eLABorate Topics

On this episode of eLABorate Topics, host Tywauna Wilson interviews past ASCP Forty under 40 award winners Stephanie Whitehead and Tiffany "Medical Lab Lady" Gill. They share their leadership tips and talk about their laboratory journeys. Tiffany talks about receiving the Forty Under 40 award and what she did to make her application stand out. She also talks about how she stumbled into the laborat...

On this episode of eLABorate Topics, Tywauna Wilson and Stephanie Whitehead discuss navigating the complexities of hiring foreign healthcare practitioners in the US. They have an expert guest, Rex Famitangco, who provides pro tips for overcoming challenges and filling workforce shortages. Rex shares his personal journey from working in medical laboratories in the Philippines to his current leaders...

For busy lab professionals who badly want to prioritize their health but have little time, this podcast episode is for you. In today’s episode of eLABorate Topics podcast Lona Small talks on how to improve the overall wellness for yourself and your team with small investment of time. Lona discussed using Positive Intelligence Quotient (PQ) and the PQ rep to improve mental fitness and overall welln...

“Without mastering collaborative relationships, both inside and outside the company, we won’t produce the outcomes needed....”    — Lori Beer Great leaders understand the incredible value of collaboration, especially in healthcare. Leadership is a TEAM sport. The World Health Organization defines interdisciplinary teams as “multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work[ing]...

As Medical Laboratory Professionals, professionalism in the workplace is necessary for success. While many focus on verbal professionalism, it also includes using the proper business etiquette when communicating with colleagues, clients, and clinicians by via email. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, email etiquette is becoming an essential skill for any successful professional.  In this...

Self-promotion can be essential to career advancement and growth in any industry. Although we all know that pitching yourself is necessary when applying for a job, prepping for a networking event or submitting yourself for an award -many of us tend not to do this. Sitting back, working hard and hoping someone notices you is far more comfortable.    In this episode of the eLABorate Topics podcast,...

Who will help the lab leaders who are burnt out? Are we only focused on just a few of the challenges and are ignoring what could become a bigger problem? In this episode of eLABorate Topics podcast Lona Small talks about how the “hyper-achiever” could lead to burn-out in medical lab leaders. Lona explained hyper-achiever as a saboteur, referencing Shirzad Chamine and his research and New York Time...

“Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying peace, health, and love.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr. Dr. Nuñez-Argote is an accomplished laboratory professional that is passionate about her colleagues being healthy and prosperous. In this exciting episode, co-host Stephanie Whitehead and Dr. Nuñez-Argote, discuss her professional journey and her ongoing research focused on musculoskeletal pain...

Effective management is crucial for the success of any organization, but it's not enough to simply hire experienced managers from outside the organization. Developing new managers from within is a worthwhile investment of time and resources that can ensure the organization has a pool of talented managers who can lead the organization to success. In this episode, co-host, Tywauna Wilson, discusses...

There is a lot of discussions about attracting new medical lab professionals to the field, but what can we do to keep the ones we already have? In today's episode of eLABorate Topics podcast, we are going to discuss the effects of not focusing on our current team members. Lona discussed the many ways it is costing your lab if you do not get out of crisis mode of just hiring and not focus on your c...

Critical staffing, under-staffed, short-staffed - it's all the same. And, no matter what terminology you use, most labs (especially recently) have faced this significant problem. The stress of not having enough staff to cover the needed shifts and cause anxiety for the entire laboratory.   In this episode of eLABorate Topics podcast hosts Lona Small, Tywauna Wilson, and Stephanie Whitehead had a g...

In this exciting episode, co-host Stephanie Whitehead and Sean Tucker, MBA, MLS (ASCP), discuss their professional journeys as lab leaders. Tune in as Sean shares how his continuous focus on building cultures, encouraging emerging leaders and volunteering in a professional organization has shaped his leadership style.  Listeners can learn more about the CLMA and the Body of Knowledge here: Clinica...

In this episode, co-host, Tywauna Wilson, explores strategies for effectively navigating conflicts in the laboratory. From defining the conflict to implementing and monitoring a solution, she discusses the 5-step process for conflict resolution and how it can be applied in a laboratory setting. Whether you are dealing with disagreements over equipment or conflicting ideas, Tywauna offers practical...

Calling all educators!! Are you looking for a challenge for your MLS or MLT Students? The Cell Bowl Competition (sponsored by ASCP) is an annual, football-themed event that helps your students show off their hematology acumen through a weekly, interactive competition with other CLS programs   In this episode, the co-hosts interview the University of Connecticut's Bruce Blanchard (Director of Medic...

In 2020, Tywauna, Lona, and Stephanie set out on a journey to help mentor, coach, and educate laboratory professionals through sharing weekly messages in this podcast. Almost two years later, the eLABorate Topics podcast has exploded and reached listeners in Africa and Canada with a successful following on social media! With more than 135 episodes and >15K downloads, the co-hosts take a moment...

In this episode, the co-hosts interview Aaron Odegard and Tiffany "Medical Lab Lady" Gill about the Cell Bowl competition.   For the past two years, Aaron and Tiffany have partnered with the ASCP Council of Laboratory Professionals and other ASCP members to offer the Cell Bowl hematology competition to MLT and MLS students nationwide. The Cell Bowl competition requires participants to identify up...

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will instruct his patients in the care or the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease” – Thomas Edison (1903) In this interesting episode, co-host Stephanie Whitehead talks with RJ Holmes about how her professional journey in laboratory medicine led to a personal passion for health and wellness through the study and pract...

In this episode Lona Small discussed Mental Fitness as an important solution to lab leaders in these challenging times. She discussed how to use Mental Fitness to overcome obstacles and propel one to succeed personally and professionally. Mental Fitness is based on research by Shirzad Chamine and is defined as your capacity to respond to life’s challenges with positive rather than negative mindset...

To successfully manage a multigenerational team is to understand the needs and motivations of each generation. Baby Boomers, for example, are motivated by challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. On the other hand, Millennials are motivated by a desire for work-life balance and a need for constant feedback. Once you understand the needs of each generation, you can begin to create a cohesive...

‘If you stay ready, you don’t need to get ready’ ~Will Smith .    Are you ready for the next "big" job opportunity that may come your way? In this episode of eLABorate Topics podcast hosts Lona Small, Tywauna Wilson, and Stephanie Whitehead had a great roundtable discussion on simple steps to identify goals and ambitions early in your career journey.    The podcast hosts discussed: How to assess y...

Merriam-Webster defines the word authentic as “real or genuine” -  these words completely describe the special guest for this episode, Shonda Jones, and the passion that she has for the laboratory medicine profession!   Shonda Jones is a MLS with 12+ years of combined experience working in academic, research, and clinical laboratories. Currently, Shonda coordin, laboratory education and training i...

Have you always wanted to make an impact for yourself your team and your lab, but you find yourself keep falling back in overwhelm, self- doubt and just plain not knowing what to do?   In this episode of eLABorate Topics podcast, Lona Small discussed ways in which lab leaders can achieve their goals as an impactful leader.     Lona discussed 5 Ways to invest in yourself in order to be an impactful...

It's the awkward part of the interview where the team asks, "What questions do you have for us?" It is tempting to say none because you are ready to leave the interview room. Before you do, consider asking the interview team/hiring manager these seven critical questions about success and career development. The hiring team and manager often unknowingly give you insight into the culture, opportunit...

The ultimate goal in any project is to stick to a budget and timeline, get as much value from the team as possible, and eliminate any waste and last-minute scrambling. In the laboratory environment, with short staffing and minimum budgets, all of these things are extremely important to avoid extra work, overtime, and frustration.  In this episode of eLABorate Topics podcast co-hosts Lona Small, Ty...

What is the difference between being really stressed and experiencing burnout?   In this essential episode, co-host Stephanie Whitehead has a timely conversation with Dr. Alae Kawam to explore burnout and its impact within laboratory medicine. Dr. Kawam is an inspiring and active advocate wellness and diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). Tune in as Dr. Kawam offers new strategies combat bur...