CAT | State
The 2009-2010 ASCLS membership year will come to a close on July 31, so now is the time to renew for next year. Begin at www.ascls.org where all you need to log in to your account is an email address. There you can see when your membership expires, update your address, renew, and more.
Former students who renew as First Year Professional members will receive a free gift. And thanks to a special offer from national, everyone who renews by September 30, 2010 will receive six free CE quizzes. New members who join will receive one free CE quiz.
Welcome to this month’s new members:
Gina Donatoni – Chicago
Merle Essex – Chicago
Brittany Fitzgerald – Shelbyville
Danielle Merfeld – Chicago
Abby Slesar – Chicago
Michael Thompson – Macomb
Kathleen Wayne – Peoria
Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
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This month is our third and final post with practical advice on reducing stress while searching for a new job.
Tip #1: Take inventory of all your options
Tip #2: Simplify the application process
Tip #3: Assess your priorities
We all have certain things we look for in a job. You may want to work in a particular hospital or geographic location. Someone else may only want a job that is full-time or day shift. Another may want to work in a particular department, avoid a long commute, get paid a certain dollar amount, or get lots of vacation time. Maybe all you can think about is that you want to start working as soon as possible!
If you can’t find your dream job and you can’t afford to sit around and wait for it, it might help to sit down and think about which aspects of it are absolutely essential and which aren’t. Mull each one over and think about how getting it or not getting it would affect your life. Once you know what’s important, it’s easier to accept a compromise on the little things. And remember, if you need to take a job that isn’t perfect for one reason or another, stay positive. Once you’ve put in a couple of years of experience, you will be an even better candidate for that dream job.
Happy job-hunting, and welcome to all our newest members!
Anne Murray: Yorkville
Angela Blazevicz: De Kalb
Eric Lev: Chicago
Ashlie Heagy: Quincy
Obaid Ullah Muhammad: Aurora
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Welcome to all the new members of ASCLS-IL
0 Comments | Posted by nmoore in Future of the Profession, Membership, State
We’ve taken on a lot of new members just in time for the Spring Meeting! Welcome, and thanks for joining ASCLS-IL!
Shannon Alducin, Elgin
Danielle Angelo, Chicago
Eseul Ban, Dekalb
Melissa Boger, Naperville
William Brummel, Aurora
Soupaphone Chantharangsy, Cherry Valley
Erik Chatroop, Des Plaines
Elizabeth Conaway, Springfield
Khushboo Contractor, Hoffman Estates
Malgorzata Dorosz, Champaign
Catherine Doty, Decatur
Shelli Ellingson, Poplar Grove
Eric Foster, Rockford
Cybil Foster, Springfield
Andrea Gardner, Springfield
Mario Gjoni, Chicago
Garyia Hawkins, Peoria
Jessica Hoshor, Pekin
Areej Jumah, Justice
Marie Kubala, St. Charles
Carlie Lang, Dixon
Laura Larsen, Crystal Lake
Ju Hyun Lee, Chicago
Eric Marshall, Chicago Heights
Dana Mastandrea, Chicago
Ian Caesar Mejos, Springfield
Lyubov Milostrazich, Chicago
Emily Morey, De Kalb
Theophile Ngoupa, Springfield
Rachana Patel, Elk Grove Village
Bhakti Patel, Skokie
Nishitaben Patel, Skokie
Valerie Pikul, La Grange
Kate Pippin, New Berlin
Saloni Premani, Decatur
Ashley Puro, New Lenox
David Reyes, Darien
Timothy Shawver, East Peoria
Abdirahman Sheikh-Abdi, Chicago
Mala Soni, Des Plaines
John Sprinkle, Dekalb
Jill Standvich, Sycamore
Jenna Stewart, Monroe, WI
Bob Thiemann, Peoria
Jamie Thompson, Havana
Ashley Trank, Dixon
Corey Watkins, Morrisonville
Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
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Are you a graduating student or experienced professional in search of a new laboratory position? Over the next three months I’ll be sharing some practical tips to help you reduce stress while you’re job-hunting. Feel free to post a reply with any advice you want to share.
Tip #1: Take inventory of all your options
Searching for a job can be daunting, especially if you don’t know where to look because you’re moving to a new city or you’ve never worked in a lab before. One thing you can do up front to make things easier is to take inventory of every single laboratory employer in the area. Look for blood centers, hospitals, reference labs, public health labs, staffing agencies, certifying agencies, and laboratory vendors. Use search engines, online maps, magazines like Advance, and job posting websites, and be on the lookout for job fairs. Save links to the hiring section of every website you find in a Word document or your Internet browser. If the list seems too small, you may want to consider looking a little further from home, just in case. Your finished list will be an indispensable tool to easily search for contact info and new job listings in a matter of minutes, not hours or days which it may have taken to find everything to begin with. The list can also be utilized for a future job search when you’re ready to take the next step in your career.
The program is completed for the 2010 ASCLS-IL state meeting. Please click on the link below to download a copy of the program which includes a copy of the registration form you can mail in, hotel information and session descriptions. If you want to apply online you can use the link above in the menu bar and click where it says 2010 State Meeting Registration.
Attention all students. The ASCLS-IL Student forum is hosting an event on Tuesday, April 13 during the annual state meeting. Download the flyer belowfor more information.
ASCLS-IL Student Forum Event Flyer
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March Member Connect
0 Comments | Posted by nmoore in Legislative Affairs, Legislative Symposium, Membership, National, State
Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
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We hope to see many new faces at the Legislative Symposium in D.C. (March 15-16), State Meeting in Oak Brook (April 12-14), and National Meeting in Anaheim (July 27-31), so don’t forget to submit for time off at work if you haven’t already done so. Negotiate with your supervisor to reduce the cost of your registration, hotel and transportation. They may be willing to pay for your time off or reimburse some expenses, even if they don’t cover everything. Offer to bring back information you learned at the event to share with coworkers or improve operations at your lab.
Welcome to all our new members for this month:
Erica Johnstone, Peoria Heights
Cliff Linder, Springfield
Lisa Lucas, DeKalb
Nestor Nacionales, Chicago
Joseph Palermo, Palos Park
Renee Tucker, Odell
Stephanie Wilhelms, Davis
A PDF of the preliminary program brochure for the 2010 ASCLS-IL State meeting is now available. This year, meeting attendants will have the option of registering for the meeting online. Registrants who use the online option will still be required to mail in their registration payment. Online registration will begin shortly, so check back to the site for updates. We look forward to seeing you in Oak Brook!
Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
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Lab Week is April 18-24, and planning a great celebration can help you get to know your co-workers and spread the word about laboratory careers at the same time. Here are a few simple ideas to get you going.
FOOD: Kick off lab week with a chili cook-off. Put a twist on your annual potluck with a theme like “New Recipes” or “Around the World.”
COMMUNITY: Submit an article about lab week to your local or school newspaper. Create a slideshow on lab careers to distribute to science teachers and guidance counselors. Host a canned food drive.
EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION: Interview or photograph lab employees and post for all to see. Create a thank-you note display where employees leave notes of appreciation to each other. Take a vote on lab employee of the year.
PRIZES: Browse websites like thinkgeek.com to find a DIY Blood Typing Kit, Giant Microbes, and other fun and funny lab-related products. Award a competition with a traveling trophy. Ask your employer to contribute cafeteria vouchers. Request small donations and gift cards from vendors.
For more links and ideas, search “Lab Week” on the ASCLS Website. Lastly, I’d like to welcome to the newest members of ASCLS-IL:
Samantha Briggeman, Naperville
Roma Desai, Dunlap
Ewa Dziadkowiec, Niles
Jolene Graney, Rockford
Lily Ly, Chicago
Jennifer Rhamy, Bolingbrook
Look for more information to come soon regarding registration costs and hotel booking information.
