SEPTEMBER 2016 VOL. 33 NO. 3

AMT EVENTS

Official publication of

Mark your calendar -

AMT in Kansas City, MO

July 9– July 13, 2017 79th Educational Program and National Meeting

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ansas City, Missouri, is the “City of Fountains,” boasting more than any city except Rome. The Crown Center is home of the Hallmark Cards headquarters Visitors Center. The Intercontinental Hotel overlooks the elegant, old-world architecture of Country Club Plaza shopping mall, nestled on the banks of Brush Creek.

THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL

AT THE

PLAZA

• Heated outdoor pool with sundeck • Marble bath • Ironing board & iron in each room • Coffeemaker in each room • Fitness center • Terrace gardens and jogging trail nearby • 18-hole golf course nearby Special discounted hotel rate: $129.00 + tax – single or double occupancy 401 WARD PKWY. • KANSAS CITY, MO 64112 HOTEL PHONE 816-756-1500

For additional Information: Contact AMT: 10700 West Higgins Road, Suite 150, Rosemont, IL 60018 Phone 847/823-5169 • Fax: 847/823-0458 • E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.americanmedtech.org

Managing Knowledge

by Fred H. Morley, III

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Retirement of a valued employee does not have to mean the loss of their knowledge in running the laboratory. Valuable, undocumented information can be passed to new techs.”

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Introduction The Baby boomers are beginning to retire from the laboratories. Advance Magazine (2012) reported 40% of the aging lab professionals are expected to retire by 2018, 50% by 2020. Within their brains lies untold and unwritten knowledge, tacit knowledge, of the efficient function of hospital and reference labs. Labs will have to act now to preserve this everyday working knowledge within these Boomer techs. This is not the data of the daily/ monthly count of CBCs. It is not the monthly profit the lab contributes to the hospital. It is a deep-seated, almost non-communicable knowledge that many Boomers do not even realize is in their possession. You will not find this knowledge in any procedure manual or textbook. The Complex Problem Many near-retirees put off retirement because of the national recession that began in 2008. Now many are better situated financially and will again be considering retirement. The recently graduated medical technologists do not have the schooling or knowledge equal to 45 years of experience housed within the Boomers’ brains. Ball and Gotsill (2011, pg 130) state that “one medical lab CEO responded that there were eight employees on his staff of 400 who played a critical role, yet no

documentation existed to help the business carry on in their absence.” Loss of their knowledge will negatively affect labs with increased turnaround times due to inexperienced staff techs. As an example, the time needed to complete a normal hematology cell differential takes a Boomer under two minutes, while some of our recent graduate techs take over ten minutes. The urine sediment time of completion will be the same. How will your hospital emergency room doctors (and you) handle these time differences? How can your lab function without the passing of this unwritten knowledge to the recent graduates? Are there highly complex tests that only Boomers perform and will these tests have to be shipped out when they leave? These are Clinical Good Manufacturing Practices and not personnel decisions. The poor economy of 2007 saw Boomers watch their stock market retirement portfolios and their home values disappear and forced the Boomers to continue working. Ball and Gotsill (2011, pg 9) restated Cappelli (2003), Boomers would continue to work “as life expectance and the ability to work longer go up.” But when will they retire and what will it cost my laboratory? Because of legal restraint, labs can not ask the near retirees how long they are going to stay with the lab. Use the help of your human relations

Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Benefits the Body

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any people know that meditation is beneficial, yet few know why. Meditation, which can be practiced in various forms, has been used throughout history to benefit the mind, body and soul. Now there is even more evidence that taking up meditation may be the right thing for you! “We have known for a long time that meditation can help to promote wellness,” explains Dr. Gary Kaplan, founder of The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine, located in McLean, VA. “Meditation can play an important role in how you feel, both physically and mentally.” Clinical studies have demonstrated the benefits of meditation, including: • A recent research study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital finding that mindfulness meditation, over the short period of eight weeks, increased the amount of gray matter in regions of the brain involved in learning and memory, regulation of one’s emotions, and self-awareness. •  Other studies have shown that regular meditation helps reduce practitioners’ feelings of anxiety and fear and enhances their natural creativity and problem-solving abilities. •  Mindfulness meditation increases practitioners’ empathy for others and can allow for improved communication and relations with colleagues, family and friends. • Studies have also shown that, by facilitating relaxation of the body and mind, regular meditation can help improve sleep, lessen the sensation of pain, and lower blood pressure.

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• T  here is also clinical evidence that meditating regularly improves depression and increases practitioners’ overall sense of well-being by providing a method of letting go of fearful and negative thoughts and decreasing emotional reactivity. “This new study by researchers at Mass. General Hospital is very exciting because it suggests that meditation may be able to help heal the brains of people who suffer with depression, anxiety disorders, and chronic pain,” adds Dr. Kaplan. Explains Dr. Kaplan, “Meditation is not about religion or beliefs, it’s about learning how to stop ‘time-traveling.’ Unfortunately, we spend a great deal of time either thinking about the future, which tends to engender worry or anxiety, or dwelling on the past, which often brings up regrets and loss. Either way, we are less able to dedicate all of our attention and creativity on what is happening in the here and now. Meditation offers us a means of staying more in the present moment.” “So many benefits arise from doing meditation, and it is so convenient to do, that I encourage everyone to give it a try – 20 minutes a day for four weeks – and see what happens,” advises Dr. Kaplan. “You may be surprised at just how much more focused and relaxed you feel, and like many of my patients, you may decide to make it a permanent part of your daily routine.”   Reprinted from Massachusetts General Hospital News Release, January 2011.

Chicago Kidney Action Day – August 10, 2016 Illinois State Society members and AMT home office staff participated in the Chicago Kidney Action Day on August 10, 2016, in Daley Plaza. Check out what our members had to say about the experience.

Chicago Kidney Action Day — August 10, 2016

Violet Shelton volunteered as a Kidney Health Educator on Kidney Action Day held in downtown Chicago. In addition to counseling patients on safeguarding their health or that of their loved ones, Violet’s personal story is strong testimony to the value of managing kidney disease. Her husband has been on peritoneal dialysis for three months and she reports that his strength and energy is returning. “It’s good to see dialysis doing its job,” Violet said.

Morgana Williams, RMA I volunteer for Kidney Action Day every year. Chronic kidney disease is not in my family but this is a good thing for people who don’t have insurance or to complement the care they receive at other facilities.

Violet Shelton, RMA A first-time volunteer giving back to a good cause as a Kidney Health Educator because of her awareness of how widespread kidney disease is.

Jessica Ganiyu, RMA I decided to volunteer because I am an AMT registered medical assistant and was offered the opportunity to take part. My cousin has kidney failure and I wanted to support the American Kidney Fund and the people here at the Kidney Action Day. 138  |  AMT Events September 2016

Eschylon Williams, RMA

The 2016-2017 AMT Board of Directors

AMT BOARD OF DIRECTORS First row l-r: Jeannine Hobson, AHI, CMAS, RMA, RPT; Jeff Lavender, MT; Deborah Westervelt, RMA, COLT; Ken Hawker, MT; Second row l-r: Heather Herring, MT, RMA; Everett Bloodworth, MT; Naomi Melvin, PhD, EdD, MT; Tabitha Jordan (Board Observer); Third row l-r: Chris Seay, MT; Kim Cheuvront, PhD, MT; Mike McCarty; Carole Aston; Jerry Hudgins, MT; Edna Anderson, MT

AMT OFFICERS l-r: Jeannie Hobson, AHI, CMAS, RMA, RPT, Vice-President; Ken Hawker, MT, Treasurer; Jeffrey Lavender, MT, President; Everett Bloodworth, MT, Immediate Past President; Deborah Westervelt, RMA, COLT, Secretary

AMT Board Election

Board Elects Officers

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t the election held during the Business Meeting that took place on July 21, 2016, at the Peabody  Hotel in Memphis, TN, elected to a three-year term was Dr. Naomi Melvin, MT; re-elected to a threeyear term were Jeannie Hobson, AHI, CMAS, RMA, RPT; and Christopher Seay, MT. Naomi Melvin, PhD, EdD, MPH, CLC, DLB ASCP, Chipley, FL, has been a member of AMT for 30 years. She is a current member of the Florida state society Board. Honors include the Cuviello Commitment to Excellence, Pillar, Distinguished Achievement, and Florida Tech of the Year. Jeannette “Jeannie” Hobson, AHI, CMAS, RMA, RPT, Fresno, CA, has been a member of AMT for 15 years. She is a past president of the California state society. Honors include Distinguished Achievement, Exceptional Merit, Pillar, RMA of the Year, RPT of the year, and MOM. Christopher (Chris) Seay, MT, Memphis, TN, has been a member of AMT for 22 years. He is the current CASMET Liaison and a past president of the Tennessee state society. Honors include Exceptional Merit, President’s Award, and Distinguished Achievement.

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fficers were elected by the AMT Board of Directors at its organizational meeting held in Memphis during the AMT convention. Elected were Jeff Lavender, MT, President; Jeannie Hobson, AHI, CMAS, RMA, RPT, Vice President; Ken Hawker, MT, Treasurer; and Deborah Westervelt, RMA, COLT, Secretary.