Critical Values - January 2009 - (Page 18) Volume 2 • Issue 1 • January 2009 Bridging the Gap between the Laboratory and ED Nurses Nickel By Christina P. Nickel, MHA, MT(ASCP) “ You don’t want to deal with the laboratory staff. They’re unreasonable.” W hat can be done about this type of impression? It’s pretty easy to simply disregard these comments. However, if laboratory employees want to be viewed as medical professionals, this isn’t the way to achieve it. Solutions to these issues can improve working relationships. More importantly, they can also save lives. Why shouldn’t laboratory professionals develop solutions? Medical technologists are problem-solvers by nature; it’s what they do. At the laboratory at Saint Francis Medical Center, Grand Island, Nebraska, we found that the solution was to bridge the communication gap with nursing. What began as an opportunity to improve relations with the emergency department (ED) became what is now called the Laboratory Liaison Partnership. Nicole R. Meier, MT(ASCP) 18
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