Addressing the Laboratory Staffing Crisis—Expert Strategies to Recruit and Retain a Stronger Workforce

 

Long before the pandemic, clinical laboratories were understaffed and tasked with an ever-increasing amount of demands as the industry shifted to a value-based care model. Now faced with the uncertainty of COVID-19 surges demanding more of an already strained system, recruiting and retaining staff has become harder than ever. These staffing challenges are due to a complex mix of burnouts, retirements, career changes, lack of qualified personnel, and other economic factors, but one issue remains clear—the clinical laboratory labor shortage has reached critical levels, and labs need to find better strategies to build and retain a stronger workforce. In this webinar, ARUP’s human resources and recruiting experts will discuss industry trends, successful strategies for recruiting the necessary staff to meet increased workloads, and creative tactics to retain and motivate current staff. Our experts will also answer questions from the webinar registrants to provide additional solutions on recruiting and retention.

Originally presented on June 21, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lecture Presenters

Tyler Tinling, MBA

Tyler Tinling, MBA

Human Resources Operations Manager
ARUP Laboratories

Tyler has more than 15 years of experience working in human resources. He earned his bachelor’s degree in international business with an emphasis in organizational management. After a few years in the workforce, Tyler earned his MBA, focusing on organizational behavior and human resources coursework specific to his career path. He has held various roles of increasing responsibility in multiple industries, including hospitality, finance/banking, retail/wholesale, and now healthcare.

Misty Smith, MSOL, MSAP.IO, CSP

Misty Smith, MSOL, MSAP.IO, CSP

Talent Acquisition Manager
ARUP Laboratories

Misty has experience in organizational development and recruitment optimization, and as ARUP’s talent acquisition manager, she strategically implements and improves upon industry best practices to strengthen ARUP’s incoming workforce. Her passion for understanding organizational structure, organizational development, and psychological processes led to master’s degrees in organizational leadership and industrial organizational psychology. She uses her extensive education and experience to align key business and human resource practices to bridge gaps and advance the best interests of the people in an organization.

Tony Smith, BS(HCM), MLT(ASCP)

Tony Smith, BS(HCM), MLT(ASCP)

Senior Healthcare Consultant
ARUP Laboratories

Tony Smith began his career in healthcare as a laboratory assistant for Gundersen Health System in Wisconsin, where he routinely worked in pediatric and adult urgent care, inpatient care, and the emergency room while he attended school to obtain his associate’s degree in a medical laboratory technician (MLT) program. Later, as a technician in transfusion medicine at Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester, Minnesota, Tony expanded his knowledge of transfusion medicine and cellular therapeutics. His interest in pediatrics grew during his 16 years at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he worked in various preanalytic, technical, lab operations, and management roles, including laboratory stewardship and revenue cycle management.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • Identify strategies to recruit the staff necessary to meet the demands of an ever-increasing workload
  • Implement creative tactics to motivate or incentivize current and incoming staff
  • Discuss signs related to decreased motivation among staff
  • Identify proactive strategies to improve morale and decrease burnout

Sponsored by:

University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, and ARUP Laboratories