Medical labs face understaffing and burnout as demand for COVID tests skyrockets in Texas
Medical lab workers in Texas are dealing with a surge in COVID-19 tests as cases skyrocket nationwide.
COVID testing conducted in a lab, which include PCR tests, is an essential public health tool for slowing the spread of the virus. But experts say this recent onslaught of work for people who run the tests is coming on the heels of years of understaffing and burnout in the profession.
Rodney Rohde, the reagents professor and chair of the clinical laboratory science program at Texas State University, said many lab professionals are underpaid and overworked right now. He said it’s an ongoing issue that has only gotten worse during the pandemic.
“Our profession, in general, has issues primarily because of recruitment and retention efforts,” he said.
Read more: https://www.kut.org/covid-19/2021-12-29/medical-labs-face-understaffing-and-burnout-as-demand-for-covid-tests-skyrocket-in-texas
