CLN Daily 2024
The Society for Young Clinical Laboratorians (SYCL) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For 2 decades, a group that started as a way to guide students and trainees has expanded to help all early career professionals in laboratory medicine. Through efforts like mentorships, networking events, and surveys, SYCL has helped these professionals gain a footing in the many career paths available in the field.
“We hope for engagement with our SYCL members and to be able to give back, in terms of resources, things that can help them through the early years of their careers," said Yachana Kataria, PhD, DABCC, FADLM, medical director of clinical chemistry at Boston Medical Center and chair of the ADLM SYCL Core Committee.
When the group started, the executive committee was made up of a small group of SYCL members. Today, the SYCL Core Committee consists of 13 SYCL committee members appointed by the ADLM President and reports directly to the ADLM Board of Directors.
SYCL isn’t resting on their laurels, though. In terms of new initiatives, the group is working to promote the laboratory medicine profession through the SYCL Seminar Series. They’re also collaborating with the ADLM Clinical Laboratory Scientists (CLS) Council to expand the program “to do more outreach where members can learn about laboratory medicine as a field and at what stages you can enter it,” she said, whether a person enters the field in the medical laboratory technology stage or hopes to become a laboratory director someday. “There are different types of professions within laboratory medicine — not just clinical chemistry, hematology, or microbiology. We’re raising awareness broadly around diagnostics and laboratory medicine.”
In early fall, SYCL also plans to release the results of the 2024 Salary Survey, a much-needed update as the last one was conducted 3 years ago. More than 300 people responded to the survey, said Kataria. The timing is apt, too. “I know a lot of our members have first jobs coming out of fellowship, or are renegotiating with their chairs,” she added.
In the future, SYCL hopes to do the salary survey every 2 years instead of 3.
Members should also see the board prep survey coming out soon, which was last conducted more than 7 years ago. The results will “provide resources for fellows who are about to take the American Board of Clinical Chemistry exam, and will include recommended resources for preparing,” Kataria said.
The mentoring connections program is still going strong, helping members in all stages of their early career or fellowship, “pairing them based on their interests with mentors in their fields,” she said. The already robust program has been growing, to the benefit of both younger members and more experienced ones who help guide them. For those who haven’t participated yet — either as a potential mentor or mentee — Kataria said that an open call will go out at the end of the year. “I’ve seen lots of fruitful relationships come through the program,” she said. “Mentors reach out to me talking about how great it is, and mentees end up becoming mentors.”
Kataria also noted that the group will be changing the SYCL membership criteria. Currently, the group is for members who are trainees or under 40 years old “which is age restrictive,” she said. Under the new criteria, anyone who has completed training in the last seven years can be members. More news about the transition is expected to become available soon.
Jen A. Miller is a freelance journalist who lives in Audubon, New Jersey. +X: @byJenAMiller.