Laboratory jobs...

[naughtoj]

Anyone work in a laboratory? What is your title? Could you tell me what your work is like and how you like your job? How much school and, if not too personal, what that position pays in general. How much people interaction?


I am doing research as usual in the quest to find my "real" career....

Thanks all!

 

[CathydsRNA]

I have a career biotech job and I have worked in a lab for many years. I did my Ph.D in Molecular Virology and had to do academic book work but most of the work was lab work where I had to rotate through several labs over the course of a year and then pick a thesis lab where I learn to idependently answer a larger scientific question. I worked in rabies lab, a Herpes lab a lab doing biochemical analysis of endotoxins and then I picked a coronaviris lab to do my thesis in. After, I worked for big pharma and then biotech. I liked biotech the best (larger scope of work) and this is where I stayed. I have since worked in the area of vaccines and nucleic acid therapeutics for mostly antiviral apllications and viral prophylactics. I have worked mostly with HIV, HBV HSV (Herpes)and HCV but have done some work with HPV and Dengue.Scientific research is not a 9-5 job and requuires weekened work but it is fun, never boring and very rewarding. In my experience, there is much comraderie among the lab folk and we were usually a very tight knit bunch of people. Now, I am in a management position and direct the basic research of a biotech that I co-founded and I am not in the lab anymore. My title is now VP of Preclinical Development, but I started my career as a Post-doc, then scientist, Sr scientist, principal scientist, research fellow, director etc.I also am involved in legal and regulatory related work and travel but I find the added breadth of work stimulating. It still requires long hours and weekend work and little vactiion time. I have only had about 5 days off this year. when I worked for big pharma I took about 2-3 weeks off a year but when I moved to biotech, the intensity level is alot higher and although there was a vacation policy, most reserachers didn't take all of there vacation. Most took only 1-1.5 weeks a year. Many biotechs recognize this and offer their employees a cash back policy. If you don't use vacation you can trade unused days for money. If you ahve any more specific questions you can PM me, but post a message on the forum to let me know that you PM me so that I will check.Good luck.

 

[CathydsRNA]

PS. As far as education..you can get an entry level position with just a BS. The higher your education and more relevant experience the higher level position you can get. An MS doesn't in particular allow you to advance farther than just a BS but an MS typically lets you in at a higher level. You can get a position in academia, big pharma or biotech. If you have no experience, your best bet is to establish yourself in an academic position. There are plenty of entry level openings for individuals with no experience. The downside is that academics pay alot less. That is the reason there are many lower level positions...once individuals gain experience they are off to companies.Unless you are a Ph.D there really is not much opportunity to advance in academics. There is more opportunity for non Ph.Ds in big pharma or biotech and more room for lateral growth ie moving into a related feild such as regulatory, clinical, buisness development, tech transfer etc. Academia usually has a better vacation package however and its a great palce to get your foot in the door and get experience.

 

[run4fun]

Hi!

My husband was a Lab Tech and he tested body fluids. He worked in a lab in a hospital. Blood, feces, urine, those sorts of things. There are lab technicians and lab technologists. There are certification test that need to be taken after you attend school. Technologists have a B.S. and you can become a technician at a vocational school. The pay depends on education, hospital and experience. I think an entry level is around 30,000 a year.

My husband is an electrician now. Working in the lab was not his calling. I remember him coming home and scrubbing himself off and throwing his white uniform in the washer with bleach every night..

Beverly

 

[ElaineP]

Hi,

I am a Medical Laboratory Technologist. I went to school for a BS. My Bs is in Biology but you can go just for med tech. There is an internship done at a hospital. Depending on the program you enroll in the internship can be just 3-5 weeks at a time or a whole year of full time work.

Okay, as far as the job goes. It all depends on what part of the Lab you want to work. Yes you deal with different types of body fluids, urine and feces. I mainly work in the Microbilogy department. This is were we grow out bacterial cultures and inform the doctor of a true infection and what type of antibiotics will work on killing the bacteria.

I love my work. I have little contact with the public. I draw blood and sometimes have to inform a patient on how to colllect a type of specimen. I have contact with nurses and doctors on various occasions.

The specimens do not bother me. I have been in the field for 20 years. I've worked all departments of the lab. My department of choice is microbology.

WOW! I did not realize I wrote this much . If you want to ask specific questions you can PM me.

Good Luck,
Elaine

 

[mogambo]

I worked 3 years doing immunohistochemistry, and 3 years doing histology and electron microscopy. PM me if you want details. They're OK, tedious, but kinda interesting and challenging too. No dealing with the public at all. Occasionally I had to go to the OR and wait for a sample so I cut cut frozen sections for the pathologist.

My title was Medical Technologist II, and I have an MS in Biology, but didn't train specifically for lab work. It started about 30K and this was in the mid 90s.

 

[CathydsRNA]

Hi Janice,
I guess we need to know more about what type of lab work you are specifcally interested in...scientific research, med tech, QC, forensic or other. I got blindsided when I wrote my response and didn't consider the other types of lab work out there.

 

[naughtoj]

Sorry guys, forgot all about this post in the holiday hubub!!!


Thanks for the info...Cathe...I think your advanced position..while very interesting, would be a little farther than I would go.

I am looking for an area that will pique my interest but not take a lifetime to get a degree/skills in.


Nursing, of course, remains one of the possibilities. Given unlimited time though, I would probably get a BS in Biology. It just seems so interesting to me. Micro too. Money is tight too, so....

Hey Mogambo! Lianne..didn't know that about you! That is very cool!

Thanks for the info!