The Lab Workforce Crisis: Understanding the Challenge and Finding Solutions
20,000-25,000 technologists short. 49% burnout. 79% rank staffing as their top challenge. Here's what to do about it.
How We Got Here
The Education Pipeline Problem
In 1990: 674 accredited MLS programs. Today: fewer than 240. Universities deprioritized expensive clinical lab programs.
The Demographics Crunch
A significant portion of experienced technologists entered the field in the 1970s-80s. As they retire, decades of institutional knowledge leave with them.
The Pandemic Effect
COVID-19 intensified burnout, accelerated retirements, and revealed competing opportunities for healthcare workers.
The Volume Reality
Test volumes keep growing even as the workforce shrinks. More testing, more complex testing, more data.
Where Technology Helps
Order Entry Automation
43.9% reduction in data entry time
A lab processing 500 requisitions daily could recover 20+ staff hours per day.
Auto-Verification
60-80% of results released automatically
Staff focus on results that actually need attention.
Workflow Optimization
25-42% TAT improvement
Faster processing means less chaos and fewer backlogs.
Billing Validation
Industry avg 15% → Best-in-class <5%
Less rework chasing denied claims.
Building a Sustainable Strategy
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