Improving training in laboratory medicine.

Recent advances in medicine and technology, combined with an ever-growing workload, have increased the demand for skilled professionals in laboratory medicine. The specific need for trained physicians and scientists raises important questions about the content of training programs and about the ideal characteristics of the human products of the training programs. Excellent recent publications in several countries have addressed the scientific and technical components of training and the competencies that trainees are expected to develop. These publications will provide important guidance for training programs and for trainees for the foreseeable future. An additional goal of training is to produce members of a profession. These professionals will 1) aspire to meeting the challenges of the field with creativity, 2) be involved with the profession and the world and 3) function in a manner informed by their thorough grounding in professional and medical ethics. In the promising future of laboratory medicine, a focus on professional aspects is essential to meeting the potential of the field to contribute to health of the patients we serve.