A professional development model for medical laboratory scientists working in the Core Laboratory.

The Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has implemented a professional development model designed to further the education, expertise, and experiences of medical laboratory scientists in the core laboratory. The professional development model (PDM) has four competency levels: Discovery, Application, Maturation and Expert. All levels require the medical laboratory scientist to learn new skill sets, complete task and projects, and meet continuing education and certification requirements. Each level encourages personal development, recognizes increased competencies, and sets high standards for all services provided. Upon completion of a level within a given timeframe, the medical laboratory scientist receives a salary adjustment based on the competency level completed.

A professional development model for medical laboratory scientists working in the microbiology laboratory.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is committed to providing the best pathology and medicine through: state-of-the art techniques, progressive ground-breaking research, education and training for the clinical diagnosis and research of cancer and related diseases. After surveying the laboratory staff and other hospital professionals, the Department administrators and Human Resource generalists developed a professional development model for Microbiology to support laboratory skills, behavior, certification, and continual education within its staff. This model sets high standards for the laboratory professionals to allow the labs to work at their fullest potential; it provides organization to training technologists based on complete laboratory needs instead of training technologists in individual areas in which more training is required if the laboratory needs them to work in other areas. This model is a working example for all microbiology based laboratories who want to set high standards and want their staff to be acknowledged for demonstrated excellence and professional development in the laboratory. The PDM model is designed to focus on the needs of the laboratory as well as the laboratory professionals.

A professional development model for medical laboratory scientists working in the immunohematology laboratory.

Transfusion medicine, a section of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is committed to the education and advancement of its health care professionals. It is our belief that giving medical laboratory professionals a path for advancement leads to excellence and increases overall professionalism in the Immunohematology Laboratory. As a result of this strong commitment to excellence and professionalism, the Immunohematology laboratory has instituted a Professional Development Model (PDM) that aims to create Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS) that are not only more knowledgeable, but are continually striving for excellence. In addition, these MLS are poised for advancement in their careers. The professional development model consists of four levels: Discovery, Application, Maturation, and Expert. The model was formulated to serve as a detailed path to the mastery of all process and methods in the Immunohematology Laboratory. Each level in the professional development model consists of tasks that optimize the laboratory workflow and allow for concurrent training. Completion of a level in the PDM is rewarded with financial incentive and further advancement in the field. The PDM for Medical Laboratory Scientists in the Immunohematology Laboratory fosters personal development, rewards growth and competency, and sets high standards for all services and skills provided. This model is a vital component of the Immunohematology Laboratory and aims to ensure the highest quality of care and standards in their testing. It is because of the success of this model and the robustness of its content that we hope other medical laboratories aim to reach the same level of excellence and professionalism, and adapt this model into their own environment.

Metabolic profile of amphetamine and methamphetamine following administration of the drug famprofazone.

There are a several drugs that lead to the production of methamphetamine and/or amphetamine in the body which are subsequently excreted in the urine. These drugs raise obvious concerns when interpreting positive amphetamine drug testing results. Famprofazone is an analgesic found in a multi-ingredient medication (Gewodin) used for pain relief. Two Gewodin tablets (50 mg of famprofazone) were administered orally to healthy volunteers with no history of amphetamine, methamphetamine, or famprofazone use. Following administration, urine samples were collected ad lib for up to six days, and pH, specific gravity, and creatinine values were determined. In order to determine the quantitative excretion profile of amphetamine and methamphetamine, samples were extracted using liquid-liquid extraction, derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride, and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The ions monitored were 91, 118, 240 for amphetamine and 254, 210, 118 for methamphetamine. Amphetamine-d(6) and methamphetamine-d(11) were used as internal standards. Peak concentrations for amphetamine ranged from 148 to 2271 ng/mL and for methamphetamine 615 to 7361 ng/mL. Concentrations of both compounds peaked between 3 and 7 h post-dose. Amphetamine and methamphetamine could be detected (limit of detection = 5 ng/mL) at 121 and 143 h post-dose, respectively. Using a cutoff of 500 ng/mL, all subjects had individual urine samples that tested positive. One subject had 14 samples above the cutoff with the last positive being detected over 48 h post-dose. The profile of methamphetamine and amphetamine enantiomers was also determined using liquid-liquid extraction, derivatization with N-trifluoroacetyl-l-prolyl chloride and analysis by GC-MS. Data showed the famprofazone metabolites amphetamine and methamphetamine to be both d- and l-enantiomers. The proportion of l-methamphetamine exceeded that of its d-enantiomer from the first sample collected. Initially, the proportion was approximately 70% l-methamphetamine and this proportion increased over time. Amphetamine results showed l- and d-amphetamine were virtually the same in the early samples with the proportion of l-amphetamine increasing as time progressed. Forensic interpretation of drug testing results is a challenging critical part of forensic drug testing area because of the potential repercussions the results found may have on an individual's life. The finding of each enantiomers by itself differentiates famprofazone use from the most commonly abused form of methamphetamine and all medicinal methamphetamine available in the U.S., which is either d-methamphetamine (prescription medication) or l-methamphetamine (Vicks inhaler). Coupling this information with the concentrations of amphetamine and methamphetamine helps to determine the potential for use of this drug.