Medical Lab Voices Celebrating 50th Anniversary for ASCP-certification in Medical Laboratory Science

[music] Hello everyone and welcome to the 400 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. session of the 2025 open simulator community conference. In this session, we are pleased to introduce the presentation amplifying medical lab voices celebrating 50th anniversary for ASCP certification in medical laboratory science. Our speaker is Sally S. Cherry, MLS ASCP. As a 3D immersive virtual worlds evangelist and medical laboratory scientist, Sally S. Cherry MLSASP creates 3D immersive virtual worlds and relevant social media postings to share clinical lab related information, distribute curated content, and conduct specialized training sessions. Please check out the website found at conference.opensimulator.org for speaker bios, details of sessions, and the full schedule of events. This session is being livereamed and recorded. So if you have questions or comments during the session, you may send tweets to opensimcc with the hashtag pound oscc25. Welcome everyone and let's begin the session. >> Good afternoon everyone. As it was said, my name is Sally S. Cherry. I'm a medical lab scientist and I am celebrating my 50th year as a ASP certified medical lab scientist. And yes, I brought that physical world celebration into the virtual world celebration. Today I'm excited to share a unique innovative approach to celebrating a physical world milestone. As I said, the 50th anniversary of my American Society for Clinical Pathologist Board of Certification credentials as a medical lab scientist. While it may be a unique and innovative approach in the physical world, it's a standard approach to amplify a topic of interest or activity within the 3D virtual world community. The 3D emerging virtual based environments aka virtual worlds are key elements in my information exchange text toolbox. The virtual worlds and projects created within the open simulator community especially my home grid kit serve as amplifying tools for various physical world interests and activities. They're used to showcase the Sorry. Yes. They're used to showcase the the medical laboratory science profession to share information related to the laboratory. Conduct laboratory methodics training. Engage in simulated labs scenarios. promote career opportunities in medical lab science, provide public health education, participate in community building and networking. And I love to network in the physical world as well as the virtual world. In early 2000 2025, it was decided that using 3D merger virtual worlds would be the ideal approach to amplify such a significant professional and personal milestone. 50 years serving as a ASP certified medical lab professional. I am delighted and proud to be an ASPC credential holder. After receiving my bachelor of science degree from Morgan State and Baltimore, Maryland from their medical technology program in 1974 and completing 12 months of clinical laboratory practicum internship at Union Moya Hospital School of Medical Technology in Baltimore 1974. So that was the educational requirements. So upon completing the education requirements, I was eligible to sit for the ASP medical technology accreditation accreditating examination. Passing the examination successfully, I received my medical technology certification in 1975. Since my initial entry into the medical lab science world, I must note do some juggling here. I must note that the term medical technology does not mean what it did in 1975. Today the term medical technology may refer to various computer technologies such as tele medicine, artificial intelligence, neo medicine, health wearable devices, emerging technologies, robotic surgery and etc. In addition, the term medical technologist does not reflect the work that is performed within medical labs, nor does it convey the academic background or skills required for our work in medical lab science. Next the standardization credentials and normlature medical lab scientists for individuals was needed. Basically what it says the norm the standardized credential normlature identifies individuals who have graduated with a balor degree and have successfully met the requirements of the ASP board of certification national um certification program. In addition, MLS is the profess medical lab scientist is the professional title. Those individuals at the bark balor level who meet clear clinical labs improvement amendments. Personnel standards for high complexity testing personnel. The professional credential medical lab scientist is not given to any other type of professional. It indicates that we work in medical labs perform and perform high complexity laboratory procedures using the principles of medical lab science. In addition, the prof the professional credential designation medical lab technician identifies those individuals who will graduate with an associate degree and successfully met the requirements of a national credit accreditation program. You can find more information about this whole standardizing the professional title of medical lab science at and I will put that in the chat. link I will put in the chat and that will give you more information because of our time. There is it will explain the importance the some of the issues and the problems um for the and the need for having that particular having that that need to have this senatorization. So yes, I'm celebrating. I have an ongoing celebration in Kiteley, which is my home grid, but I have been celebr I have been celebrating in other open simulator communities. But I'm celebrating because I'm not just celebrating 50 years of my uh working as a medical technology, medical laboratory scientist. I'm celebrating the fact that I possess one of 650,000 ASCP order certification credentials attained worldwide by medical lab professionals since 1928. Let that sink in. That's heavy. ASP's credentials inform employers and clients that the credential holder yours truly and others are equipped with board of certification validated knowledge and compassy. I'm celebrating the expertise and commitment to excellence as is that is validated by the ASP credentials within the medical science community and beyond. But most important, I'm celebrating the dedication and contribution of my fellow ASCP board certified medical laboratory scientists within the United States and around the globe. Too often these medical lab professionals are invisible within the medical health profession as well as the general public. So when I celebrate here, I'm celebrating the whole community. The ASP credentials are recognized and trusted around the globe. It helped to advance my medical lab career on a national and international basis. Over the 50 years, my ASP credentials traveled with me to countries such as Turkey, Kenya, Egypt, Uganda on various assignments as a genital tract infection consultant and clinical lab instructor over the years. And this I I don't know where the 50 years went. I really don't. I'm I'm I must I came with the building. But over the years, my medical lab experience have included working with a hospital back within a hospital bacterology lab, supervising as a laboratory coordinator within a city health department's bureau of disease, co-designed the STI clinic clinical and training laboratory, which I had brought into the 3D virtual world, participating in international reproductive health projects, collaborating with international medical lab professionals, providing STI sex sector se sex sexually transmitted infection methods training to clinicians and other medical lab professions. Now this is something I've also brought into the 3D virtual community at my virtual lab and I'm also serving I also am serving as a advisor committee member for the medical laboratory science program at Morgan State. My elder I believe in giving back. medical laboratory science program at Morgan State is the oldest allied health program at that university and I will include their information in the chat as well just in case there's someone in the in the area or someone close by who will be interested in attending or would like to have more information on that particular program. the state of Maryland, we're very fortunate to have several medical lab science programs, but that is not the case across the country. So, it's been amazing. It has been an amazing an amazing 50 years. Um, see, clicked the wrong button there. Sorry about that. It's been amazing 50 years within the lifegiving community of medical lab science. Definitely 50 years to be celebrated. Indeed, the medical lab science profession offers a wide range of career opportunities. As I noted, some of the things that I have had the opportunity and was blessed to experience using 3D emerging virtual worlds has been has been proven an effective way to showcase the diverse opportunities within the medical labs lab science profession. They don't have individuals my colleagues do not have to drive to me, don't have to fly to me. We can meet up in the 3D virtual world and share information and I they can visit my virtual laboratory training center. That is the beauty of the 3D virtual world. I've been in here since 2010 and looks like it just keeps getting better and better each day. Now one thing about the AS bringing the ASP when I come here I brought the my community with me the ASP um community and whether and the medical laboratory professionals. Now, as noted on their website, the ASP order of credentials is dedicated to advancing career patient, I'm sorry, dedicated to to advancing patient care by accrediting laboratory professionals who excel in the healthc care environment. In addition to celebrating in those 50 years, as I note, I was celebrating the possession of one of those credentials. That is something that I had always dreamed of having since the 10th grade of high school. And my biology instructor with her wisdom told a shy young lady that she might be interested in a career in medical lab within the medical lab. And I am to this day I'm glad I listened to her advice and pursued that career. Now this celebration had such a magnitude it could not just stay in one dimension. It could not stay in one grid. So the multiple convention the multiple grid celebrations started at kite my home base and basically will be going on on be ongoing celebration. I'm always celebrate medical labs at Kite within my within the laboratory. But it's also it kicked off in March at the Open Sims World's Fair 2025. It went to the open sims fast in 2025 and now with open simulator community conference 2025 as well as in the physical world as you know this presentation being live streamed. I have shared it and I'll be sharing the link with my physical world colleagues so we can they know we are there we're out there together amplifying the voices of the medical lab of the medical lab voices the celebration of the medical lab science profession and I entitled that amplifying medical lab voices as I said it's an ongoing activity on my home kiteley you're [clears throat] invited to visit the nine region virtual laboratory training and career center. It includes a most recent renovation. We just included a VLTC mindfulness center and it's within our public health building. And you also invite to to stop by the pavilion at the or the office at the virtual health coalition. and we that's in our co-working co-working uh area. So, we had the the celebration was at the World's Fair, the celebration was at Open Sims Fest, and now we're celebrating here. And although we'll be finishing up soon, please stop by. You're perfectly welcome to stop by and visit my booth and to get more information from the booth about the medical laboratory scientists and the the the roles and about the centerization of the name and to see what other activives we're doing in the medical science world. And you might ask why I feel this such a need to keep talking about this. Because there's a major there's a critical shortage of medical lab science professionals due to the closure of educational programs. The post-pandemic burnout agent medical lab workforce and there's still a demand for more complex laboratory testing is constantly increasing. So as long as that is the situation I will be in here with my team with the real to virtual to real team um celebrating shouting out amplifying medical lab science. The amplifying power of the 3D virt worlds offer an effective way to celebrate, share professional and personal milestones while increasing public health, public awareness within the open similar community in the physical world. That's why I wanted to present to you today, share this with you today. So, thank you for your attention and I'm excited to hear your thoughts and questions as I continue to amplify laboratory voices within the open simulator community. Thank you so very much >> and thank you Sally Cherry MLS ASCP we've just had here for an informative and interesting presentation. As a reminder to our audience, you will want to check out conference.opensimulator.org or to see what is coming up on the conference schedule. You won't want to miss our next session that'll begin at 4:30 p.m. right here in this keynote region entitled integrating training on maternal and newborn care through virtual simulations. Also, we encourage you to visit the OSCC 25 poster expo in the OCC Expo 3 region to find accompanying information on presentations and explore the hyper grid tour resources in OCC Expo 2 region along with sponsor and crowdfunder booths that are located throughout all of the OCC Expo regions. Thank you again to our speakers and to the audience.