Reality strikes

Medical Laboratory Observer, June, 2005

Upon receiving the March 2005 issue of MLO, I opened it with great anticipation. I looked for and found its salary survey. I quickly turned to page 28 and found "Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Haigh, associate editor. With quickness of speed, I started to read. Her comparison to the reality shows was intriguing. As she got to the challenge to compete to be able to survive, I had a major explosion! Her figures came nowhere close to what my colleagues and I are making. Apparently, we lost.

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Having a BS in medical technology with 28 years' experience in the field, I am just now reaching the $40,000 range. My colleagues (MT, MLT) are in the same boat. Therefore, I must conclude Ms. Haigh got her data from the same writers of the TV reality shows. If not, then the data must have been biased, as her last statement in smaller letters alluded to anomalies.

Next time, I feel Ms. Haigh should start over, obtaining data face-to-face with the general technologist. Then, maybe she can get the real story on how laboratories are treated as "stepchildren" and kept in the background. Maybe then the truth will come out. Only then, with recognition of what we truly contribute to the health field, can we compete money-wise.

--Marion Floyd

Medical Center of SE OK

Durant, OK

Editor's Note: Ms. Haigh assembled this article with data provided from another department; she is not the "statistician." Our company's marketing team conducts all surveys and states that in this year's salary survey, "308 respondents (14%) indicated they were 'medical technologists.' Of those, only 41 respondents gave a salary figure; the rest listed hourly wages. Not knowing how many hours in a week/month/year an hourly wage-earner works precluded the statistician from combining hourly earnings into the salary mean. It is evident from the data, too, that 'region' makes a difference. Mr. Floyd is from Oklahoma (the 'central' region), and the central region has the lowest mean salary level." Both Ms. Haigh and the editor wish they could "rewrite" the feature to make more readers happy, but the informal survey captured the data that was presented, including the anomaly mentioned by Mr. Floyd.