Changing careers can be both exhilarating and fearful but for most, it’s a positive experience. We talked to a few medical laboratory technologists who stepped out of their lab coats to pursue a career in business.
This three-part web series will educate you about their challenges, successes and how different the world is outside of the lab.
In part one, we talk to Pierre Leveille who began working on the bench and now works as Program Lead, Stakeholder Engagement and Financial Standards and Information (FSI) (NIF), for the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
Pierre Leveille,
Program Lead, Stakeholder Engagement and Financial Standards and Information (FSI) (NIF), Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
Pierre: I started my career working as a bench tech in a hematology lab in Ontario. There I had the opportunity to teach students in the lab which progressed to teaching students in the classroom. I later moved to the Maritimes to work as a bench tech and was later presented with an opportunity to work in lab related role outside of a clinical lab. I am now the Program Lead of Stakeholder Engagement in the Financial Standards and Information (FSI) department at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
What made you decide to pursue a career outside of the lab?
Pierre: I often refer to a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that says “unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow”. I use this to inspire myself to do new things on a regular basis. My decision to move off the bench allowed me to learn new skills and to experience other opportunities.
What are the similarities between your role in the lab versus your current role?
Pierre: There are a number of skills you develop in the lab that you are able to use at a broader level. In the lab, you learn to be analytical and to pay close attention to detail. You also have to have good communication skills and have the ability to problem solve. All of these are skills that can be carried into a different environment. I learned that soft skills and being able to work with people, whether it be managing or facilitating and working toward common goals are all important as you move towards other opportunities.
Would you ever consider going back to the lab?
Pierre: I don’t think that I would go back to the bench. Though I still have an interest in the clinical and technical content, there are so many opportunities to talk to others about the laboratory, and to try other new things and learn new skills that I feel I can make a bigger impact on health care, the laboratory and myself by continuing along my current career adventure. Note that I don’t call it a path, because a path is where others have gone before, and I am trying to forge a unique career.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering making a career change outside of the lab?
Pierre: Have faith and confidence in your own ability to advance and to achieve and do things even though they may seem difficult at first – do not fear failure. Success is about trying.