Blueprint in Action: How Coalition Members Are Strengthening the Laboratory Workforce
By - September 30, 2025
The medical and public health laboratory workforce that underpins the U.S. healthcare system is currently experiencing a personnel shortage. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of laboratory professionals is projected to grow 5 percent from 2023 to 2031. About 24,200 openings are projected each year, on average, over the decade.1 Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as through retirement.1 Despite the expected increase in demand for lab professionals in the workforce, the National Accrediting Agency for Medical laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) Annual Survey of Program Results reports only 8,823 laboratory training program graduates in 2024,2 demonstrating tangible dearth in meeting the projected laboratory workforce needs.
The Medical and Public Health Laboratory Workforce Coalition (MPHLW Coalition) – a federation of 28 member organizations supporting laboratory testing services and/or laboratory testing personnel – was convened in 2023 by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). This Coalition was created to leverage the collective voice and acting power of the U.S. medical and public health laboratory workforce in enacting policy and advocacy efforts, sharing best practices, and elevating the visibility of the laboratory profession to grow and strengthen this critical stakeholder in patient health.
Two surveys deployed to members of the MPHLW Coalition are summarized. These surveys sought to perform a situational analysis on if and to what degree MPHLW Coalition members have implemented activities in service of the nine recommendations set forth in ASCP’s 2021 edition of the Blueprint for Action, a landmark guide in outlining focus areas for addressing laboratory workforce challenges in the U.S. The surveys also served to solicit feedback from members on any new needs or gaps identified since the Blueprint for Action was published. Data collected from the first survey was shared as a means for MPHLW Coalition members to assess their collective impact in addressing each recommendation and prioritize recommendations for future activities identified in the second survey.
Key findings
Overall, the top three most implemented Blueprint Recommendations by the coalition were Recommendation 3 (R3), support education programs and clinical training, 75.0%; Recommendation 6 (R6), encourage professional development and promote job satisfaction, 71.4%; and Recommendation 2 (R2), promote visibility of the medical laboratory occupations in high school, college campuses, and professional groups, 57.1%, Figure 1. In contrast, the three least implemented recommendations were R5, refining recruitment strategies to identify qualified laboratory professionals (32.1%); R7, exploring opportunities for on-the-job training (32.1%); and R1, encouraging interest in medical laboratory careers by introducing elementary and middle school students to the field (25.0%, Figure 1).
MPHLW Coalition member organizations also identified six new gaps in support of the medical and public health laboratory workforce.
Lastly, the coalition outlined a set of feasible and measurable activities to pursue collectively. Key focus areas include engaging science teachers and school counselors to build early awareness; expanding laboratory outreach and experiential opportunities; leveraging social media to elevate the profession’s visibility; supporting clinical educators and education programs; advocating for legislative actions; promoting career growth through engaging and rewarding pathways; and implementing actionable strategies for professional development and job satisfaction.
Discussion and recommendations
The medical and public health laboratory workforce looks to unite over universal shortages, underpinned by multifaceted issues such as inadequate recruitment of the next generation of laboratory professionals due to the lack of visibility of laboratory career pathways, inability to retain and advance in-service laboratory professionals, insufficient compensation, and planned retirement. It is more critical than ever to align concerted efforts across organizations and institutions supporting the medical and public health laboratory workforce to leverage its collective agency in advocating on behalf of the needs of those working in the field.
Outreach. Although survey response rates varied (67.9% for survey 1; 35.7% for survey 2), survey data consistently supported the prioritization of R2, (promote visibility of the medical laboratory occupations in high school, college campuses, professional groups). Not only was R2 the highest priority focus area (with the top ranked position across all recommendations) but outreach to educational platforms with updated laboratory recruitment materials (in support of this recommendation) was identified by the MPHLW Coalition as a newly emerged gap affecting the laboratory workforce.
Following an open call to all MPHLW Coalition members, a group of representatives from member organizations ASM, COLA, and ASCP collectively exhibited at the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) Conference (July 2025). This meeting attracted more than 4,000 high school counselors, educators, and administrators across the U.S. Working together to synergize resources and talking points, Coalition representatives promoted the laboratory profession to an estimated 200+ attendees interested in direct engagement from laboratory ambassadors able to provide on-site education to their student populations. This activity demonstrates the outstanding potential of leveraging the collective voice of laboratory scientists through MPHLW Coalition activities and should be used as a model for future outreach activities.
Advocacy. Strengthening federal legislative advocacy in service of the laboratory workforce was also seen as a strong priority across MPHLW Coalition feedback. These advocacy efforts spanned a range of focus areas including: 1) promoting direct hiring of international laboratory scientists (immigrating to the U.S.); 2) supporting mechanisms that financially alleviate the burden of laboratory science education (e.g., scholarships, grants, using 529 contributions toward lab programs, federal loans open to students in programmatic accredited agencies, etc.); and 3) pushing for more structured nomenclature of laboratory occupational titles on a national level (i.e. mitigating differences with licensure states, elevating the profession overall, and supporting equitable compensation and benchmarking for laboratory professionals).
Retention and diversity. As a collective, data show that more focus on retention and diversity strategies is still needed. According to the 2022 ASCP Vacancy Survey, “there is an urgent need to focus not only on recruitment, but equally as important, retention of laboratory professionals.”3 Current studies have shown that diverse teams are 87 percent better at making decisions, and companies that have a highly inclusive culture have 2.3 times more cash flow per employee. This data demonstrates the implicit value and returns on investment (ROI) that diversified workforces contribute to operational efficiencies.4 Additionally, positive outcomes on financial stability and growth (increased productivity and increase in marketing opportunities) and community (improved cultural awareness and positive reputation) are demonstrated by having a diverse workforce.5
Although these two areas may present greater complexity given institutional constraints, there are free topical resources available to laboratory professionals via resources from the MPHLW Coalition and the ASCP’s Support of the CDC OneLab™ Initiative websites. This report should be reviewed and made actionable by members of the MPHLW Coalition. Additionally, federal representatives may benefit from consideration of this information to advocate on behalf of this invaluable stakeholder group at the heart of patient diagnosis and treatment.
Read the full report here.
References
3 Garcia E, Kundu I, Kelly M, et al. The American Society for Clinical Pathology 2022 Vacancy Survey of medical laboratories in the United States. Am J Clin Path. 2024;161(3):289-304. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/aqad149
4 Perry, N. (2020) 20 Diversity in the Workplace Statistics to Know for 2021 https://www.fundera.com/resources/diversity-in-theworkplace-statistics
5 Ability Options. (2022, March 2). 5 benefits of diversity in the workplace. Ability Options. https://abilityoptions.org.au/5-benefits-of-diversity-in-the-workplace/
