While being a medical laboratory professional is an absolutely rewarding career, at times it can feel a little disheartening, because we do not always get the recognition that we deserve. There are very few people outside of the healthcare profession who understand what laboratory professionals do and how critical they are to the healthcare system. These laboratory employees include, but are not limited to, phlebotomists, lab assistants, clinical laboratory scientists, medical technologists, medical technicians, histologists, microbiologists, cytotechnologists, medical secretaries and pathologists. These highly trained and skilled health professionals contribute to the quality of our health care by providing reliable test results that aid in the diagnosis, treatment, care, prevention and detection of disease. However, their efforts typically go unnoticed, (they are sometimes even locked in laboratories with no windows), except during one week at the end of April when we celebrate Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. This is the one time of the year when we get to promote our profession and spread the word that we do exist. It struck me as odd, when a few of my colleagues in other laboratories told me that they do not celebrate ‘Lab Week.’ Well we want that to change, so we’ve come up with relatively simple ideas and activities that any laboratorian can perform to “draw” their team in, and create a “blood” bond, all the while spreading the word that Medical Laboratory Professionals get the job done!
10. Decorate the entrance of the lab with signs and banners to indicate that it is lab week
Put up signs and banners at the entrance/lobby of your building so when people first enter your facility or department they are greeted with these signs. This will encourage non-lab employees and patients to inquire about Lab Week. You can setup a greeting station as well, and designate a liaison, such as the Lab Director or Manager, or even the front and back-end staff like phlebotomists or medical technologists who can answer people’s questions regarding what medical laboratory professionals do. You can easily print out signs or banners on your computer, but if you want to get a little more fancy, Etsy has this really cute store that sells a set of two medical laboratory-related banners for a reasonable price. www.etsy.com/listing/694498337/lab-week-fun-banners-signs-medical
9. Have a theme for each day of the week
Everybody likes a theme, so for each day of the week create a different theme. As lab professionals, we have to dress like professionals, so for many of us it limits what we can do in our facility. However, you can have themes that are not as noticeable to others, like a CRAZY SOCK DAY. Have everyone come wearing their craziest socks. Don’t have crazy socks? Not to worry, I found these lab related socks which are sure to be a hit amzn.to/2HWhGef or you can get my favorite socks which I always get compliments on because who doesn’t love popcorn, amzn.to/2HUIewB For those facilities that don’t have as strict a dress code, you can try having a SUPERHERO DAY, where everyone dresses up as their favorite superhero. I personally think medical laboratory techs are superheroes, so one year I wore this shirt. amzn.to/2WLJh5j It definitely was a hit. Other ideas might include a SPORTS DAY, where everyone dons attire from their favorite sports team. This is a lot of fun when people come in wearing rival team gear. It makes working in the lab a lot more interesting – it will add a little friendly banter about rival sports teams. These are just a few fun and quirky ways to get your team excited to come to work each day. You can download a free fill-in-the-blank lab week themed schedule here: lab_week_weekly_schedule.pdf
8. Have a "Create the Laboratory Mascot" Competition
Have the employees form teams either by department or by shift to make it easier to create their masterpiece. The goal is to create a laboratory themed mascot using only laboratory supplies. Common supplies used that are low cost in terms of wastage include disposable plastic pipettes, aliquot tubes, caps to reagents or tubes, chux, old QC bottles or any supply that will be discarded (provided it's not biohazardous). At the end of the week have the Lab Director or head Pathologist pick the winning submission. This is a great way to get some of the more creative members of your team to express themselves, and a little friendly competition never hurt anyone.
7. Have a cooking/baking contest
Allow the sweet-tooth inclined techs to create lab related goodies that everyone can enjoy. Every year each shift tries to have a potluck and management usually provides lunch or dinner for the the staff. This is a good way to get people in a good mood, because everyone loves free food. Try to encourage management to provide something edible for the staff. One year our Lab Director made homemade cookies for everyone and they were delicious!
6. Play "Whose Line is it Anyway?"
We spend a lot of time working alongside our co-workers sometimes long enough to recognize who wrote something just by seeing their writing. Well this game tests that ability. Have one person gather different snip-its of people's writing, either from the communication binders, or from maintenance logs from previous months ago (so that people can't cheat and just look up the information). Make copies of these and cut them out and post them in the break room or on a large bulletin board. Create an answer sheet and have people guess who wrote each snip-it. You can make it more interesting by taking snip-its that provide clues, such as "Unit available for crossmatch, notified RN." This gives a clue that the person works in the blood bank.
5. Play "How Well Do You Know Your Co-Workers"
This is a fun game because it allows people to learn interesting facts about the people with whom they work. Have one person be the leader and have people email them an interesting fact about themselves, like that someone who traveled to Europe and met Danny Devito in a cafe. Hey you never know! The leader then prints out a list of these facts and coworkers must try and match the facts to the person. This allows co-workers to interact with one another and learn more about each other at the same time. A really fun and inclusive game!
4. Pass out Laboratory Bumper Stickers
This is just a cool gift idea so people can have a little laugh and also help promote Medical Lab Professionals. If you can't give them out to all your staff you can get some to use as prizes. You can find a variety of them on-line. We like the Cafe Press bumper stickers. You can get a pack of 6 for $3. Use promocode SPRING2019 to get 25% off. https://www.cafepress.com
3. Participate in the Lab Week Run 2019
This is a virtual 5K run that you can run, walk or stroll from any location, even on a treadmill, but it must be completed sometime during Lab Week from April 21- April 27. Get a team together, dress up and run! All proceeds go to helping promote, lobby and create future leaders within the profession. There are also prizes for the best dressed team, so make sure to add a creative spark. Register at https://www.labweekrun.com
2. Participate in a Laboratory Scavenger Hunt
Have one person take pictures of non-PHI things within the lab that are obscure enough that only people within the lab might know. Don't make it too obvious. The more close up the picture is the less clues you'll give away. Post them on a bulletin board and have people write down on an answer sheet where they found those items. The person who gets the most correct answers wins a prize or if multiple people get them all right then have a drawing for a prize.
1. Play Printable Laboratory Games
In some busy labs not everyone can always get together with their teams everyday for lab week due to workflow but they can print out games to play on their downtime. This way everyone gets a chance to have some fun for lab week! Have fun games for techs to perform for each day of the week. Laboratory related crossword puzzles, or word scrambles are always a big hit. We also found on Etsy a store that has 5 laboratory related games for download that can be used if you're in a crunch and can't create your own. https://www.etsy.com/listing/680372840/lab-week-fun-printable-games-and-puzzles Have a drawing at the end of the week for all the people who answered correctly and give prizes, such as gift cards, key chains, pens or other lab related gifts to the winners.
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Amanda HolmesAmanda has been a Medical Technologist for over 10 years and has always had a passion for writing. She has written this article to help promote Lab Week Appreciation for laboratory staff everywhere. ArchivesCategories |