ASCP Online Communities Offer Members a Fantastic Way to Share Knowledge with Colleagues

Editor's note: This article originally appeared on ASCP News. 

ASCP members can now network with fellow members to share knowledge through the Society’s new online communities! The ASCP Virtual Networking Page is your destination to connect with a large network of professionals in the pathology and laboratory medicine community.

This is a benefit exclusively for ASCP members. To get started, sign in to your ASCP dashboard and select ASCP Communities link under ASCP Virtual Networking, or visit community.ascp.org and sign in using your ASCP username and password. If you are not currently an ASCP member, click on www.ascp.org/join to join and you will gain access to the online community. Communities are based on membership type; others are open to all members interested in a topic.

Stephanie Whitehead, MBA, MPH, MLS(ASCP), chair of the Council of Laboratory Professionals, says she and her council leaders have been actively posting thought-provoking questions to encourage other laboratory professionals to join in their online discussions.   

“This Virtual Networking is the premier network for laboratory professionals to share documents, engage in professional development, and discuss similar interests in the profession,” she says. “For instance, it can bring together like-minded professionals who want to share nuances related to their particular field or section in the laboratory. I have gained valuable insights by reading some of the conversations that have been posted. So, I encourage those who have not yet tapped into the online communities to jump in!”

Joe Keary, MS, MBA, chair of the Council of Laboratory Management and Administration, sees online communities as a way for laboratory managers to share information.

“The communities provide an opportunity for laboratory administrators around the globe to contribute ideas and gain assistance from each other,” he says. “ASCP has taken this online community to a whole new level and really increased the value of our membership!”