By Laura Siegel, Specialist, National Center for Public Health Laboratory Leadership, APHL
Did you know that public health laboratory staff protect the nation from emerging infectious diseases, foodborne illness outbreaks, agents of bioterrorism and environmental contaminants?
If the answer is “no,” don’t feel bad because I had no idea either! Prior to working at APHL, I couldn’t tell you what a public health laboratory does or even realize why I should know. I didn’t know a thing about public health. If I had known, though, I might have looked into it as a career option.
Early in my undergraduate career, I was in a phase of career exploration, and there was a brief period when I really wanted to be a nurse. I enjoyed a lot of science classes in school, but I also enjoyed writing. So I sought an opportunity where I could get a taste for both.
I got an internship in the communications department of a nearby hospital. While I was there, a news channel arrived to interview a physician about a hot new procedure. I only heard half the interview because I woke up on the floor, having fainted halfway through the presentation. At that moment I realized maybe nursing wasn’t for me.
But, before my brief fantasy where I become a nurse and saved hundreds of lives, I was aware of the nation’s severe nursing shortage (one of the reasons why I looked into the field). I could even rattle off the talking points about the reasons for the shortage: an aging population, fewer people entering the field, not enough instructors and degree programs. I saw advertisements about it on the Metro, in the newspaper and even on Facebook.
Now I find myself wondering, Why wasn’t I also aware of the severe shortage of public health workers? I had no idea there were career options for science-minded students in public health laboratories. I had no idea that the need for public health laboratory scientists is just as great, if not greater, than the need for nurses. I had no idea that I could make a living running around like Kate Winslet in Contagion.
Now, almost four years later, I find myself in a position where IT’S MY JOB to tell people about careers in public health. I work for APHL’s National Center for Public Health Laboratory Leadership, (NCPHLL – APHL loves long acronyms), promoting careers in public health laboratory science. Via this post, (and many more to come), I’m hoping to reach students who are still searching for their path as I was.
My Top 10 Reasons Why Public Health Laboratory Careers are so Rewarding, Appealing, Awesome and Should Not be Overlooked:
- Public health is trendy: the top universities in the country all have recently added public health undergraduate programs.
- Public health could save a life…or protect a whole community: newborn screening; Anthrax; stopping a deadly foodborne illness outbreak .
- You get to wear a lab coat. Extremely flattering.
- Medical laboratory scientist jobs will be among the fastest growing jobs in the next decade.
- Your vocabulary will improve in an almost Star Wars-esque way. You will routinely impress people by throwing around words like Non-O157 STEC and Chikungunya fever.
- Demand – Public health laboratories are facing a workforce shortage which means you will be saving a crucial service to the community.
- Your mom/significant other/dad/cousin will be proud and ridiculously impressed.
- You can work in any state in the nation: Every US state, territory and the District of Columbia has a public health laboratory… even Hawaii and Puerto Rico!
- Scientists are cool! Look at Bill Nye and Mr. Wizard! Those are some cool dudes.
- The people in the workforce are awesome, and the job satisfaction cannot be beat. Hear it from current public health lab scientists:
- Phil Lee from the Florida public health lab talks about identifying the index case of Anthrax in 2001
- A. Christian Whalen, director of the Hawaii state public health lab, talks about landing the best job in the state
- More Career Field Stories
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