SEQC Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine

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The Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC^ML) organized the first R4 Residents Conference: Management and Leadership in Laboratory Medicine, which was held on June 6 and 7 in Toledo (Spain). The purpose of the conference was for future generations of Laboratory Medicine specialists to acquire advanced knowledge of management, quality, and leadership of multidisciplinary teams, skills as important as mastering the most technical subjects of the specialty.

According to the course coordinator and member of the SEQC^ML Board of Directors, Dr. Josep Miquel Bauçà, one of the objectives of the conference was to organize a wide-ranging course that would focus on those topics relevant to future specialists, but which are insufficiently addressed during the residency period. Thus, the more than 80 attendees were able to learn practical knowledge about public procurement, communication and negotiation skills, and even how to do a job interview. “They were also able to learn the point of view of in vitro diagnostic companies on their role in the future of the Clinical Laboratory.”

As pointed out by the member of the SEQC^ML Board of Directors, the aim was for the conferences to have a double focus as a shared trainingexperience, “in order to promote a climate in which final year residents could share their concerns, debate among themselves and, ultimately, have closer contact during their last months of training.”

Generational turnover

The importance of training and guiding new generations of Laboratory Medicine specialists was another of the key points of the day. In the words of Dr. Bauçà, day-to-day life in the Clinical Laboratory requires more than mastery of the most scientific subjects: “Advanced knowledge of management, quality, and the leadership of multidisciplinary teams is necessary. The session’s practical approach toward these subjects will allow the students to apply the knowledge acquired throughout their career as specialists.”

Given the success of the conference, the SEQC^ML believes that it would be desirable to hold new editions in the coming years for residents who are about to finish their residency, so that they are valued as training gatherings or a meeting place between professionals with the same concerns. In the opinion of Dr. Bauçà, “this first edition has allowed us to see the need for training residents in soft skills and clinical management. Future conferences should focus on the highest ratedelements of the current edition.”