Vance celebrates Laboratory Professionals Week Published April 29, 2015 By 1st Lt. Lenita Campbell 71st Medical Support Squadron VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week was April 19 to 25. The week was created to specially recognize laboratory professionals and celebrates their dedication as crucial members of the health care team, collaborating to improve patient care and outcomes. From small practices in rural towns, to metropolitan hospitals, more than 300,000 medical laboratory professionals nationwide deliver accurate test results every day and serve as part of the health care team to guide and assess patients' ongoing treatment and care. They are the cornerstone of diagnosis and an integral part of the larger patient care team, directly contributing to preserving and enhancing patients' lives. During Lab Week 2015, we celebrated laboratory professionals' contribution to patient care. Lab Week's theme, Laboratory Professionals Get Results, recognized the proactive, collaborative role laboratory professionals play in advancing patient care. Using state-of-the-art technology and instrumentation, laboratory professionals perform and supervise tests that lead to the detection of potential health problems. The sooner a disease is caught, the greater chance for a positive outcome. An estimated two-thirds of all clinical diagnoses are based on lab results according to the "Medical Laboratory Observer." Laboratory professionals work ethos is "To Get Results." Due to this most patients and other healthcare professionals do not see the hard work that laboratory technicians do behind the scenes. Last week was to honor them and promote the laboratory career field.