Lompoc Valley Medical Center is expanding access to careers in laboratory medicine by establishing a local training pathway for clinical laboratory scientists, allowing students to complete required clinical training without leaving the area.
The effort was led in part by hospital employee April Villarreal, who recently became a licensed clinical laboratory scientist and helped develop the program. The initiative enables students to complete clinical laboratory training at the hospital, an option that previously was not available locally.
“It gives more opportunities to Lompoc,” Villarreal said. “You can actually get a professional degree and become a CLS here. There’s a pathway from start to finish.”
Villarreal, a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, began her career in Lompoc after completing phlebotomy training at the hospital. She later advanced her education through a Medical Laboratory Technician program at College of the Canyons, completing required clinical hours at LVMC.
Medical laboratory technicians perform testing on blood, tissue and other samples, while clinical laboratory scientists conduct more advanced analysis across specialties such as microbiology, hematology and chemistry.
The new program creates a step-by-step pathway for local students, beginning with phlebotomy training through Lompoc Adult School and continuing through technician certification and advanced CLS training.
LVMC currently has openings for the positions of medical laboratory technician and clinical laboratory scientists. For more details, visit www.lompocvmc.com/careers.
