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Influence of Certification on a Pathology Laboratory Professional's Career Mobility
1Department of Clinical Laboratory and Medical Imaging, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
Objectives:
Competency in managing laboratory careers is important for retaining and ensuring a well-trained laboratory workforce. The objective of this study was to identify predictors for career advancement in pathology laboratories-specifically, whether the number of certifications obtained affects career mobility beyond what is accounted for with personality, gender, experience, and tenure.
Methods:
Cross-sectional data from nonphysician laboratory professionals were collected through a web-based survey tool. These data were examined in the context of a binary logistic regression model to assess how well independent variables predict career advancement.
Results:
We included 170 responses in the analysis. According to the statistical model, the odds of career advancement is significant-70% higher for every additional certification a laboratory profession obtains (P = .018), with other predictors being equal. Moreover, technologists with an outgoing personality (ie, extroverts) are 178% more likely to be promoted from entry-level positions than are introverts (P = .045), all else being equal. The number of years the employee has been with the laboratory (tenure) also contributes significantly to promotion (P = .012). Surprisingly, gender and industry experience do not contribute significantly to laboratory mobility and advancement, after accounting for the other variables.
Conclusions:
Laboratories should provide incentives for obtaining certifications as a way to improve quality and retain workforce talent.
