How has CLS affected long-term professional careers?
- After three satisfying years in the blood bank at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, I decided to return to school to pursue a long-time ambition of mine, research. I am currently at the SUNY Health Science Center working toward my Ph.D. in physiology. I am studying purine metabolism and purine salvage in skeletal muscle during rest and exercise using the rat as my model.
My undergraduate experience in clinical laboratory science at Marquette has been invaluable for use on the job and working toward my advanced degree. Attention to experimental detail, precision in performing laboratory tests, accuracy in recording results, communication, troubleshooting, problem-solving, pride in yourself and your work — these all are lessons that I learned well at MU.
During my time at Johns Hopkins I had an excellent opportunity to work with and train clinical laboratory scientists with extremely diverse backgrounds. I can honestly say that no school better equips its students with the tools they need to succeed than MU. They are prepared for almost any problem that can be thrown their way, whether in the hospital or research lab.
- In reviewing my career as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, I found so many amazing challenges and opportunities. In my eight years in the field, I have seen very few students or programs that compare to ours -- I am proud to be a graduate of the MU program in CLS.
I started out my first year at the Mayo Clinic Blood Bank. Then, I went to the Microbiology lab at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, first as a bench tech and then as Senior Technologist with supervisory responsibilities. Two years later I was promoted into the position of Resource Coordinator. I have now accepted a position as Laboratory Supervisor in a community hospital.
- In general, my Clinical Laboratory Science degree has been the best choice I could have made for a career in the sciences. In fact, researchers have told me that they prefer to hire Clinical Laboratory Science over a biology degree because of our background and confidence to deal with equipment and new technologies. I have had such a good career thus far, and I attribute it to my Clinical Laboratory Science background.
After graduation, I started out in the Clinical Microbiology lab at Duke University Medical Center. After one year, I had the opportunity to move into HIV research, and managed a lab that monitored viral cultures from clinical trials. I was there for two years, and in the second year I started graduate school part-time at Duke. The next year, I decided to attend graduate school full-time. I ended up getting my master's degree in biochemical engineering, and then took the position that I have been in for the past 7 years, in Dr. Clay Smith's lab at Duke.
While in graduate school, I was able to supplement my stipend by working part-time in a clinical coagulation lab.
The past seven years, I have had a great experience, working in the area of gene therapy and stem cell biology. I have learned flow cytometry, introduced robotic liquid handling/high-throughput screening into the lab, and have had several journal articles published, including 2 first author papers and a third submitted. I am now about to embark on a new adventure, and will be starting a new position at BD Technologies in Research Triangle Park.
One of the individuals I interviewed with was a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and she told me that just seeing that I had a Clinical Laboratory Science degree she knew I would be great for the position because she knows my background and knows that I would be organized, have attention to detail, be flexible and willing to learn new things. I don't think you could have a better summary of how good our Marquette training is.
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My professional life has been a real ride. I started my work experience at St Mary's Hospital and really loved this job. It was my passion for laboratory work that drew me to enjoy every single day there. After several years I returned to Marquette to earn my Master's in Business Administration. Following graduation, I opened a family grocery store in Puerto Rico. It was an incredible experience. My Clinical Laboratory Science training provided me with the toolset to be successful. Attention to detail and an open mind while troubleshooting became an every day asset.
I started working as a Professor in Human Resources and Organization Behavior at the University Program in our local NAVAL base. Then, I moved to New Jersey and worked as a Customer Service Specialist with Janssen Pharmaceutical. Once again my broad medical background and hospital experience came into play.
I then worked in Italy as a Human Resources Specialist on a major project with Cordis Pharmaceutical. Once again my Clinical Laboratory Science background was a key factor in my ability to blend the medical devices and human resources factors of the job.
I now work for DPC Corporation and once again my Clinical Laboratory Science education is the basis of my new job. I am becoming quite an expert troubleshooting our product and supporting our customer base. Technology has changed but the solid education I received in the Clinical Laboratory Science program at Marquette has prepared me for this and more.
So as Forrest Gump said! “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!” I'm just so grateful that Marquette University’s Clinical Laboratory Science program prepared me for this box of chocolates! Thanks so much!
