ASCLS-NJ

On Wednesday, March 7, 2012 members of ASCLS-NJ gathered at New Jersey/New York Blood Services in New Brunswick, NJ. The board meeting was called to order around 6:35 pm.

The first item on the agenda was the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting and the January meeting. The Treasurer’s report was also approved.

The president’s report covered several topics:
- CE Organizer information can now be electronically sent to ASCP-BOC.
- The ASCLS/CLMA merger is moving forward.
- The PPC will host ASCLS Provides H.O.P.E. again this year at the Annual Meeting. A back to school supply drive will be held.
- Members that are interested in participating in the ASCLS Leadership Academy can visit http://www.ascls.org/?page=Lead_Acad fore more information. The Leadership Academy prepares members for leadership roles in the organization. Deadline is March 31,2012.
- Booking info for the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in L.A. for the national meeting is now available.

For the Government Affairs Committee report , it was announced that two representatives from NJ will be sent to the Legislative Symposium in Washington, D.C.

The nominations committee announced that they have received two nominations for the two open board member positions. Nominations will also be taken from the floor of the House of Delegates (HOD) at the Spring Seminar.

The student forum report included plans being made for the following events:
-The Student Co-Directors are looking into participating in several 5K walks and a soup kitchen in the New Brunswick area.
- MLS/MLT students will be visiting The Today Show in NYC on April 13 to celebrate Lab Week and promote the profession.
- The 2012 Management Symposia will be held on April 27 and May 4 at the UMDNJ campus is Scotch Plains.

Details for the upcoming Spring Seminar were discussed. The main focus was on registration and the brochure. The seminar will be held on April 20 at the National Conference Center at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor. Information is available at www.ascls-nj.org. The HOD agenda was briefly discussed along with a slate of delegate for the Annual Meeting which will be voted on.

The Marketing and Public Relations Committee will be preparing a press release for the Spring Seminar.

The last few items on the agenda were new business. A few representatives from ASCLS-NJ will be judges at The Hudson County Science Fair in Jersey City at the Liberty Science Center. A request was sent to the Governor’s Office for a photo-op with the Governor, the Board, and the NMLPW proclamation. An invitation was also sent to the Commissioner of the NJDOH to present the ASCLS-NJ awards at the Spring Seminar.

The next meeting will be held on April 20th in conjunction with the HOD in East Windsor, NJ.

On Wednesday, February 1, 2012 members of ASCLS-NJ gathered at New Jersey/New York Blood Services in New Brunswick, NJ. The board meeting was called to order at 6:40 pm.

The first item on the agenda was the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting. They were not available and will be approved by an e-vote at a later date.

The president’s report covered several topics:
- COLA (http://www.cola.org/) is looking for webinar speakers. If you are interested in presenting a webinar, please contact ascls.nj@gmail.com for more information.
- The ASCLS/CLMA merger is moving forward.
- ASCLS offers several awards and scholarships. Please visit http://www.ascls.org/?page=Awards for more information. ASCLS-NJ also offers awards and scholarships. Visit ascls-nj.org for more information. The deadline is approaching, so submit your nominations now!
- Members that are interested in participating in the ASCLS Leadership Academy can visit http://www.ascls.org/?page=Lead_Acad fore more information. The Leadership Academy prepares members for leadership roles in the organization.
- Are you interested in attending the 2012 National Meeting (http://www.ascls.org/?page=Annual_Meeting) as a NJ delegate? Contact ascls.nj@gmail.com for more information.

The nominations committee announced that there are two open board member positions. Forms to nominate a member are available at www.ascls-nj.org/Documents.html

The student forum report also covered several plans for the upcoming year:
- MLS/MLT students will be having a basket raffle at the Spring Seminar. Funds raised will go to the Children’s Miracle Network.
- MLS/MLT students will be visiting The Today Show in NYC on April 13 to celebrate Lab Week and promote the profession.
- The 2012 Management Symposium will be held on April 27 and May 4 at the UMDNJ campus is Scotch Plains.

Details for the upcoming Spring Seminar were discussed. The seminar will be held on April 20 at the National Conference Center at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor. Discounts will be available for those attendees that want to spend the night (use the code ASC when booking your room) at the hotel. The hotel is close to many attractions, including Six Flags Great Adventure. Those who stay at the hotel are eligible for discounts to the local attractions. Visit www.hieastwindsor.com for more details. The Spring Seminar brochure will be mailed out soon and information will be available on www.ascls-nj.org.

Skype will now be available for members wishing to attend the meeting through conference call. Add ASCLS-NJ as a contact.

The next meeting will be held on March 7 at 6:30 pm at NJ/NY Blood Services in New Brunswick. All members are encouraged to attend (in person or via Skype)!

ASCLS-NJ BOARD MEETING RECAP: January 4, 2012

The monthly ASCLS-NJ Board of Directors meeting held on January 4, 2012 at New Jersey/New York Blood Services in New Brunswick, NJ was called to order at 6:34 p.m.

The first item on the agenda discussed was approval of minutes - they will be approved via E-vote. The minutes from the December meeting were approved.

Next, the treasurer’s report was given to all members and accepted.

The nominations committee indicated that the 2 new open board positions for next year are: President Elect and Member at Large.

The membership committee reported that ASCLS-NJ recently obtained 2 new members and that 475 letters were mailed to lapsed members to remind of membership renewals.

The student forum advisor reminded the board of the dates and location for the management symposia. The Today Show visit is still scheduled for Friday, April 13th. The student directors are still looking for sponsors for lab coats to wear for the Today Show - possibly Quest Diagnostics or a local hospital. They also spread some holiday cheer at some local nursing homes in Newark, West Orange, and Old Bridge.

Further details on Spring Seminar were then discussed. The brochure cover was drafted by Lucy Wang and the theme, “Great Lab-Venture” was presented for discussion. Suggestions for the brochure and theme were welcomed. The brochure cover is not yet finalized.
All speakers have been scheduled. A suggestion to re-evaluate / re-arrange the timetable was made. The “travel time” between sessions may need to be increased due to a different session set-up at the new venue. The topic is still open for discussion. A “save the date” email with preliminary program will be sent out.

The scholarship committee updated the board the application for scholarships has been given out to program directors and he the deadline for students to submit is February 20.

The awards committee indicated that there are no nominations as of yet. Members are still encouraged to nominate their colleagues for the following awards: student, manager laboratorian, and educator of the year (all each a separate category).

The deadline to submit articles for the next Analyzer was postponed to January 6, 2012.

Discussion of new business included: possible CLMA joint meeting in Fall 2012.

The next meeting is scheduled for February 1, 2012, 6:30 p.m. held at New Jersey Blood Services, 167 New St. New Brunswick, NJ 08901. All are welcome to attend!

ASCLS-NJ BOARD MEETING RECAP: December 7, 2011

The monthly ASCLS-NJ Board of Directors meeting held on December 7, 2011 at New Jersey/New York Blood Services in New Brunswick, NJ was called to order at 6:40 p.m.

The first item on the agenda discussed was approval of minutes—they were not available.

Next, the treasurer’s report was given to all members. No changes in the total budget were reported. Net profit from the Fall Seminar and the Fall Student Forum were presented.

An additional point to try out a cost-effective alternative for storage was discussed. The group agreed to continue using the current storage facility, but chose a month-to-month contract for the upcoming year.

The president then discussed important upcoming dates, which can be found at ASCLS-NJ.org. Other news included the availability of CDC modules for CE credit available at ascls.org. Alternatively, the modules can be fond on the CDC website using the search terms “Ready, set go!” Members were also encouraged to visit the ASCLS website for promotions and discounts on holiday items at the online store. Members were also told about a chance to win an Apple iPad upon submitting their resume at the ASCLS website.

Information on hotel availability for the CLEC conference (Feb. 23-25) is available online. An email was sent out to First Year Professionals about educational opportunities for continuing education. Lab week will be celebrated from April 22nd to the 28th. There will be a career fair held at Liberty Science Center on December 9, 2011 for local youth. They will have an opportunity to learn about the laboratory field through promotional videos produced by ASCLS.

Finally, the president’s concluded that there was a drop in 600 members nationally this year. Please encourage your colleagues to renew their membership or if they have not, to join today!

The next item presented was the availability of 2 new open board positions for next year. More detailed information will be in the next issue of The Analyzer.

The board then accepted the finance committee reports on the Fall Student Seminar and the Fall Seminar.

Member Cynthia Dixey then shared her positive experience about her visit to MLT students at Middlesex Community to join ASCLS and to help clear some of the confusion that the students voiced over being members of ASCP vs. ASCLS.

The student forum advisor confirmed the dates and location for the management symposia. She also announced that the date for the Today Show visit is scheduled for Friday, April 13th. All are welcome to join the spirit of Lab Week on that day. The student directors discussed the idea of possibly obtaining support from Quest to have lab coats for the students to wear for the Today Show. They are also involved in putting together groups of their classmates to spread cheer at local nursing homes for the holidays.

Further details on Spring Seminar were then discussed. For those interested in booking a room at the Holiday Inn, enter code ASC at the hotel website to receive a discount on your purchase. There are two speakers confirmed for hematology, one is needed for chemistry, three for blood bank, and one for microbiology. Again topics were suggested, such as the idea of point of care testing in monitoring drug abuse in pain management patients, blood banking for the non-blood bankers, success stories of blood management, among others. The brochure will be ready in early spring.

To promote interest from employers in joining the employment exchange at the Spring Seminar, the board has agreed to bring down the price to purchase space.

The scholarship committee updated the board the application for scholarships has been given out to program directors and he the deadline for students to submit is February 20.

Members are still encouraged to nominate their colleagues for the following awards: student, manager laboratorian, and educator of the year (all each a separate category). If a past recipient is interested in writing up a story of their win, please write to Katie DeMenna so that your story can be published in the next issue of The Analyzer.

The deadline to submit articles for the next Analyzer is December 18. Students, if you have involved in community service projects, please submit info to Marketing and PR Committee.

Updates to the aslcs-nj.org website included the following: contact information, how-to guides on signing up to receive emails and job listings, along with a guide on the benefits of ASCLS membership.

The push for licensure in many states is progressing. Currently, there are 12 states and the territory of Puerto Rico that require medical laboratory scientists to have a license to practice. Certain states, like Texas, will revisit licensure in 2013. Another 16 states are working on licensure bills.

The meeting concluded with an addition to the SOP. A draft of guidelines for the representative to other organizations was voted on and accepted by the board.

The next meeting is scheduled for January 4, 2012, 6:30 p.m. held at New Jersey Blood Services, 167 New St. New Brunswick, NJ 08901. All are welcome to attend!

ASCLS-NJ BOARD MEETING RECAP: November 2, 2011

On Wednesday, November 2, 2011 members of ASCLS-NJ gathered at New Jersey/New York Blood Services in New Brunswick, NJ. The board meeting was called to order at about 6:30 pm.

The first item discussed was the approval of the minutes from the previous board meeting in September. This was followed by the Treasurer’s report.

The next item on the agenda was the President’s report. The report included a recap of the President’s address from the Fall House of Delegates. Volunteers are need on the national level for 2012-2013. The deadline to apply is Nov. 15, 2011. A Region II conference call will be on Nov. 9, 2011. Volunteers are also needed to attend the Legislative Symposium in Washington D.C. in March 2012. The president will be working on updating the society archives.

There was a brief update from the membership committee.

The Student Forum is planning on doing community service during the holidays including possibly participating in a food drive or soup kitchen.

The ESA is looking into updating labscience.org.

The rest of the meeting primarily dealt with discussing the upcoming Spring Seminar, particularly session topics and a keynote topic.

Suggestions for a topic included taking another took at the value of quality control in the chemistry lab. Moreover, the use of 6 sigma QC to evaluate a method was introduced as a possible topic. The group concluded that a clear description connecting various disciplines will need to be the focus of a keynote speaker.

Further discussions included about the possibility of including CLMA for the Spring Seminar and the need to have a global perspective versus a limited one to bench work should the merger happen. Keynote topics will continue to be an item of discussion for the next meeting as well.

Next, discounts on hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor, NJ, where the seminar will be held, and local attractions were announced and further information will be released.

Information on scholarships will be available soon. The deadline for students to apply for ASCLS-NJ scholarships will be sometime in February. The next Analyzer issue will have the precise date and application forms. There are many other scholarships available as well: from Siemens-ASCP and ASCLS (national). Information about those can be found online.

The next issue of The Analyzer will also contain applications to nominate Outstanding Manager, Educator, Student, and Medical Laboratory Professional of the Year. The deadline to submit will be in February. Nominate early!

The publications committee is seeking story submissions. The budget for The Analyzer will be given at the next meeting. Students are encouraged to submit articles and let the PR committee know about community service projects they have been working on.

The final item discussed was a future addition to the SOP. A description of the responsibilities of representatives to organizations such as CLMA, NJABBP, and ASC was presented but a motion to vote on it was not made.

The next meeting will be on December 7, 2011 at New Jersey Blood Services. As always, everyone is encouraged to attend!

ASCLS-NJ BOARD MEETING RECAP: October 27, 2011

On Thursday, October 27, 2011 ASCLS-NJ held its Fall Seminar at the UMDNJ campus in Scotch Plains. A short board meeting preceded the seminar speaker, Dr. Steven Marcus, director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center. Dr. Marcus’s presentation, “A Potpourri of Poisonings,” featured toxicology case studies with interdisciplinary laboratory data. A recap of Dr. Marcus’s presentation will be in the next issue of The Analyzer.

There were 30 members-at-large present at the board meeting, which was called to order at 6:15 pm.

First, the President thanked Morrell Instrument Company, Inc. for sponsoring the 2011 Fall Seminar. Student co-representatives, who were elected at the Student Forum on October 14, were then introduced.

The next item discussed was the approval of the minutes from the Spring House of Delegates meeting. Members were encouraged to nominate others for the ASCLS-NJ awards, which are Educator, Manager, Student, and Medical Laboratory Scientist of the Year. Nomination information will be in the next issue of The Analyzer, as well as the ASCLS-NJ website.

Next, both the Treasurer’s Report and the 2011-2012 budget were discussed and approved.

The last item presented was the President’s Message, which included updates on both the national and local levels. The national update involved informing members of the new ASCLS mission statement and information about the potential ASCLS/CLMA merger. The local update involved a review of the information and services available on the ASCLS-NJ website, as well as a description of the various social networking sites being used by the society. Members were informed that 2 members have volunteered to speak about ASCLS at colleges throughout the state.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:43 pm.

ASCLS-NJ BOARD MEETING RECAP: September 7, 2011

On Wednesday, September 7, 2011 members of ASCLS-NJ gathered at New Jersey/New York Blood Services in New Brunswick, NJ. The board meeting was called to order at about 6:30 pm.

The first item discussed was the approval of the minutes from the previous board meeting. The minutes were not available, and will be submitted for approval at the next meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, October 27.

This was followed by the Treasurer’s report and a lengthy discussion about the 2012 budget. The budget for 2012 will also be submitted for approval at the meeting in October.

The next item on the agenda was the President’s report. The report included notification about the updated ASCLS mission statement (read it here - http://www.ascls.org/?page=Mission_Vision), and information about the possible merger of ASCLS and CLMA (for more information, see http://www.ascls.org/?page=Annoucement). Volunteers were also found to fill several vacant positions in the leadership roster.

The chairs of the various committees then presented their reports. In an effort to retain members, the membership committee plans to present a PowerPoint presentation to current MLS and MLT students to inform them of the benefits of membership in ASCLS, as well as send letters to graduates of MLS/MLT programs and present pins to those graduates that pass their BOC exam.

Next the Fall Seminar was discussed. The Fall Seminar will be held on Wednesday, October 27 at the UMDNJ campus in Scotch Plains. Registration information will be available on the ASCLS-NJ website soon.

A new location for the Spring Seminar, which will be held on April 20, has been found. The Seminar will be held at the conference center at the Holiday Inn in East Windsor, NJ.

The student forum will be held on October 14 at the UMDNJ campus in Scotch Plains. The new student representative will be elected at the forum.

The Publications committee proposed a new format for our society newsletter, The Analyzer. The deadline for article submissions is September 15, so if you would like to submit an article, contact asclsnj.pubcom@yahoo.com.

The use of Skype for members who are unable to physically attend the meetings was discussed. Skype would allow people who can’t be at the meetings to participate through a conference call.

Finally, the employment exchange program was discussed. For more information about employment exchange, as well as the resume review program, please visit http://www.ascls-nj.org/Employment.html

The next board meeting will be held on October 27 in Scotch Plains, along with the Fall Seminar. All members are encouraged to attend and participate!

The New Jersey chapter of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS-NJ) will hold its 2011 Annual Spring Seminar and Industry Expo in Woodbridge, NJ at The Forge Inn on April 14, 2011. Laboratory professionals from around the state will gather to network and learn about the last updates in medical laboratory science. They will also have a chance to meet with vendors from some of the leading laboratory and technology companies.

The event will feature a full day of continuing education headlined by a keynote address on “Healthcare Reform and the Laboratory” by Michael Overa, MBA, MT(ASCP). Scholarships will be awarded to students for academic achievements in New Jersey’s laboratory programs. Yearly awards will also be presented to outstanding members and professionals for their service to the medical laboratory science community. In addition raffles will be held with the proceeds going to the Children’s Miracle Network.

About ASCLS

The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science is a professional organization for laboratory practitioners, consultants, students, and educators. It strives for the advancement of the medical laboratory science field and advocates the value and role of the laboratory professional. Information from laboratory professionals account for 70 percent of the data needed by physicians to make clinical decisions about diagnosis and treatment. The New Jersey chapter focuses its efforts on serving the professionals in the Garden State by promoting the different and diverse roles of the professionals in medical laboratory science. In addition to promoting laboratory professionals, ASCLS-NJ provides continuing education and professional development opportunities for New Jersey’s laboratory professionals. ASCLS-NJ also supports the community by participating in charity work including yearly donations to the Children’s Miracle Network.