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Clinical Laboratories and Pathology Groups

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US Army’s Only Deployable Medical Laboratory Highlights Its Mission during Trip to Poland

As a deployable medical laboratory, the 1st AML is designed to run field-based clinical laboratory diagnostics and conduct health threat assessments

Clinical laboratory professionals may be surprised to learn that the US Army has a deployable medical laboratory that is equipped to perform the same menu of basic lab tests as their labs here in the United States, but in support of army units deployed in the field. At the same time, the Army’s deployable medical lab has the added responsibility of testing for infectious diseases and chemicals/agents that could be used by terrorists or enemy forces.

The 1st Area Medical Laboratory (AML) is based out of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and operates within the Army’s 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives Command (CBRNE).

“The 1st Area Medical Laboratory identifies and evaluates health hazards through unique medical laboratory analyses and rapid health hazard assessments of nuclear, biological, chemical, endemic disease, occupational, and environmental health threats,” according to an Army new release.

A recent visit by the leaders of this lab unit to meet with their counterparts in Poland highlights the important diagnostic work the military prepares for by using this one-of-a-kind clinical laboratory model.

Col. Matthew Grieser and Col. Przemyslaw Makowski, MD

Col. Matthew Grieser (left), Commander of the 1st Area Medical Laboratory (AML) is shown above meeting with Col. Przemysław Makowski, MD, (right), Deputy Commander of the Military Preventive Medicine Center in Wrocław, Poland. Leaders from the US Army’s 1st AML visited military and medical officials in Poland. “It was a great opportunity to meet our Polish counterparts and to learn from one another,” said Grieser in an Army news release. “We intend to continue to strengthen this relationship … Poland is a great ally, and it was an honor to visit our counterpart organizations.”  (Photo copyright: US Army.)

Role and Makeup of the 1st Area Medical Laboratory

The 1st AML traces its roots back to World War II, where it was one of 19 field laboratories spun up in 1944. It was deactivated after the Vietnam War and then reactivated in 2004. It is currently the Army’s only deployable field laboratory, according to the National Library of Medicine.

This specialized unit deploys worldwide to conduct threat detection and medical surveillance, according to the Army. For example, the military can send the 1st AML to locations where samples cannot quickly be transported to a fixed facility, or where there is a need for immediate hazard identification due to chemical or biological contamination or epidemic disease.

During the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014-2015, the 1st AML operated four blood-testing laboratories and helped oversee two others manned by Navy personnel. The goal was to perform quick turnaround times to identify local residents who carried the disease, all while operating with extensive safety measures. More than 4,500 samples were tested during a six-month stay, Army Times reported.

As Dark Daily covered in “New High-Tech Mobile Medical Laboratories Deployed by the US Navy and a European Consortium Use Genetic Analysis to Get Rapid Diagnosis of Ebola,” one of the Navy labs located at Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, was able to reduce turnaround times for Ebola tests from days to hours.

The unit’s technical expertise features a combination of scientists, clinicians, and certified technicians. Familiar lab personnel include a microbiologist, a biochemist, and medical laboratory technicians.

1st AML Leaders Visit Polish Counterparts

Commanders from the 1st AML recently met with medical officials and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear experts from the Polish Armed Forces in the Warsaw area of Poland, the Army news release noted.

During the weeklong trip, 1st AML leaders toured the Epidemiological Response Center of the Polish Armed Forces, Military Institute of Chemistry and Radiometry, laboratories at the Polish Military Institute of Medicine, and biological and chemical labs at the Military Center for Preventive Medicine.

“It was a great opportunity to meet our Polish counterparts and to learn from one another,” said Col. Matthew Grieser, Commander of the 1st AML.

Maj. Suzanne Mate, the Chief of chemical threat assessment for the 1st AML, said meeting with allies helps to keep NATO ready for any contingency.

“It’s better to know your partners before you have to work together in a high-consequence situation,” said Mate in the Army news release. “We learned the strengths in different mobility platforms for laboratories and the capabilities within fixed scientific institutions to maintain standards and currency in chemical, biological, and radiological [CBR] investigations.

“This knowledge is invaluable when determining how to move a sample quickly and efficiently to characterize a suspected CBR threat when airlift resources are constrained or country treaties prevent movement activities,” she added.

Observant clinical laboratory managers will note similarities between their own jobs and those of the 1st AML. The military needs lab-based capabilities to perform a menu of diagnostic tests in support of Army units in the field and traditional clinical laboratories do the same in support of the healthcare providers they service.

Scott Wallask

Related Information:

US Army Field Medical Laboratory Leaders Meet with Polish Counterparts in Warsaw

1st Area Medical Laboratory to Deploy for Ebola Mission

Army Lab Unit Earns Award for Ebola Response in Liberia

New High-Tech Mobile Medical Laboratories Deployed by the U.S. Navy and a European Consortium Use Genetic Analysis to Get Rapid Diagnosis of Ebola

Examining the Utility and Readiness of Mobile and Field Transportable Laboratories for Biodefence and Global Health Security-Related Purposes

In 2017, to Offset Declining Reimbursement and Shrinking Budgets, Savvy Clinical Laboratories Are Using LEAN to Improve Service and Intelligently Cut Costs

Nation’s most experienced lab operations managers, cost-cutters, and Lean experts will gather to share successes and proven ideas at Lab Quality Confab on October 18-19, 2016

Most hospitals and health systems are in the first stages of developing their budgets for 2017. Clinical laboratory administrators and pathologists at these institutions report three common factors are driving the next budget cycle: falling reimbursement, flat or declining inpatient admissions, and directives to cut their lab budgets.

“At our health system, the challenge is a bit different,” said one lab administrator at a large Midwest hospital. “Inpatient volumes are increasing, but we get less money from health insurers per admission. For that reason, our budget planning requirement is to accept a smaller budget than last year, while planning to handle more specimen volume in 2017, compared to this year.” (more…)

American Esoteric Laboratories Partners with the Department of Defense to Help Military Medical Laboratory Technicians Find Civilian Jobs

Pathologists and clinical laboratory managers can tap into this highly skilled pool of medical lab technicians as servicemen and women reenter the U.S. workforce

Returning veterans who are experienced medical lab technicians are having trouble finding employers that recognize and credit their military training and experience. Clinical laboratories now actively recruiting lab technicians will want to learn more about the availability of these qualified candidates in their communities.

One medical laboratory company already partners with a Department of Defense (DoD) program to help match skilled veteran jobseekers with private sector employers. That is American Esoteric Laboratories, a division of Sonic Healthcare USA. The existence of this program means that pathologists and clinical laboratory managers may be overlooking a ready source of highly skilled laboratory workers.

Combat Medics and Military Lab Technicians (more…)

Medical Laboratory Technician Makes the 2013 Ten Least Stressful Jobs List

Medical laboratory technicians, as well as pathologists, clinical laboratory managers and medical technologists, may disagree that MLT is a low-risk, low-stress job

Medical laboratory technicians, rejoice. Your vocation has been officially proclaimed one of the least stressful jobs for 2013. Do you agree?

According to online career site, CareerCast.com, medical laboratory technician ranked number 5 on the list of the 10 least stressful jobs for this year. Forbes.com reported the story.

Difference between Medical Laboratory Technicians, MTs, and CLSs

Before going further, it is helpful for DarkDaily.com readers to be reminded that news reporters and journalists often fail to make the distinction that there are significant differences in the education and competencies of medical technologists (MT) and clinical laboratory scientists (CLS), as compared to medical laboratory technicians. For that reason, readers should extend some forbearance to the authors of the CareerCast.com list of least stressful jobs for 2013.

Medical laboratory personnel might be amused to learn that MLTs are in good—or at least eclectic—company. Sharing top honors for least anxiety-producing métiers are university professor, tailor, librarian and drill press operator.

med-tech low stress best jobs

Many clinical laboratory professionals may not agree that the position of medical laboratory technician is stress-free enough to included on CareerCast.com’s list of the top ten stress-free jobs for 2013. (Photo by MedicalLaboratoryTechnicianHub.com)

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Vacancy Rates for MTs and Technical Staff in Medical Laboratories Continue to Climb

American Society of Clinical Pathology study cites better pay and lack of skills as main barriers to recruiting MTs, CLSs, and MLTs

Staffing shortages of medical technologists (MT) continue to be a significant problem for clinical laboratories across America. Moreover, the vacancy rates of qualified clinical laboratory scientists required to properly staff medical laboratories are increasing. These findings were released recently by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

At the management level, it was reported that recruiters are finding it particularly hard to fill supervisory positions in Histology Laboratories and Blood Banks. Further, experts predict that Chemistry, Immunology and Histology labs will suffer most over the next five years as Baby Boomers retire in ever-increasing numbers.

(more…)

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