A Family of Women in STEM: Sheila Washington, Brittany and Amber Jackson

While Sheila Washington, age 59, MLS, MT, claims she “bumbled” into her career as a clinical laboratory scientist, the truth is that the back-to-back 18-hour days of her initial nursing path was too intensive for the time she wanted to spend with her family. When she took a urinalysis class to fulfill hours, she piqued a new interest and knew instantly that nursing was not the path for her—the laboratory was calling.

She found herself thinking, “I can make a good living and have my quality time away from a job.” It was a no-brainer. She works at Oschner LSU Health in Louisiana.

Sheila couldn’t have known then that her two daughters, Brittany Jackson and Amber Jackson, would follow her into the field when it was time to start their careers.

The myriad possibilities of the career

Amber Jackson, age 28, MLS(ASCP), saw her mother’s line of work as one that “showed me what stability looked like, because with her degree, she could work a range of different jobs.” From instrument specialists to public health, Sheila’s field laid out an inspiring set of possibilities for Amber, who currently works at Willis Knighton South Hospital in Louisiana.

Indeed, Amber has seen many others in her field “work their way up the ladder” of career possibilities with similar degrees.

Brittany Jackson, age 30, MLS(ASCP), said she loves “the job security of it, since we are always needed” and that she can be a major part of patient care without actually working in the hospital with patients. “I love everything about it,” she says. She works at Willis Knighton Bossier Hospital in Louisiana.

They both took away their mother’s solid work ethic and values of “putting your best foot forward,” Amber says, and being methodical and “putting out the best result,” Brittany adds.

Staying ‘in the know’

Sheila has a lot of reasons to be proud of her career and that of her daughters, but one of the benefits of her line of work is how it empowers them with health knowledge.

“I like the fact that I know what's going on with a patient before the doctor does. And that's what a lot of people don't understand about our field—we give [clinicians] the information and they take our results to diagnose the patient,” Sheila says.

Both Amber and Brittany find their clinical knowledge especially useful when talking to their own physicians about their health. “I'm not easily swayed because I'm able to understand the background,” Amber says.

The sisters love having each other to lean on, both working the same “seven on, seven off” shifts, and their mother to talk to, who understands their jobs.

Technological change

Brittany and Amber were born into a world where technology is just a part of life and the laboratory, but Sheila remembers the largely manual early days of her career—from how samples were counted to delivering results.

“We had to walk critical values to the floor. Imagine if you were working in a several-story hospital just to get a nurse or doctor to sign it! Now we just pick up the phone or go to the computer,” Sheila muses.

She appreciates that her daughters have the advantage of digital technology that has sped up laboratory efficiency and workflows, and that they will all benefit from future changes.

Shining a light on the invisible field

Amber and Brittany feel strongly that if not for their mother having paved the way into an MLS career, neither of them would have followed suit, since it’s a little-discussed field.

Sheila never coerced them, but she’s proud that they followed her. “They saw, well hey, if my mom can make a decent life out of this career path and then enjoy it, and they also did research,” she says.

Amber wishes more college programs made clear what a great line of work it is. “Without knowing someone in the field, no curriculum in college talks about this job. It's almost like being grandfathered in if you will,” Amber says.

Amber wishes more college programs made clear what a great line of work it is. “Without knowing someone in the field, no curriculum in college talks about this job. It's almost like being grandfathered in if you will,” Amber says.

For others who are considering an MLS degree and subsequent careers, Sheila offers the following advice. “Put your whole heart into it and learn the theory behind it. Most people just want the surface part, but it's much deeper than what you can imagine.”