Conferences.

* August 5. The North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health (NCSLPH) and the National Laboratory Training Network (NLTN) will sponsor "North Carolina Clinical Lab Tech Day" in Raleigh, NC. The one-day educational conference is targeted at laboratory professionals, phlebotomists, safety officers, nurses, phlebotomy educators and students, and anyone with specimen-collection responsibilities or interest.

This inaugural event will feature presentations by phlebotomy expert and author, Dennis J. Ernst; William Patrakis from the North Carolina Division of Waste Management; and Steven Preissler from the North Carolina Department of Labor's Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

In his first presentation, "Mastering Pediatric Phlebotomy," Mr. Ernst will discuss age-specific considerations for collecting blood from pediatric patients. Issues will include site considerations for infants and toddlers, proven strategies to calm anxious children, capillary puncture technique, supplies, and butterfly use.

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Mr. Ernst's second presentation, "The New CLSI Standards: Important Changes Every Phlebotomist MUST Know" will address recent CLSI (formerly NCCLS) revisions to key standards on specimen collection. This presentation will highlight critical changes, including a new order of draw, the limits to needle manipulation, and important new considerations in vein selection.

Mr. Patrakis will provide an informative update regarding identification of regulated and nonregulated medical waste, and the proper disposal requirements for each. Mr. Preissler will round out the day's events with an overview of OSHA's inspection process.

The conference will also feature vendor exhibits, door prizes, and a book signing for Mr. Ernst's newly released book, Applied Phlebotomy. CE credits are available. Visit www.nltn.org to obtain a brochure for this event. Register online at www.aphlnet.org/eweb. For more information, call (800) 536-NLTN (Southeast only) or [phone].

* August 21-25. AMLI (Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists) will host its 18th Annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt in Denver, CO. The meeting, aimed at clinical scientists, physicians, medical technologists, and other professionals involved in clinical immunology laboratory testing, will include presentations on arthropod-borne virus detection, autoimmune disease triggers, asthma biomarkers, cord-blood transplantation developments, and more. For additional information, visit www.amli.org.