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What's New?
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A Newsletter Exploring
page one page two We Want to Hear From You! We want to include your stories, comments, or questions relating to animals in your classroom in upcoming editions of BioFocus. Please email stories to mismr@umich.edu.
It's No Secret... Laboratory Animal Medicine is a Great Career!
Ever since I was 5 years old I knew that I wanted to work with animals. That desire provided a direction in life for me and helped me set my goals. As college approached I thought about careers working with animals, and decided that zoo work would be rewarding. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology with a specialty in animal behavior, but after college I learned there really wasn't a large demand for paid positions in zoos. So I continued working at a small animal and exotic veterinary hospital where I had worked before going to college. A year after graduation I saw an ad in the newspaper for an Animal Technician position at the University of Michigan. I had no idea what to expect, but since it was a job working with animals I applied for it right away. Between my experience at the vet clinic and my degree I felt that I had the skills it would take to work with animals in a professional setting. At the interview I learned about this whole new world I had never considered before, a place where animals lived and were cared for while they were subjects of medical research and cutting edge science. I had never thought of contributing my love and compassion for animals in this way. In the past I had struggled with the idea of animals being used for research, mainly when it came to things that seemed unnecessary to me, like cosmetics. Yet the more I considered the position the more I felt it deserved my devotion. Being personally involved in the day-to-day care of the animals made me feel better about them being used for medical research. As I got to know my new job and learned about the many policies and regulatory rules with which every project must comply, I became an advocate for the use of animals in research. Today I am the Manager of Husbandry Operations for the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine at the University of Michigan. My daily responsibilities consist of managing a staff of over 90 employees and overseeing the day-to-day activities of our entire facility. It is a challenging job, yet it is also very rewarding to create a workplace where employees enjoy what they do and feel rewarded for their hard work and dedication, and where research animals are cared for in a way that makes us all feel proud. So many positive things come from the science being done in research using animals. In my experience, people working in the facilities care for animals and want them to be as safe and happy as possible. My direct involvement gives me reassurance; I try to make sure that the research animals live a life that is safe and as happy as possible. Some of their lives may be shorter than others, but their cause is great. I know that the animals are not submitted to pain or suffering and that technicians and veterinarians are right there in time of need. Most of the employees at the facility have a scientific background. If you are interested in a career working with animals there are a number of fields you could pursue: zoology, microbiology, animal science, veterinary technology, biology, physiology and many others. Laboratory animal medicine is unique and it may not be for everybody, but as the field of biomedical research continues to grow, so do the job opportunities in laboratory animal medicine. There are facilities all over the country and nearly every one of them is expanding and hiring more and more people in a variety of jobs. The starting salaries for personnel working in the laboratory animal field can range from $26,000—$35,000 and can go up to $45,000—$120,000 for supervisory, veterinary technical, and management positions. To learn more about laboratory animal medicine consult http://www.aalas.org
page one page two You may download a PDF format of the actual newsletter. |
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MISMR members strongly support humane animal study in research. We hope that likeminded citizens will join us in working for rational public policy that assures the continued appropriate use of animals in the course of good science. |