CAREER PATHWAYS
Empowering Laboratories and Mentors : The Multifaceted Benefits of the APHL Internship Program
By Camille Danielson , MS , director , Environmental Chemistry Program , Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene ; Royce Riessen , MBA , specialist , Environmental Health ; Cherie Estrada , senior specialist , Internship Program ; and Mariane Wolfe , MS , MLS ( ASCP ) CM , manager , Internship Program
Do you have projects that you can ’ t seem to find the time for ? Does your laboratory have staff that want to give supervision a try , and they just need a little nudge ? Would you like to save money ? The Public Health Laboratory Internship Program : an APHL-CDC Initiative may be the answer .
Since its launch in 2023 , the Internship Program has been a huge benefit to many laboratories and mentors . A host laboratory can save significant funds by utilizing the extra workforce support of interns . Over a 15-month period , the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene ( WSLH ) estimates that it saved over $ 350,000 by utilizing 44 interns instead of student workers or seasonal project positions . This includes 13 additional student positions they would not have hired otherwise due to lack of funding . Offering mentors the opportunity to shape future public health professionals , the program builds a reserve of skilled students who can transition into permanent laboratory roles or expand their education in public health fields .
An added benefit of interns is the savings on less tangible costs by easing staff workload . Once interns had a handle on their established project , staff were freed up to focus on mission-critical work . A bonus : the presence of interns allowed staff to take vacations in the summer , something that was not always possible in past busy seasons . For this reason , many employees reported a better worklife balance due to the additional help .
Building Opportunities for Interns …
APHL ’ s initial screening of applicants streamlines recruitment and saves time for the laboratory compared to traditional student hiring . The structured application and review process — as well as the competitive stipend — attracts higher-quality candidates and improves retention . Many interns extend their
internship at the request of their mentor , an advantage for the laboratory since the students are pre-trained and can continue to help with essential tasks . To date , WSLH has invited 14 interns to extend their time , and the results have been beneficial for everyone . Another distinction is that the APHL and CDC affiliations boost the laboratory ’ s appeal beyond a typical summer job ; instant name recognition for potential employers in the laboratory science field is an impressive addition to any resume and can lead to other opportunities for interns .
The objective of the program is for interns from a variety of backgrounds to receive valuable training and hands-on
Intern Success Story :
Mia Peck filters National Atmospheric Deposition Program rainwater samples to remove particulate matter before testing . ( Photo by Jan Klawitter / WI State Lab of Hygiene , UW-Madison )
Mia Peck was a WSLH intern in the first cohort in Summer 2023 . She has since extended multiple times and worked with a variety of mentors in more than four areas of the environmental laboratories . These included the inorganics laboratory , quality assurance group , sample receiving , shipping , trace elements clean laboratory ( TECL ) and the National Atmospheric Deposition Program laboratory . Her experiences have included : PowerPoint development , chemical inventory , sample preparation , kit building , shipping , reagent preparation and pipette verification . She said helping in many areas and with a variety of mentors has been a “ fantastic opportunity .” Mia was most excited about learning clean laboratory technique and working in the WSLH TECL .
experience while learning directly from a professional in the public health laboratory field . Mentors provide career guidance and insight on what majors can fit into professional roles , opening career pathways that most students are not traditionally exposed to in college studies . At WSLH , the required APHL learning modules are used to further increase opportunities for laboratory staff to enhance the intern experience . Each training topic is covered in a group setting with experts from both the clinical and non-clinical parts of the laboratory facilitating . For example , the safety module was covered by a chemist on the non-clinical side and a microbiologist from the clinical laboratories ( both
6 LAB MATTERS Winter 2024
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