Histology and The Overall Lab Shortage Heats Up
March 21st, 2011 1 Min readThis is a guest post by Joanna Kires, Director, CompHealth Permanent Placement
We all know that there is a shortage of qualified histotechnicians and histotechnologists in our country. We all suspect that this shortage is reaching a critical level. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that this shortage will continue to increase as the demand grows by 10 to 20 percent over the next 8 years. And this is just for histologists! To compound the situation, the overall shortage of clinical laboratory personnel is growing by approximately 10,000 lab personnel per year.
What is creating this shortage? Unfortunately, the aging work force, a lack of training programs and the fact that wages have not kept pace with other Allied positions, have all contributed to this shortage. As noted in this Dark Daily article on automation, It's becoming more and more difficult to staff to capacity, with "nearly one-half (43%) of clinical laboratories across the nation reported difficulties hiring personnel".
What can you do to fill your Lab positions? You're definitely going to have to be creative in your lab searches. I recommend that you start your search before you have a need by knowing when your staff is going to retire, find out if your pay scales are comparable in the area and review your total package to ensure that it entices the best candidates. In addition, utilize a search firm that specializes in laboratory positions. Our team of Lab Science consultants specialize in just this type of challenging market. They are qualified to coach you on ways to quickly fill their needs by offering assistance with salary evaluations, candidate searches and transitional support.
What creative steps are you taking to fill your Lab positions?