FEATURE
laboratorians in Miami—hospitals,
universities and life science research
facilities with laboratories.”
At the same time, while automation has
eliminated some less-skilled laboratory
jobs, the growing sophistication of
public health laboratory analyses has
generated demand for scientists with
highly specialized training. For example,
the advent of high-throughput, next
generation sequencing created a need for
laboratory bioinformaticians—a technical
niche that did not previously exist.
Gillis points out that even trained
professionals require ten months or more
to learn the specifics of public health
laboratory practice, which requires both
rigor and adaptability. BPHL-Miami,
for example, was one of the first in the
nation to provide Ebola testing in 2014
and tested over 5,000 specimens for Zika
virus in the second half of 2016. “It was
always a challenge to make sure there
was adequate staff to respond to new and
emerging infections,” said Gillis.
“I’m very ambitious and I want to
work up”
T
o understand how to recruit
the next generation of public
health laboratory scientists,
one must first know what
they want.
Workforce analysts at Deloitte, Monster
and other firms, characterize the younger
demographic—those from their 20s to
early 40s—as energetic, self-confident
and eager to embrace new technologies.
They perceive change as an opportunity
and are quick to adapt. They’re tech
savvy, accustomed to multi-tasking, and
comfortable questioning authority.
Importantly, researchers say, younger
workers do not consider their job their
life—they want flexible schedules, pay
for overtime and the opportunity to use
leave promptly, rather than save it up.
Millennials and Gen Xers prefer to be
active and engaged at work, but are loyal
to their career, not their job. They expect
to advance rapidly and are willing to
change jobs to do so. Training is a
high priority.
8
LAB MATTERS Fall 2018
Scott Giatpaiboon, a scientist at the
California Environmental Protection
Agency (CA EPA), is the youngest full
time professional in the Department of
Toxic Substances Control, Environmental
Chemistry Laboratory. After a brief stint at
a pharmaceutical company, he was drawn
to CA EPA because “government jobs are
really stable.” Moreover, he said, “We get
a lot of funding from our department to
buy the latest technology; that was one of
the pushes.” Although state government
salaries don’t match the private sector,
Giatpaiboon said, “Pay is a factor, but not
the biggest; I would rather have a job that
pays less, but you’re happy, than a job that
pays more, but you’re unhappy.”
On a scale of one-to-ten, Giatpaiboon
rates his job a nine: “I wouldn’t say any
job is perfect, but I’m pretty happy with
my position right now.”
He said, “In my first three years, I want
to gain as much knowledge as possible
and become competent in all our test
methods.” In five years, he aspires to a
supervisory role.
Giatpaiboon cites a few drawbacks to his
current post. Most importantly is “the
fear of not being guaranteed a promotion,
even if you’re working hard.” He said,
“I’m very ambitious and I want to work
up.” Other nits include dealing with the
state bureaucracy and, as a newbie, being
tasked with records management and
other administrative chores (although
Giatpaiboon saw this as an early “test”
of his abilities and is pleased to have
gotten more significant responsibilities
over time).
Overall, he says, “My supervisor is very
great in helping me learn and [my
colleagues] are always willing to take the
time to help me learn, and that’s what I
love most about my job.”
Another young professional is Stephanie
Trammell, MPH, a Microbiologist II at the
San Francisco Public Health Laboratory.
Trammell was certified as a California
public health microbiologist in 2008 and
worked part time at the Contra Costa
Public Health Laboratory while pursuing
her master’s degree. She said, “I didn’t
want to lose any opportunities to work in
a lab; that’s where I enjoy being.”
California EPA DTSC Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
Scientist Scott Giatpaiboon utilizes advanced technology
to analyze hazardous waste samples at the new state of
the art facility in Pasadena. Photo: DTSC
After a field practicum in India spent
evaluating a rapid test for Trichomonas
vaginalis, she returned to the Contra Costa
laboratory, but had to be retained as a
contractor because of a hiring freeze. The
combination of low pay, a high cost of
living and, most importantly, being at a
“standstill” in her career prompted her to
leave. “I’m the type of person who’s pretty
ambitious,” she said. “I want to see where
I can best help.”
In three years, Trammell expects to be
in the same job she is in today, which,
she said, “is fine with me, because I have
plenty to learn still at this level.” In five
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