Review Article: Creating Psychological Safety in the Medical Laboratory Science Profession: From Workplace Culture to Education

Heather Hilgart, Patricia Tille, and Beth Warning

Abstract

Psychological safety (PS) is needed in medical laboratory science (MLS). All roles in MLS must have an environment where it is safe to make and admit to mistakes. There are evident characteristics of environments with low and high levels of PS. Creating PS for medical laboratory professionals and learners can be accomplished with simple strategies. The strategies can be used for in-person and virtual environments, and by all MLS roles. Assessments can be used to measure if the implementation of PS strategies are successful.  The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is a resource to model survey questions for assessment. There are several positive outcomes after implementing PS strategies in MLS involving workplace culture, teamwork, professional identity, and education. PS creates a practice zone for all roles in MLS.

Keywords: psychological safety, medical laboratory science, workplace culture

Int. J. Bio. Lab. Sci 2024(13)1:64-75 【PDF】