Prepare Your Laboratory for Chemical Terrorism
Whether it be an industrial accident or an act of terrorism, a chemical emergency places extra demands on medical laboratories. ASCP has launched a new series of eCourses on chemical emergency response preparedness (CERP) to help clinical laboratory professionals enhance their understanding of their role, responsibilities, and the resources available to prepare for and respond to a chemical emergency event. Here is the list of eCourses available:

An Overview of Chemical Terrorism Agents by Jerry Thomas, MD, Medical Toxicologist Division of Laboratory Services, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (CME/CMLE: 2 credits)

Sample Collection and Anticipated Clinical Sample Flow Following a Chemical Exposure Incident by Jay Wamsley, MPH, EMT, Chemical Terrorism Response Lab Coordinator, Response Team Lead, Division of Laboratory Services, National Center for Environmental Health, CDC (CME/CMLE: 1 credit)

Chemical Emergency Response and Preparedness: Specimen Collection, Storage, and Packaging by Patricia Payne, PhD, MT(ASCP), Microbiologist, Medical Technologist, and President of JBM Associates, Inc., Lexington, KY (CME/CMLE: 2 credits)

Preparing for Large Scale Emergencies and How Your Terrorism Preparedness Training Can Help by Bonnie Rubin, CLS, MBA, MHA, Emergency Response and Process Improvement Manager, University of Iowa Hygienic Lab, Iowa City, IA (CME/CMLE: 2 credits)

The ASCP CERP series was developed as part of the ASCP/CDC: “Enhancing Testing Practices in the Clinical Laboratory by Developing Specific Training Activities for Medical Technologists, Medical Laboratory Technicians, and Pathologists.” Course topics were selected based on the results of an ASCP survey of members in clinical laboratories to determine their level of preparedness to respond to a chemical emergency event. The results of that survey are reported in the February 2007 issue of LABMEDICINE. Each course in the series may be purchased separately for $15 per person. For detailed information about individual courses in the series, please visit http://www.ascp.org/511live/timssnet/course_flash/course_home.cfm.