INTRODUCTION
The need for laboratory services is likely to increase in
the next decade due to an aging population and an
influx of newly insured individuals. At this critical time,
the persistent problem of the clinical laboratory
personnel shortage threatens to limit access to health
care. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there
will be a need for 42,900 additional Medical Laboratory
Scientists (MLS) and Medical Laboratory Technicians
(MLT) in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020.1 This is a
13% growth in workforce needs at a time when clinical
laboratory vacancy rates range from 2.7% to 10.3% for
staff and from 7.6% to 18.6% for supervisors.2
To address the personnel shortage, professional
organizations, and laboratory educators have worked
together to develop recruitment materials, promote the
laboratory field to the public, and provide scholarship
support for students. As a result, the number of
educational programs has stabilized and the number of
graduates is gradually increasing.3 A study by Beck and
Doig suggests that, even with full enrollment, the
number of new graduates will not be sufficient to fill all
the laboratory positions needed now and in the future.4
It is therefore also imperative to retain current
employees in all areas of laboratory practice.
Many of the current laboratory employees are in the
“baby boomer generation” (born between 1946 and
1964) and will soon be eligible for retirement.5 Beck
and Doig reported that 42.5 % of employees who left
their jobs after working more than ten years, did so
because of retirement.4 A recent survey by the American