Fostering a lab environment open to change with Susan Dawson
How CLINICAL24 ambassador, Susan Dawson, drives innovation and efficiency through thoughtful clinical laboratory management amidst staffing and budget challenges
1 Oct 2024
Susan Dawson, Laboratory Administrative and Operations Director, Swedish and Skokie Hospitals, Chicago
Susan Dawson, MBA, MT(ASCP), is a #CLINICAL24 Ambassador and a leader in laboratory management, currently serving as the Laboratory Administrative and Operations Director for Swedish and Skokie Hospitals, and Evanston Hospital Core Lab, all part of Endeavor Health. With over 30 years of experience in laboratory management, Dawson has a deep understanding of the challenges clinical labs face today. Her dedication to solving workflow issues, mentoring teams, and adopting innovative technology aligns with the mission of CLINICAL24, which seeks to highlight the hurdles faced by clinical laboratory scientists and how technology can help overcome them.
Addressing the staffing shortages in the clinical lab
One of the most significant challenges Susan Dawson identifies in modern laboratories is staffing shortages. As the demand for clinical laboratory services grows, finding qualified personnel has become increasingly difficult. Laboratories require highly trained staff to handle complex testing procedures, and the shortage of skilled professionals is creating bottlenecks across the industry.
In an interview with SelectScience®, Dawson highlights the importance of adapting to these shortages by implementing on-the-job training programs into laboratory management strategies. While it is a time-consuming process, it is essential to maintaining laboratory operations. By investing in staff training and development, Dawson’s leadership ensures that labs remain fully functional, even in the face of ongoing personnel shortages.
This challenge also underscores the need for process optimization and automation in the lab, which can reduce the burden on existing staff while ensuring accurate and timely results. By adopting new technologies that streamline workflows, Dawson’s approach helps laboratories maintain high performance, even with limited personnel.
Budget constraints and process efficiency
Budget constraints have been a persistent challenge in healthcare, and clinical laboratories are no exception. Dawson reflects that managing budgets while maintaining high-quality testing is an ongoing struggle. Effective laboratory management requires balancing cost-cutting measures with maintaining high standards of accuracy and efficiency. This is where technology and process improvements come into play.
Dawson is an advocate for process optimization and leveraging the technology of instruments and middleware to enhance operational efficiency. By adopting laboratory automation, labs can reduce manual labor and minimize human error, leading to both cost savings and improved accuracy. Automation also helps labs operate with fewer staff while maintaining the same level of output, addressing both budgetary and personnel challenges simultaneously.
The role of innovation in laboratory medicine
Susan Dawson’s forward-thinking approach to technology adoption has made her a leader in laboratory management and innovation. Throughout her career, she has been an early adopter of laboratory automation and IT solutions designed to enhance testing processes and improve patient outcomes. Her focus areas include chemistry, immunochemistry, hematology, and microbiology testing, where automation plays a crucial role in increasing lab efficiency and accuracy.
Dawson has also presented nationally and internationally on best practices in laboratory automation, sharing her insights on how labs can implement innovative solutions to improve workflow and patient care and exchanging ideas with those she meets. By incorporating cutting-edge technology, labs can better handle the growing complexity of tests, meet regulatory requirements, and provide faster, more accurate results to healthcare providers.
Adapting to change is the key to long-term success
In addition to addressing staffing and budget challenges, Dawson emphasizes the importance of adaptability in laboratory management. Healthcare and laboratory technologies are constantly evolving, and labs must be willing to change their operational models and adopt new tools to stay competitive. Resistance to change can hinder progress, but Dawson’s leadership promotes a culture of continuous improvement and openness to new ideas from every staff member.
Dawsons approach to leadership involves working closely with multidisciplinary teams to solve problems, optimize processes, and ensure that labs deliver the highest quality of care to patients. Whether it’s adopting a new testing platform or adjusting workflows to meet the demands of a changing healthcare landscape, Dawson’s flexibility and innovative mindset keep her labs ahead of the curve.
Susan Dawson’s contributions to laboratory medicine, from tackling personnel shortages to implementing cutting-edge technology, make her a key Ambassador for CLINICAL24. Her expertise in laboratory automation, budget management, and leadership has helped shape more efficient, high-performing labs. By adopting innovative solutions and maintaining a focus on continuous improvement, Dawson exemplifies how laboratory professionals can overcome today’s most pressing challenges, ensuring the best possible care for patients. As Dawson's retirement approaches, it is imperative that this knowledge, experience and understanding of laboratory management continues to be discussed, studied and shared with peers in the field. Dawson intends to remain an active advocate for the industry sharing knowledge and experience through consulting and speaking.