# Microbiologist needs a change of career!



## Rebelette (22 Jan 2007)

I have a degree in Microbiology and am currently working in a pharmaceutical company. Basically my jopb at the mo involves lots of paper work, and I am really more a people person - so looking for a job in a hospital maybe - something to link in my degree in Micro and my quality qualification. Any advice?


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## lab-rat (22 Jan 2007)

*Re: HELP! Microbiologist needs a change of career!*



Rebelette said:


> I have a degree in Microbiology and am currently working in a pharmaceutical company. Basically my jopb at the mo involves lots of paper work, and I am really more a people person - so looking for a job in a hospital maybe - something to link in my degree in Micro and my quality qualification. Any advice?


 
Hi Rebelette,
I know inorder to work in Hospitals you may need a Med Lab qualification. You could look into doing on the job training, an apprenticeship. You get a reduced salary for your training period. http://www.amls.ie/ I googled the Medical laboratory society and found this site, I do not know if it is the offical site. Worth a look though.

If you thought this could be an option I would ring the Med Lab society and get some advise. Alternatively I would ring (or probably best to email) a Micro lab in one of the hospital.
Good Luck 
Lab-rat


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## Barley (22 Jan 2007)

To work in a hospital lab you could apply for a trainee position with the AMLS. I know people who have gone down this route - it involves training for a year (or thereabouts) and then you're qualified to work in hospital labs, the same as if you had done the Biomedical degree in Kevin Street or another similar course. A microbiology degree is one of the subjects they accept, along with biochemistry. I know one person who had a degree and PhD in chemistry and they were turned down, despite doing their PhD in a med lab topic.

All this is, of course, dependent on whether you want to stay in the lab side of things in a hospital?


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## Rebelette (22 Jan 2007)

Barley said:


> All this is, of course, dependent on whether you want to stay in the lab side of things in a hospital?


Thats a good question Barley! I think I'm looking for a non-lab hospital based job if that makes sense! Last week there was a job advertised in the Cork University Hospital - it was for a medical microbiology surveillance sciebntist. The job spec was exactly what I was looking for, and it wasn't lab based, except you had to have the biomedical qualification.
Thanks anyway guys for the replies....


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## ajapale (22 Jan 2007)

Hi Rebelette,

Your experience with quality assurance systems in the industrial sector will stand to you in the hospital/medical laboratory environment. Many hospitals and medical laboratories are now becoming accredited to the appropriate standards and your experience with documentation, audits, reviews and records may be invaluable to them...Downside...lots and lots of paperwork!

aj


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## Brendan Burgess (22 Jan 2007)

If you are a people person, you could look at technical sales in the pharma area. 

Brendan


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## daithi (23 Jan 2007)

Hi I would echo what was said above re going via the AMLS-You could do the following:
1.Contact both  amls.ie and  MSLA.ie (The 1st is the academic body, the second is the union.) They would have details about how to get into med lab.
2.Visit your local hospital lab to get a feel for the job.It doesn't hurt to make yourself known-the med lab community is quite small in Ireland
The usual path for non med lab graduates is as follows
1.Work as a lab aide
2.On-site training program within the amls -usu lasts for 1 year
3.An MSc-either Kevin St, Coleraine or Cork (UCC)-a masters is needed for permanent posts in most hospitals outside Dublin, as the competition is quite stiff.
4.A surveillance scientist would have to have med lab qualifications also-at least they do where I work!
PM me if you have any questions,
Best of luck,

daithi


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## RainyDay (24 Jan 2007)

Wouldn't a hospital lab position be just as bad for the OP as his current role, in terms of the lack of personal contact?


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## Megan (24 Jan 2007)

RainyDay said:


> Wouldn't a hospital lab position be just as bad for the OP as his current role, in terms of the lack of personal contact?


I dont think I would agree with you. My niece works in a hospital lab and they seems to be a great mix of people there and a great social life around it. She is a science grad and is during a course through Queens to give her the qualifications she needs to be offered a full time job. She is on contract work at the moment.


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## RainyDay (24 Jan 2007)

I point was about the nature of the work, rather than the social side. Surely the nature of the work would be largeley the same.


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## ajapale (24 Jan 2007)

While working in a hospital laboratory might not be as exciting as CSI LasVegas there is certainly more human interaction than in a typical laboratory in an industrial setting.


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## redchariot (29 Jan 2007)

I am wondering about a change to Med Lab Science also; applied to Kevin Street on the CAO when I did the Leaving Cert but missed out by 5 points. 

I ended up doing Food Science and after graduating and working 6 years in Quality in the food industry, I have now decided it is just not for me.

I am really thinking of going back to study for a MSc in Biomedical Science probably in Coleraine and fund myself for the year; would this be a better option than the trainee postion as discussed in previous posts?


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## Spondulicks (31 Jan 2007)

Sounds like nursing : you meet plenty of people there - young & old, male and female, rich and poor, tall and small, fat and thin etc. And they all need you.


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## Mavicat (14 Jan 2010)

Hi there guys,
My husband is a Turkish trained microbiologist/infectious diseases consultant, mostly laboratory based & will need to do a years retraining here in order to come up to Irish standards - we are researching courses at the moment looking for a work experience (no salary) position in a private laboratory (he was refused by the amls & & they are absolutely no help whatsoever) - does anyone know of a good place to apply to in the Dublin area & how much roughly would a course for a year work out at in Kevin St.?
Would be very grateful for any advice from any of you out there.
Thanks


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