Milwaukee VA program fulfills critical need for lab scientists

For more than 75 years, the Milwaukee VA has been training the scientists who examine our blood, urine and tissue samples in order to diagnosis and treat a myriad of conditions and diseases.

“It’s such an important aspect for clinicians,” said Dr. Nate Gundacker, associate chief of staff for the Milwaukee VA. “There isn’t anything we do that doesn’t have a lab component. What they do is so important for our patients and getting them back to being healthy.”

Rich history

The Milwaukee VA’s program is unique in a couple of ways — its history and its endurance.

The program began in 1949. Patty Boyer, program director, still has the original application, which established a “School for Clinical Laboratory Technicians.” The first class was nine soldiers who took refresher courses to prepare for the certification exam. The following year featured the first baccalaureate graduates, all from Marquette University.

Over the years, the program has partnered with other schools, including Alverno College, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Milwaukee. Oshkosh and Marquette are the program’s current partners.

Many accreditation programs in health care that began in hospitals have since transitioned to colleges and universities. However, the Milwaukee VA’s laboratory scientists program remains one of the few such programs still based at a hospital, Boyer said.

“The Milwaukee VA was the only hospital-based program in the Milwaukee area that decided to keep their accreditation,” Boyer said.

Milwaukee’s program has an excellent track record: Some 75% of the current Milwaukee VA lab staff went through the program, and many of its graduates are working in other VA labs in the region.

In addition, graduates have gone on to leadership positions. Laurie Vail, currently acting executive director for the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, is a 1999 graduate of the program.

It’s no accident that lab scientists transition into leadership roles, Boyer said.

“The skills you learn in medical laboratory science are very applicable to working anywhere in the health care field,” she said. “There’s a lot of problem solving and critical thinking. We tell our graduates … you have a whole lot of stuff open to you in terms of where you can go.”

Gundacker agreed.

“The diligence — in terms of process and how you go through and analyze the situation — just translates really well to everything,” he said.

Fulfilling a need

For many years, there has been a critical shortage of lab scientists, not just in VA but throughout health care. That led VA to establish a scholarship program, as part of the Health Professions Scholarship Program, to attract more students to the field.

The scholarship covers tuition and pays out a monthly stipend for two years. A student who accepts the scholarship is required to work at a VA hospital for two years after graduating.

This was ideal for scholarship recipient Lily Buss, a Marquette student who graduated from the program this year. She said she knew in high school she wanted to pursue a career in the field, and she wanted to work for VA.

“I did a summer program (while in high school) that allowed me to shadow different doctors, and that’s when I really fell in love with the lab,” she said, noting that Marquette’s relationship with the Milwaukee VA — and the generous scholarship — made the decision easy.

“I knew there were scholarships out there because it’s one of those careers that not a lot of people know about. It’s like a hidden gem, and once you find it, there’s a lot of need for it,” she said.

She said the field fulfills two of her passions — science and helping people.

“I know it’s a bit more behind-the-scenes, but it’s still very fulfilling, knowing that we’ve helped people, even though it’s not always recognized.”

Students in the program spend most of their senior year learning and working in the Milwaukee VA lab. Some classes take place on campus, but most of the time is spent in the lab.

Buss praised her training, the environment and her fellow lab scientists, who eagerly passed on tips and tricks of the job.

“I really enjoyed the experience, and I’ve learned a lot from everybody here,” she said.

More promotion needed

Boyer believes more work is needed to promote the field.

“People don’t know about the profession,” she said, noting that students interested in health care sometimes “stumble upon” the field when they realize they’re not as enamored with direct patient care but do love the math and science aspect of health care.

Boyer believes promotion needs to start before college — ideally at the middle school or at least high school level, where science teachers can be key advocates.

“We need to educate them about the profession so they can tell their students about it,” she said. “Even with the focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers, there are still a lot of people who don’t know about this profession.”

Buss admitted she was one of those “stumble upon” students.

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to find it, but I’m glad I did,” she said.