By Alabi Stephen
A lot has dawned on me since we left school, I realized every course we offered from year 3-5 is a resourceful and wealth generating career path on its own.
Medical Laboratory Scientists can take advantage of these areas to create sustainable wealth and recognition for themselves.
These areas are:
1. Instrumentation:
I have met scientist who specializes in Laboratory equipments Installation, consultancy, repairs and importation. They have never worked on bench for one day but they are worth millions of Naira and they are independent running their own company.
2. Bioethics:
There are scientists working with ethical board units of universities, medical research institutions, Government agencies of ethics. I have seen Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) as consultants on ethics and they are making good pay from it, going in and out of the country.
3. Molecular biology:
I have met scientists working in advance molecular lab settings designing primers, using high grade Sequencing machines. I have met Consultants MLS in setting up Molecular Laboratory who are making good money setting up molecular laboratories for government and private agencies.
4. Research:
I have seen MLS whose focus is medical research related to laboratory we have so many in this category. They earn National and international grants, they are recognized in field of research globally and they are doing well.
5. Pharmacology/toxicology:
There are also a handful of MLS engaging in Drug testing and clinical trials laboratory.
6. Quality Management and Assurance:
A handful of MLS are also making waves in this aspect, they are consultants in quality assurance and assessment, even training other professions on Quality management
Other fields includes: Data analysts, public health laboratory specialists, Bioinformatics and many others
Give me a course we offered from year 3-5 and I will tell you opportunities hidden in that courses.
It is understandable that the training we get on these courses are superficial and not in dept enough for us to develop much interest in them.
Likewise, our Lecturers did not show your the entrepreneurial/professional opportunities in these courses.
However, we cannot continue to blame them for our misfortune but rather we have to realise ourselves and rechannel our energy than just seeking to work on the bench alone.
Just like the saying it is understandable if your were born poor but it is your decision to stay poor or become wealthy relating it to what we have here, it is reasonable that our lecturers didn’t show us other ways to succeed in MLS other than the laboratory but it is our own decision to make if we would find our way around this or remain retarded like they made us.
That’s why I’m charging us to see beyond working on the bench. Let’s arise and do exploits!
Things we can do:
1. Self Development:
The truth is we cannot do anything if we don’t intend to develop ourselves beyond the knowledge we obtained in school.
Go for training in any area that interest us in MLS, this training we might even have to pay for, some we will be paid just token and others we will not be paid.
But all these are just sacrifices to be made for the greater goal e.g Data Analysis to become Data Analysts, laboratory Instrumentation to become a Laboratory instrument specialist especially in currently trending automations, molecular biology to become a molecular scientist, quality management to become a quality officer and manager.
2. Image redefinition:
After developing yourself, we need to know how to sell ourselves, how to make people realize our worth and ability starts from rearranging your CV and credentials, earn more certificates to boost CV.
In conclusion, to live beyond Mediocrity, it is important as Medical Laboratory Scientist to think and act beyond the bench.
While we want to be on the bench for experience and as a template for better days ahead we should remember to focus on the big picture.
Alabi Stephen (Standout)
Alabi Stephen Adediran is a vibrant Medical Laboratory Scientist working as a molecular scientist in Edo Specialist Hospital. He gained his BMLS degree from Ambrose Alli University and currently pursuing his masters in Medical Laboratory Science (Clinical Chemistry).
