At HNL Lab Medicine, Training’s An Adventure; Area Employers Listed as ‘Military-Friendly’

In this edition of local business news, HNL Lab Medicine is training employees in exciting and memorable new ways. Also, several major employers with operations in the TriCounty Region are highly rated as “military-friendly.”

At HNL Lab Medicine Local Facilities, Training Is Gametime

ALLENTOWN PA – HNL Lab Medicine of Allentown – which operates facilities in Gilbertsville, Pennsburg, West Reading, and elsewhere – says it is transforming hospital training by turning mandatory education into an adventure.

In an effort to strengthen collaborations between laboratory and nursing teams, HNL’s clinical hospital advisors have introduced an innovative “escape room”–style educational game. It turns essential lab-related lessons into an interactive experience, according to the company.

The game begins with a familiar challenge: avoid getting a phone call from the lab about a rejected sample. From there, nurses progress through a series of puzzles based on real-world scenarios. They select properly filled blood culture bottles, answer type and screen questions, and identify best practices to prevent clotted or hemolyzed samples.

Then they correctly order laboratory tubes, and collect tubes in the correct order of draw. Each correct answer provides a key or code to unlock the next game stage, which ultimately leads to a prize.

The activity takes fewer than ten minutes per nurse; no longer than a standard training session, according to HNL. However it delivers far more engagement, while encouraging problem-solving. It also sparks conversation, and makes key lessons memorable.

Mirroring How Nurses Work in Real Life

“We designed the escape room format because it mirrors how nurses work in real life, solving problems under time pressure, thinking critically, and collaborating with each other,” says Shelbi Taylor, clinical advisors manager with HNL. “It’s a fun way to reinforce best practices while keeping education practical and engaging.”

The program has already been well-received by nurses, HNL adds. It plans to expand the initiative to additional types of training for their health system partners.

Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash+, used under license

Pennsylvania, Area Companies Rated ‘Military-Friendly’

CORAOPOLIS PA – Pennsylvania will rank during 2026 as among the top 10 states in the U.S. that are home to businesses of “military friendly” employers, a monitoring group reported Tuesday (Nov. 11, 2025).

Also listed as military-friendly were several corporations it says have long been dedicated “to creating sustainable and meaningful opportunities for the military community.” They include companies that operate within Montgomery, Berks, and Chester counties: The Home Depot, Lockheed Martin, Lowe’s, AT&T, State Farm, and others.

The lists and their accompanying announcement are annually produced by Viqtory Inc., a veteran-owned recruitment marketing agency headquartered in Coraopolis PA, near Pittsburgh. It owns the Military Friendly® registered trademark, and operates a related website.

Overall, 376 employers nationwide were recognized for their consistent willingness to hire and assist veterans in a variety of employment-related circumstances. Viqtory says it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Defense or the federal government. Its list results, it adds, are produced using a rules-based algorithm.

The lists span a range of industries. Construction, infrastructure, and engineering lead the way, at 16% of designated employers, Viqtory Inc. says.

Other prominent sectors include manufacturing, 9%; health and pharmaceutical services, information technology, and business services, 8% each; defense, 7%; financial services and banking, and energy, extraction, and utilities, 6% each; and insurance and trucking, 5% each.

Photo by Ben Iwara on Unsplash+, used under license

Our local news reporting includes news about businesses and commercial ventures within, or that affect residents of, Montgomery, Berks, and Chester PA counties. Find more business articles here.