... how do you actually introduce yourself on a new blog? Obviously I don't know ... so I came up with something cheesy. At any rate, here I is. My name is Thomas Joseph (which I'm using as a pseudonym - though it's technically my first and middle name, just not my last) and I am the author of the blog (It's a ...) Micro World (... after all). When I'm not wasting my time blogging, I'm a geneticist/microbiologist/molecular biologist for the United States government. This qualifies me, I suppose, as an "alternative scientist" since I'm not in academia. I often work closely with individuals from academia, but I have a different set of goals and pressures in my work environment. As I continue to post here, I'll talk about a number of those.
I also qualify as an "alternative scientist" given the fact that my B.S. and first M.S. degree were in Medical Technology. As a licensed and registered member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and their Board of Registry, I can work in hospital laboratories throughout the United States (and throughout the world) in a number of fields. The four primary fields being: Clinical Chemistry; Hematology; Immunohematology (aka Blood Banking); and Microbiology (my favorite). Currently, there is a huge need for Medical Technologists (also referred to as Clinical Laboratory Scientists), and according to a US Department of Labor report (ASCP commentary here), there is a need for 15,000 new Medical Technologists per year through 2014. It's a shortage that simply won't be going away soon. Pay is also reasonable. Average salaries are topping well over $20 to $25/hour right out of college (translates into $40 - 50K/year). I didn't remain a Med Tech for long, opting for further graduate schooling and a PhD in Microbiology ... but I did jump through all the hoops and did work in a STAT lab (third shift, bleh!) for a couple of years during graduate school. As opportunities (and demand?) arise, I'll talk about these experiences as well.
With that said, I appreciate the opportunity given to me by Mad Hatter for allowing me to post my thoughts/opinions/advice here. If you have a question/blog entry request for me, leave a comment here and I'll run with it.
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7 comments:
Interesting! I've thought about doing something med-techy, mainly for job security reasons (although I am interested in it, too :) I'm curious: what's your take on how long it would take someone who already has a graduate degree (although not in chemistry or biology) to complete such a program?
And along those same lines: how much overlap is there between, say, a BS/MS in med tech vs a BS/MS in straight chemistry or microbiology?
I'd love to hear more about what you do for the government. Also, along the lines of maddox22's question, I've heard of microbiology PhDs who do a 2-year (or maybe 3?) clinical residency in lab medicine and then go run clinical labs. Apparently, they can make upwards of 80-90K. Is this similar to a Med Tech position, just with a PhD, or is it something different altogether?
I'd be interested in hearing how your job changes in response to different government policies etc. I know a little bit about how the HLA typing labs have been affected...
Oooooo.....Can we be friends????? :P
You are doing exactly what ive been thinking about doing for a long time. I have begun researching what kind of programs i will need to do in order to work in a clinical lab...and i am definitely interested in government work over industrial...at least for the time being. I really will be looking forward to your posts!!
Congrats on your expanding blog influence. Now I have something else to read in the morning.
Welcome and thank you for the input!
I feel like i'm the only person who went straight grad school to a job specifically applicable to the grad school ;)
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