With Over 1.8 Million Test Performed Annually, the SCRMC Laboratory Services Team is Committed to Patient Care.

 Laboratory medicine is a vital part of public health. It is important for detection of disease in individuals and populations. Up to 85 percent of diagnosis and treatment decisions are based on laboratory results. Laboratory test results comprise about 70 percent of the average patient’s medical record. Virtually every practicing healthcare provider depends upon the clinical laboratory for the care of his or her patient. However, in the developing world, there is a severe shortage of both quality laboratories and laboratory professionals.

Pamela Shores, MS, BSMT (ASCP), serves as the Director of Laboratory Services at SCRMC. She explains laboratory services within the South Central health system. “The laboratory at South Central is vital because we provide diagnostic tests to help our providers treat and monitor our patients.  We perform diagnostic testing for our patients on blood and many other specimens. In the last year, we completed over 1.8 million tests in the laboratory.”

Medical laboratory workers perform a wide range of tests and laboratory procedures that require a high level of skill. They examine and analyze blood, body fluids and other specimens using precision instruments, such as microscopes and automated analyzers. They look for bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions; and test for drug levels in the blood to show how a patient is responding to treatment. They also prepare specimens for examination, count cells and look for abnormal cells in blood and body fluids.

“Serving as a laboratory professional is a very rewarding career, yet unfortunately, we have a national shortage of medical laboratory technicians & Medical Laboratory Scientist,” said Shores. “There are programs in our region that offer courses for technical training. Also, the University of Southern Mississippi offers opportunities for a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree. At South Central we strive to find individuals who want to better themselves in their career and education and also improve the health of others in their community.”

The laboratory professionals who carry out these tests are medical technologists (bachelor’s or master’s degree level), now called Medical Laboratory Scientist and medical laboratory technicians (associate degree level). They work under the direction of pathologists and other physicians or scientists.

To learn more about career opportunities available within South Central’s Laboratory, visit scrmc.com/careers.