Medical Laboratory Science Undergraduate Management Curriculum Development Using Practitioner Reported Job Tasks

Abstract

A Midwestern medical laboratory science program (MLS) conducted an online survey, as part of a larger national study, to assess what specific management skills staff-level MLS practitioners were performing as part of their job. The survey provided data that helped guide management-related curriculum development. Participants self-reported how often (i.e., often, sometimes, never) they had been asked, as part of their staff-level job, to perform a list of 30 managerial tasks. Frequently performed tasks (i.e., percentages represent both the often and sometimes responses) included train laboratory staff (88%); perform or participate in equipment/method validation (82%); prepare for/participate in laboratory inspection/assessment (82%); ensure compliance of regulations/standards (76%); monitor quality via quality indicators (64%); investigate standard operating procedure (SOP)/policy deviations (65%); analyze/review inventory data (65%); plan, measure, and evaluate process improvement projects (61%); develop competency assessment materials (61%), revise or write policies and procedures (61%); and participate in interdisciplinary teams (61%). Least performed tasks identified included: hire new employees (2%), prepare a laboratory/department budget (3%), perform a SWOT analysis (5%), negotiate vendor contracts (8%), write job descriptions (8%), determine productivity (11%), and perform a cost analysis (14%). The reported descriptive statistics helped distinguish between frequently and infrequently performed tasks, and develop managerial curriculum for an undergraduate and graduate MLS program. The staff-level practitioner rarely performed financial and human resource (HR) so these tasks became the focus of the graduate-level management curriculum.