FEATURE
Finding the right employees to work in more remote or rural locations might take some extra work , but once they ’ re there , they often stay .
To build the pipeline even farther out , Desmond ’ s team is working with the nonprofit ClimbHI , which aims to inspire students in Hawaii to finish high school by teaching them about a variety of career paths . The laboratory team has participated in several ClimbHI job fairs , which often serve marginalized communities .
The Hawaii laboratory also has a partnership with a medical technology regulatory group in the Philippines , which provides expedited licensure in Hawaii for medical technology graduates who pass a board exam and work first in the Philippines for two years .
Still , the public health laboratory is competing with private laboratories . But Desmond pointed out , “ the new kid on the block ” at a private laboratory might be assigned to work evenings and weekends . “ We ’ ve got a Monday to Friday schedule that seems to be attractive to people who want a work-life balance ,” he said . “ And we have a defined benefit plan , while the private sector has defined contribution plans with an unknown value at the time of retirement .”
And if that doesn ’ t sell someone , Desmond bragged that his laboratory building has the best view of any of the 50 state public health laboratories . It ’ s no contest , he said . The state laboratory is high on a ridge overlooking a spacious lawn with palm trees , a nearby forest and Pearl Harbor in the distance .
Finding the right employees to work in more remote or rural locations might take some extra work , but once they ’ re there , they often stay , these laboratory leaders said . In fact , it ’ s often the geography and outdoor offerings that appeal to people , Gibson said .
After the height of the COVID-19 pandemic , the Montana laboratory had vacancies for six clinical laboratory scientists out of a staff of about 50 . They ’ re fully staffed again . “ We ’ ve been really lucky recently to hire a few good people ,” Gibson said , “ and those people who are coming to us from out of state are interested in living in Montana . It ’ s great for people that love the outdoors .”
Gibson is one of those people . She has worked at the Montana laboratory for 26 years . She lived in Missoula , Montana , as a child , but her family moved around a lot due to military service . She graduated from high school in Oklahoma but knew she wanted to get back to Montana as soon as possible .
Now , when the workday is done , Gibson — who is an ultrarunner — changes clothes and slips on her running shoes . Instead of walking to the parking lot , she runs to a nearby forest trail . Once in the mountains , she is surrounded by pines , with a gorgeous view of the Helena Valley in the distance . g
PublicHealthLabs @ APHL
APHL . org