The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science “CSMLS” is again hosting their annual conference “LABCON 2018”. This year it will be held at the Brookstreet Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario from May 24th to May 27th, 2018.
The Venue
The Brookstreet Hotel is a 4-diamond hotel resort and conference centre and offers its guests superb amenities including “Au Natural Spa” that has a full range of beauty packages. Dining includes the “Prospectives” Restaurant which offers contemporary cuisine and the Options Lounge which has been named the best jazz lounge in Ottawa. Live jazz is performed every night from 8 pm to midnight. Also, the B café for snacks, coffee, and food on the go.
The City
Canada’s capital city is a dynamic and vibrant community with a full range of amenities for visitors. Unique as a North American capital, the city is bilingual. English is the first language of a majority of the population, but French is the first language of a significant number. Staff in most stores and restaurants speak both well and, in general, bilingualism is common.
The Event
The mission statement of CSMLS is to advance the medical laboratory profession through certification, education and advocacy and they adhere to the values of integrity, accountability, respect and commitment. The yearly meeting is an exciting gathering from all across Canada of laboratory professionals, supervisors, technicians, managers, directors and educators reconnecting or meeting anew to explore new technologies and procedures and to benefit from the efforts of CSMLS.
“LABCON” offers the opportunity for professionals to increase their expertise with several hands-on and in-depth workshops. This year they are hosting a large number of topics over the four days of the conference. Many of the presentations this year are focused on quality practices and maintaining high standards in the laboratory and also focusing on accountability. Topics are being covered in many of the laboratory disciplines by a large number of presenters.
Some of the more general topics this year include:
How to Communicate New Ideas for my Lab – Chris Graham
Chicken and Floor Wax- The Secret to Employee Engagement – Christine Bruce BHA, MLT, CLQM, LSSBB
Top 10 Preanalytical Threats to Accurate Results – Dennis Ernst MT(ASCP), NCPT, NCCT
Delivering World Class Customer Service – Dennis Ernst MT(ASCP), NCPT, NCCT
Learn to Love Quality Systems Through Active Involvement for all Staff – Julie Coffey MLT, ART, CQA, CMQ/OE
There is also a social aspect to the conference with a welcoming reception, opening ceremonies and a keynote speech, an exhibitor’s reception. On Saturday the President hosts a “Roaring 20’s Dinner and Dance” and on Sunday the conference concludes with a lunch and closing ceremonies. The conference will also host the CSMLS annual general meeting and an open forum.
As well as laboratory professionals attending a large number of exhibitors will also be attending “LABCON 2018” giving attendees a chance to see and experience new products and services relevant to their field.
Paradigm 3 Document Control and Compliance Management Software
will again exhibit at the event, and they have been attending for the past several years and have had the chance to interact with many of Canada’s laboratory professionals. Paradigm 3 aids hospitals and laboratories to control their documents, audits, training competency and much in full compliance with ISO 15189 and CAP requirements.
