletter. Please respond to the following survey bv December 1, 1999.
1.
Do you have access to the internet?
Yes ( )
No ( )
2.
Which of the following would you prefer as a method of obtaining news
about the organization?
Internet Newsletter
( )
Written Newsletter
( )
3. Would you be in
favor of decreasing the number of written issues of the newsletter and
replacing it with more frequent updates on the website?
Yes ( )
No ( )
Please Respond by
December 1,1999.
Mail or email your
responses to:
Karen Chandler 5805 N.
25'h Lane McAllen, TX 78504
Email address: karbec50@aol.com.
Nominations for
TACLS Board Members and Member of the Year
President
Elect
1 position, 1-year
term
Treasurer
1 position, 3-year
term
Board Member
2 positions, each
3-year terms
Nominations Committee
4 positions, each
2-year terms
TACLS Member-of-the-year
Eligibility
requirements for offices are:
Must have been an
active or emeritus member in good standing for at least two (2) years
immediately prior to election, and shall have attended at least three (3)
TACLS Official Business Meetings in the two (2) years immediately prior to
nomination.
Eligibility
requirement for the TACLS Member-of-the-Year is only that he/she must have
been an active or emeritus member in good standing prior to his/her
nomination.
Nominations may be
made by a TACLS member for all positions except Nominations and
Member-of-the-Year. These
must be made by a District Society. All
nominations must be postmarked by December 15, 1999.
Message from
the President
Karen
Chandler, M.A. MT(ASCP)
As
I begin my term of office, I am reflecting on the many changes which have
taken place in our profession. While many of these changes have been
disconcerting to clinical laboratory practitioners, others have been
exciting in the potential opportunity they bring for professional growth.
Change is part of the natural order of things and how we deal with change
has a profound influence on our lives. Some people fight change with every
ounce of energy they possess while others embrace change with a sense of
excitement. Is change a challenge or a threat to you?
It is my belief
that the majority of people who fear change are those that do not have
sufficient preparation and knowledge to adapt to new technology and the
change in role which this technology may bring. Why are people unprepared?
Each of us probably only has to look around us and talk to our fellow
practitioners. How many clinical laboratory employees have not been to a
single continuing education program outside of the mandatory sessions in
their lab during the past year? How many file the journals they receive
without really reading them? Unfortunately, I think that far too many
people fall into this category. The excuses are many. " I am too
busy." "I have kids and I don't have time." While all these
things are valid concerns, it is also true that we make time for what we
consider important. There are many opportunities to continue our
professional development, yet declining attendance is a major concern to
most program planners. Perhaps this lack of attendance can be attributed
to how we feel about what we do. Do you view clinical laboratory science
as a job or a profession? I think that the answer to this question is
fundamental to our existence. I believe that those who consider themselves
to be professionals will seek opportunities for professional growth.
Belonging to your professional organization is an important part of that
growth process. Let's encourage others to become involved and to be a part
of our association.
THE AGING OF
AMERICA
Shirlyn
B. McKenzie, Ph.D., Region VII Director
Even
before the advances of modern medicine, a few hardy souls lived to a ripe
old age. Some said they did it by drinking whiskey everyday while others
proclaimed it was alcoholic abstinence that gave them immortality. Old age
before the twentieth century however, was the exception, not the rule.
Statistics from England in the mid 1800s show that in London the average
life span of a laborer was 15! During the last several decades, life
expectancy has increased to 76 years. This is largely due to scientific
discoveries that have decreased infant mortality, controlled communicable
disease, and improved nutrition and living standards. These advances have
prolonged life and consequently increased the number and proportion of the
elderly population in almost all countries of the world. In the US, there
were 26 million people over the age of 65 in 1980. By the year 2000 this
segment of the population will increase to 35 million, an increase of 35
%. This graying of the population phenomenon will almost assuredly create
massive social, political, and economic problems. The elderly have their
own special problems of disease, disability and need for support. How we
handle the challenges of meeting the social and health needs of the
elderly will determine how fortunate it really is to grow old and will
have far-reaching consequences for the further development of society.
Society in the Westernized world has looked at the elderly as though these
individuals cannot be contributing members of society and assume that
rigor mortis sets in at retirement. Nothing could be farther from the
truth. The sex drive capabilities are active in human beings until rigor
mortis. In fact, staying active appears to prolong the quality of life.
Since many more will reach old age than in the past, the issue for society
is how to help as many of the elderly as possible remain healthy and
independent and to continue to play an active role in society.
Problems that now occur because of the graying of our society
include the burden of caring for elderly who have lost the ability to care
for themselves because of degenerative diseases that cause functional
impairment and increasing demand for costly health care services. By age
70, only 50% of our elderly are disease free. As life span extends, more
years will be spent in poor health unless something is done to prevent
chronic disease in the elderly. The tale from Greek mythology about
Aurora, the goddess of morning, addressed this problem. Aurora asked that
Zeus give Tithonus, her mortal lover, eternal life as she had. She forgot
however, to ask for eternal youth. As the years passed he became
progressively incapacitated. Zeus felt sorry for him and eventually had
him turned into a grasshopper. The moral is that living longer without
living well is a poor bargain. On the economic side, the elderly use
health services at a rate three to four tirnes that expected for their
proportion in society. As the population ages, the demand for new medical
technologies increases, and the demand for health services and their costs
continue to rise. Obviously,
the best way to avoid these problems is to help the elderly stay healthy.
Fortunately, deaths due to cardiovascular disease have been decreasing in
the US in the last decade. This has come about primarily from an emphasis
on disease prevention and the adoption of more healthy life styles.
However, the incidence of other geriatric diseases such as Alzheimer's
disease is increasing. In
my next column, I will address the challenges and opportunities this
demographic revolution presents for laboratory professionals.
Until then, why don't
you think about it and see if you can come up with some ideas?
Children’s
Miracle Network
ASCLS has asked each
state to have fundraisers for the Children's Miracle Network. At the Board Study session we decided to make our silent
auction a joint fundraiser for our Scholarship fund and The Children's
Miracle network. We
hope that our members will bring or send items for the silent auction to
the convention. Donations can
be sent to John Wentz or Dora Marie Arocha, if members can not make it to
the meeting. Their work
number is 214-648-1780. The
membership may also obtain donations for the auction from their community
and bring them. We will also have boxes to accept monetary donations to the
Scholarship fund and/or to the Children's Miracle Network. If you have any questions contact Judy Baughman,
JEBaughman@aol.com.
