Awareness of Clinical Laboratory Sciences and Shortage of Clinical Laboratory Scientists in the 21st Century

Retiring baby boomers and the lack of interest and awareness among college students to enroll in an accredited Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) program have created a shortage of CLS professionals in the 21st century. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 18,000 CLS vacancies by 2018. However, only about 5,000 students graduate from accredited CLS programs each year. The purpose of this study was to explore students\u27 perceptions of allied health professions and factors that influenced students and CLS professionals to select CLS as a profession. Bandura\u27s social cognitive career theory served as the theoretical framework for this phenomenological study. Convenient purposeful sampling was used to select the 7 CLS professionals, 5 high school students, and 5 college students in the Chicago area. Participants took part in either a 30- to 60-minute group session or a 45- to 90-minute semi structured interview. Qualitative analysis included open axial coding to identify emerging patterns and themes from the transcripts. Findings revealed that the perceptions of both high school and college students\u27 knew little about the CLS profession, and factors influencing CLS as a career choice included interests in science, health care, and family. CLS professionals indicated their interests in science and a high demand for CLS services in the workforce led them to pursue careers in the field. Implications for social change include improving professional-development programs for student awareness of allied health professions and mitigating the shortage of clinical laboratory scientists

Ray Funnye Interview

Vanessa Greene discusses her family history. She also describes her efforts to construct her family tree. Vanessa was born to Cleo Johnson-Greene and Clarence Alvin Greene. Her father was in the military and became a military photographer. He is the parent that connects her to Plantersville. Her mother hailed from Meeting Street, while her father’s family hailed from Nightingale Plantation. Ms. Greene is a photographer who is enthused by the rich culture found in Georgetown and Plantersville. She is performing extensive research to fill in the blanks in her family tree. She has also taken interest in the connection between South Carolina, Barbados, and Ghana. She plans to visit Barbados and Ghana to do further research. Interview took place on January 13, 2021. Zenobia Harper scheduled the interview to learn more about Vanessa Greene’s connection to Nightingale Plantation and the research she was conducting regarding the history of her family. The setting of the interview changes at timestamp 35:26. The official interview begins at timestamp 00:12.https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/plantersville-oral-histories/1010/thumbnail.jp

Beatrice Funnye Interview

Beatrice Funnye is a native of Plantersville, who has three sons, one of whom is Ray Funnye (also interviewed). She grew up attending a one-room school near Annie Village while she worked for a white family. Because she did not have transportation, she couldn\u27t attend any longer than the fifth grade. She recalls her poor health when she was younger, as well as race relations throughout Plantersville.https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/plantersville-oral-histories/1002/thumbnail.jp

Beatrice Funnye Interview with Zenobia Harper

Beatrice Funnye has an interview with Zenobia Harper, who improvises on equipment during a camera failure. Funnye discusses the importance of education to her and her son\u27s lives. Funnye graduated from elementary school, walking seven miles one way to attend school. She then took adult education courses at Howard School in Georgetown to finish her high school degree. Her three sons became engineers. She recalls health issues that she had throughout her life, as well as the strength of the community in Plantersville.https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/plantersville-oral-histories/1007/thumbnail.jp