Critical Values - January 2009 - (Page 23) Volume 2 • Issue 1 • January 2009 Shaun Hill The problem has been defined; solutions have been proposed. The final phase of the advocacy blueprint is to determine the means for achieving the established goals. The typical course of action would be to request a meeting with a legislator or legislative staff member. The request may be a letter, an e-mail, a phone call, or even an electronic form, which is available on many legislators’ Web sites. It may be prudent to call the office beforehand to discern the preferred method of communication. In the request, identify yourself as a constituent, state your affiliation, and briefly outline what you would like to discuss during your visit. In preparation for the meeting, condense your knowledge of the laboratory workforce shortage into two or three key points, often referred as talking points, that the legislator or legislative staff member needs to understand about the issue. In addition, prepare what is commonly called a leave-behind; this is a more expansive explanation of the laboratory shortage and provides the legislative office with something to refresh their memory about the issue after the meeting. In meeting with legislators and/or their staffs, either at the state or the federal level: • Remember the interaction is simply a conversation; do not feel intimidated. You have the body of knowledge and the proposed solutions. You are there to educate and persuade. Your meeting may be brief, particularly if you are meeting with members or staff in Washington, DC; expect to have 5 to 15 minutes to make your case. If meeting in the district with your congressional representative or senator, you will The Tools probably have more time, just as you would if you were meeting with a member of the state assembly or legislature. • Do not be surprised by the youthfulness of legislative staff members; these are exceptionally bright men and women who really do have the ear of the legislators. • Stay on message without being curt. If there is time, engage in light conversation about things back home. However, don’t lose sight of the purpose of the visit. • Most importantly, follow-up is everything. Legislators and their staffs are bombarded with requests. Make sure to follow up with a thank you note; remind them of your issue and what you discussed. Offer to provide any additional information or perhaps to take them on a tour of the laboratory. Hands-on education can be pivotal in bringing home the problem and the need for an immediate solution. The key to any successful advocacy campaign is the advocate. You are in the lab and see the impact of the shortage and its potential impact on health care delivery. As a constituent, you can localize this problem to legislators. Seize the opportunity to shine a light on the field of laboratory medicine and convince elected officials that inaction will only bring harm. Go forth and educate; your profession is counting on you. • Ms. Hill is ASCP Senior Manager for Advocacy and Quality Laboratory Practice in Washington, DC. 23
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.