Satisfaction, motivation, and commitment of senior medical record administration and medical technology students.

This study refined an existing Allied Health Career Attitude Scale (AHCAS) and measured the attitudes of a nationwide sample of students in medical record administration and medical technology. A survey of seniors enrolled in 35 medical record administration and 37 medical technology programs was conducted with 756 usable student responses. The 39-item questionnaire was used to measure the satisfaction of seniors with their career choice, motivation to participate in professional organizations, and career outlook. On the total scale, scores of medical record administration students were significantly more positive. No significant difference was found between groups on the subscale measuring satisfaction with career choice. Medical record administration seniors were significantly more positive on the subscale measuring motivation to participate in professional organizations and the subscale measuring career outlook. The paper contains various interpretations of these findings with suggestions for the use of the scale by allied health educators.

Renewal and change for clinical laboratory managers.

This article examines barriers to change in the clinical laboratory and discusses suggestions for maintaining vitality, renewal, and professional growth. The major barriers to change and renewal include institutional pressures that underlie the personnel shortage and financial implications of laboratory service, time pressures associated with the normal operation of a laboratory, work habits that develop early in the career of a laboratory manager, and managerial policies that limit or discourage change. Some solutions to overcome these barriers include goal setting, job or career change, lifelong learning, good staff members, mentors, and outside interests.