Skill shortage.
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From: | RUSS ALLISON <Allison@Cardiff.ac.uk> |
To: | histonet@pathology.swmed.edu |
Reply-To: | |
Content-Type: | text/plain; charset=US-ASCII |
You may be interested to learn that in the UK we are having severe
recruitment and retention problems in pathology - JUST LIKE YOU.
We have, briefly, an all graduate (hons. at that) entry. Next comes
admission to the State Register as fit to practice.
We have grades, called medical laboratory scientific officers (and
more recently biomedical scientists). We do not differentiate
between those working in, for example, hematology and
histopathology.
The starting salary is below that of a supermarket shelf filler. There
are promotion grades through:
Trainee
Basic (grade 1)
grade 2
grade 3
grade 4
with the possibility of three aditional points, i.e. *, **, *** in the
higher grades.
Very many grade 4 posts have been abolished in money saving
schemes. There is thus a career problem with many fewer top
posts to aim for.
There is little financial incentive to relocate.
Some years ago, in order to overcome staff shortages and in
recognition of increased automation, the position of "medical
laboratory assistant" was created. There are lots of them now!!!
Trainees ideally go on to earn a taught master's degree which
includes a substantial practical (research) project.
We believe they are highly educated and skilled personel.
The outcome of low salaries and low moral is that we are able only
to recruit students from the bottom of the class (there are many
more rewarding and better paid jobs for those with the Hons degree
in Biomedical Science), giving a less skilled workforce and
depressing moral even lower.
Those that do enter the profession leave in droves after a year or
so. They presumably have enhanced their cv with some practical
experience and are off to better paid employment.
Many of those at the top of the profession were recruited in the
massive expansion years for pathology in the late fifties/early
sixties. They are now retiring - early if they get the opportunity.
They are often given that in a further attempt to lower the salary bill.
We recently achieved front page newspaper and TV coverage for
our publicly announced concerns for the safety of the service.
It looks as though it will make little difference and the predicted
disasters may start to happen. Our survey (us being the
professional body) has revealed a profession in despair and using
all sorts of quick fixes and expediency to keep the service running.
Many of us believe it will crack horribly at some stage unless
drastic, significant short and long term action is taken.
The headlines of a few weeks ago will seem like page three fillers
then!
So you are not alone in the US; the problems - the same problems -
are happening elsewhere.
When you find the solution, let us know. We will do the same.
Russ Allison,
Dental School
Cardiff
Wales
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