Public health laboratories must ensure a sufficient flow of funds to attract and keep top-notch staff, as well as to obtain and maintain required facilities and equipment. Furthermore, like shareholders of a corporation, the stakeholders in a laboratory--funding organizations, state government, taxpayers, and so on---demand a demonstration of the value they get for the money they spend. Herein lies the real challenge for the laboratory manager: How can you create and maintain an environment that allows protection of public health, yet be financially sound and maintain accountability to those who have a stake in the laboratory's operation? Resource management provides the tools you need to systematize management of your laboratory and to make sure the unexpected is accounted for, as much as possible. For efficient laboratory management and safety, laboratory managers need to manage and track resources like kits, reagents and other consumables, equipment and personnel that are required in the laboratory context, as well as manage all related processes. They also need to be able to track the lifecycle of reagents and materials by monitoring their acquisition, storage, usage, and disposal. Equipment maintenance needs to be scheduled, as well as maintaining the number of qualified personnel performing the tests. Adequate resource management will ensure reduced inventory costs and reduced compliance risks. It will optimize the usage of assets and laboratory productivity.

Intended Audience

All laboratory staff who are involved in budgeting.

Learning Objectives

After completion of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Define and explain relevant resource management terms and concepts.
• Outline relevant resource management processes as applied to a department in a public health laboratory.
• Explain how resources are managed and monitored in a public health laboratory.

Pre-requisites/Learning Level

No Pre-requisites

Competencies Addressed

• MLD 3.00. Financial management: ensures sound financial management 
• MLD 3.01. Budgets: Complies with budgetary guidelines 
• MLD 3.02. Revenue and income:  Describes revenue sources associated with individual activities           
• MLD 3.04. Financial management process: Uses designated financial management tools 
• MLD 3.05. Resource management: Uses workplace resources efficiently

CEUs Offered

None

Cost

Free

Modality/format

Online self-pace

Length

1 hour

Presenter(s) and/or Content Expert

APHL Emerging Leader Program Cohort 9 members