Choosing Between Second and Third Shifts

Is second shift the right one for you, or would third shift be better? It all depends on your circumstances and stage of life:

Third shift may work best for you if any of the following apply:
-You are unlikely to be interrupted by kids or pets while sleeping during the day
-You want to maximize the amount of time spent with family and friends on traditional schedules
-You and your partner want to “trade-off” childcare responsibilties so you don’t need daycare
-You like to stay up late and sleep in
-You would like to attend classes during the day
-You like to work autonomously
-You want to get paid as much as possible

Second shift may work best for you if any of the following apply:
-You have daytime responsibilities or interruptions that would make it difficult to get enough rest on a third shift schedule
-You and your partner want to “trade-off” childcare responsibilties so you don’t need daycare
-You want to reduce the amount of time wasted in traffic to and from work
-You like to stay up late and sleep in
-You are prepared to spend time away from friends and family five nights a week
-You would enjoy having every morning free to run errands, schedule appointments, etc.

If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into either one of these categories, working days may be the best choice for you. But if you’d like to give it a try, you can succeed on any shift as long as you have a positive attitude and are committed to making it work.

Welcome to this month’s new members:

Tammy-Lyn Yapp: Riverside

Sara Krieger: Vernon Hills

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Spotlight on Second and Third Shifts:

Many laboratorians begin their career on third shift (~11:00 pm – 7:00 am) or second shift (~3:00 pm – 11:00 pm). Some have difficulty adapting to the schedule; others love it and spend their entire career there. If you’ve never considered working evenings or nights, you should. Here are some pros and cons you might want to think about:

-Earn more money per hour
-Enjoy a more relaxed work environment than day shift
-May work more weekends and holidays, but you are compensated with weekend and holiday differential
-Fewer “experts” and supervisors around to provide answers when problems arise
-More likely to be hired as a generalist and maintain competency in all departments
-Odd hours may accommodate schedules of students and parents of young children
-You can sleep in whenever you want
-Avoid the frustration of commuting during peak rush hours
-Fewer coworkers to help carry the work load during emergencies and busy nights
-More likely to find a job if you are willing to work any shift
-More supervisory opportunities for people who lack management experience
-Get your foot in the door at your hospital/employer of choice

Welcome to this month’s new members. Don’t forget to check back again in September and October for more on second and third shifts.

Danielle Blancaflor, Peoria

Kayla Hoffman, Ashley

Andrew Molnar, Caseyville

Shenise Townsend, Peoria

Membership, Second Shift, Third Shift Hide

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

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Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair

***

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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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
Dominick Camillo, Chicago
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

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Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
***

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

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Here’s an update from Melissa Collins, ASCLS-IL Membership Chair
***

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

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competitive bidding, Legislative Symposium Hide

ASCLS-IL members Toula Castillo and Yolanda Sanchez were present to promote ASCLS and the CLS profession at the Illinois Science Teachers Association on November 12-13 in Peoria, Ill. 

The Chicago branch had expressed their desire to the state board of directors to send members to help promote CLS/CLT programs as well as the profession.  Both Castillo and Sanchez were happy to talk to all the teachers about Clinical Laboratory Science as a profession and also as a career opportunity for their students.  Sanchez said that many of them had no idea what CLS was or the level of education that we are required to have as laboratory professionals.

Sanchez said that while she and Castillo bombarded them with statistics on the current and projected workforce shortage, they also encountered many who were familiar with CLS, having been one themselves before turning to teaching or having a family member who works in profession. Sanchez said that one of the best highlights of the time there was being approached by the President of ISTA, Gwen Pollock, who stated she was once a Medical Techologist and was very happy to see us there. 

Pollock asked if they would write an article for their newsletter, as well as recommending that we also send representatives to exhibit at the Illinois Health Occupations Student Association’s conference in Decatur in March 2010. 

Castillo said that the ASCLS video playing, A Life Saved, generated by ASCLS used to illustrate the vital importance of the clinical laboratory in the diagnosis and treatment of disease was a tremendous impact when visitors to the booth stopped to watch.  They provided flyers talking about the profession and a list of schools in the state of Illinois that currently offer degrees in CLS/CLT.

Anh Strow, program director of the CLT program at Illinois Central College and President-Elect of ASCLS-IL, provided Castillo and Sanchez with a PowerPoint presentation that her students designed and burned onto CDs.  The presentation went into the different areas of the clinical laboratory and showcased the path of the specimen through the different areas of the laboratory.  They also displayed this and the science teachers thought it was very innovative.  Strow also provided them with a number of copies of the PowerPoint that we distributed to the science teachers that visited the booth.

Castillo noted that as [they] spoke about the profession, the overall tone and reception was a positive one.  A few instructors knew who we were and what we did mainly because they had family members in the field, while the rest really had no idea what a medical laboratory scientist did and that it was even a career opportunity.  As we elaborated about the different areas of the laboratory, most instructors agreed that it was a worthwhile career and agreed to take the information back to their students and career counselors. 

Overall,  both Castillo and Sanchez had a very positive experience and hope that [they] at least scratched the surface and spread the knowledge of the wonderful career option of Clinical Laboratory Science.

CLS, CLT, ISTA, membership recruitment, promotion of the profession Hide

ASCLS-IL, ASCP-BOR, BOC, Membership, NCA Hide