Creating Engagement Remotely: An ASCP Career Ambassador Shares Her Tips

As the need for remote learning has grown, so has the use of online technologies for laboratory professional recruitment. Jeannie Guglielmo, MS, MAT, MLS(ASCP)^CM, Chair and Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, School of Health Professions at Stony Brook University, is an active and resourceful ASCP Career Ambassador at the forefront of this work. Ms. Guglielmo has created remote classroom presentations that spark interest and excitement about laboratory medicine careers via meeting platforms like Zoom.  

To find out more about the role of remote learning in laboratory recruitment, Critical Values asked Ms. Guglielmo to share her strategies and ideas.*   

Critical Values (CV): How did you get started generating remote classroom presentations on laboratory medicine careers?  

Jeannie Guglielmo (JG): I’ve done countless online presentations over the years for students at various programs, including local AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) in New York that educate about healthcare in underserved areas. I find this work incredibly rewarding, so I’m always on the lookout for ways to expand it on behalf of laboratory recruitment. 

Last year I did a Zoom event for 11th and 12th grade students at Ursuline Academy, located in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was a hit, so the school reached out to me to present again this year. Ursuline is an independent Catholic school for young women in grades 7 through 12. They’re an effective partner for laboratory career recruitment, because they prepare students for leadership and service within a global society framework and they foster respect, compassion, and intellectual curiosity. 

CV: For your second presentation at Ursuline, did you make changes to your initial presentation model?  

JG: I did. As successful as the first year’s presentation was, I wanted to make the next round of remote events more engaging, as well as highly informative. To do that, I leaned into my background as a forensic scientist, and as an ASCP Career Ambassador. 

Through my work with ASCP, I’ve had the opportunity to do many in-person interactive presentations with students. These are typically half-day workshops that generate excitement, plus spark interest in laboratory medicine and pathology careers. To generate that same level of excitement, I had to figure out ways to connect with large numbers of students, whose reactions were not readily visible to me on my computer screen. To do that, I decided to add interactive elements, like demonstrations, to the Zoom presentation.  

CV: That sounds challenging. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?  

JG: Connecting with each student individually was one of the largest challenges I had. One particular class, taught by the school’s principal, was large in size. I could hear her calling on the students, but I couldn’t clearly hear or see them from all points within the classroom.  

Over time, she and I worked together to come up with a structure for future events that would work for her in person, as well as for me on the screen. We decided to break the students up into two or three separate groups. Sometimes I lead the groups simultaneously through a shared activity and other times, we assign each group to an activity which they will report on. Each group identifies a leader who communicates their findings on behalf of the group from the front of the classroom. This supports student engagement, while making communication on a classroom scale clear and viable.  

CV: What suggestions do you have for preparing remote presentations that effectively foster engagement? 

JG: Getting everyone involved is a critical element, but before you can get to that point, you have to do your “homework.” Making the most of remote tools requires strategic planning, team building skills, and a deft hand at sharing compelling information. 

First, pick your format. I’ve used both Zoom and Microsoft Teams effectively. As good as these formats are, make sure you have a backup plan. Technical difficulties are not uncommon. For example, sharing your screen doesn’t always work. To overcome this, I send slides or a PowerPoint to the teacher ahead of time, just in case my computer malfunctions. 

To really get the message out about the value and rewards of laboratory medicine, find out what topics the class is currently studying. You want your presentation to have relevancy to the curriculum, so that it makes sense to the students.  

Do an outline of your proposed topic and activities and have the teacher weigh in several days or weeks before you’re scheduled to present. Take their recommendations to heart, since they’re working with the students every day, and are familiar with their strengths, interests, and goals.  

Also keep in mind that seeing is better than explaining. On-screen demonstrations will keep students engaged for a longer duration than a lecture or PowerPoint presentation will, so come up with a plan for activities or demos prior to the big day. My specialty is forensics, so I use an evidence collection kit that I made from a toolbox during my demos. The kit contains basic supplies including sterile collection swabs, tweezers, scalpels, and other materials. I cover the basic rules for collection and use a mock stain on various sized items to illustrate how one collects appropriately. This demo takes around 15 minutes. This type of demo can easily be adapted to show how to take blood samples and tailored to the clinical setting. 

CV: What strategies do you use to keep virtual audiences engaged during presentations, especially when discussing technical or scientific topics, like laboratory procedures or diagnostics?  

JG: It’s very important to speak to students at their appropriate grade level. If you speak above their heads, or fail to explain things cohesively, you’ll lose them. So, avoiding jargon and uncommon abbreviations that will be foreign to them is very important. If I’m going to throw out testing terms, like PCR (polymerase chain reaction), or H&H (hemoglobin and hematocrit), I’m going to clearly define what those terms stand for, and what the tests are used for.   

During presentations, I also strive to make connections to previous material I know the students have covered, so they can better grasp more advanced or sophisticated concepts. To do that, I try to zero in on individual faces during the presentation, so I can read at least some of the student’s expressions. Are they getting it, or do they need more time? I’m always thinking about what my next steps will be. The classroom reaction to the activities and demonstrations we’re presenting helps me with timing.  

I also use real-life analogies that tie into the material as best I can, coupled with a significant amount of sharing about my experience as a forensic scientist and medical laboratory scientist. Best practices dictate, however, that you show sensitivity to issues some of the students may be grappling with at home, such as a cancer diagnosis in the family, or crimes like assault.   

CV: What do you see as some of the biggest advantages to creating engagement remotely? 

JG: There is so much potential to this recruitment model. When I was a student, you needed signed permission slips, budget for buses, and parent volunteers to take kids on trips. Being able to create a class trip or workshop without leaving the classroom opens up a world of possibilities. It’s cost effective for schools, so they’re amenable to facilitating the conversations. You don’t have to drive to the venue or school, so the presenter’s time is used effectively.  

This work also opens up a world of opportunity for kids, including underserved kids, who may have no idea what a laboratory is, let alone what their role in laboratory medicine might be.  

CV: How do you see this work growing?  

JG: Reaching the laboratory scientists of tomorrow is incredibly important. Our field needs it, and so do communities from coast to coast.  

Any member of our professional community can do this type of work, if they choose to. I can also see graduate or undergraduate students becoming mentors to high school kids or middle school kids. When you remove the obstacle of distance, everything opens up.  

*This interview has been edited for clarity and length.