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By Layla Boyer '26
Major: clinical lab sciences
Minor: chemistrySummer internship: Laboratory services at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital (BCH for short), Springville, NY.
Typical day: "On a typical day at the lab, I receive blood samples from patients in the ER, nursing home, or people who have come in to have their blood drawn. From there, the blood gets distributed to each section of the lab where the requested tests can be run. I load and unload samples in each specific machine. I was taught how to do this quickly and efficiently. I also was taught how to calibrate and run quality control samples for each test. This is one of the most important parts of lab work. I run all of the quality controls to ensure that each patient gets quality results, which allows them to receive the correct treatment. I interact with all of the medical techs in the lab, my supervisor, and all of the staff from every other hospital department daily. We are like a big family, and we all love to interact and talk about our days.”
How it’s changed me: “This experience has absolutely changed my perspective of myself. It’s taught me that I am more capable than I thought and that I can be an invaluable asset. I am even more excited to go into this career because I now realize how important labs are. I knew they played a role in diagnosis but never really knew just how important everything the lab does is. One single test result can change the entire outlook on a treatment plan, and that is so fascinating to me. This experience also gave me a deep dive into myself, and I have learned how to be the best person I can be.”
Connections: “My aunt was a nurse at the hospital, and my mom works next door in the nursing home. This place is close to home, and it’s like going to work with a big family.”
What’s cool: “The coolest part of this experience is getting to know the people I work with — learning from people who went through the same experience as me in college and from people who grew up in very different cultures. I have learned so much and have been able to do so many new things that will help me in my future classes and career. Being halfway through my first CLS-dominated semester, I am extremely grateful for this experience. Some of the things that were common for me to complete during my internship are some of the tests I now run in my CLS classes. It even gave me enough knowledge that I can be a team player and help my peers when they need help during a class or a lab.”
My colleagues: “My supervisor and my teachers at the lab are absolutely wonderful people, and I can not praise them enough. They have taught me so well that now I can run tests in the lab independently and support the other techs. I’ll never forget the laughs and jokes that we share. Priceless memories! The experiences that I gained during this internship are something that I love talking about and will never stop talking about.”
How Naz helped me: People told me to speak with my advisors to know the most important aspects to get out of the experience. Working with my career coach to figure out the logistics of my internship was very helpful.
What difference my SPARK Grant made: It helped a lot with gathering the supplies that I needed to be successful. I used my grant to purchase lab-suitable shoes and scrubs to work in every day and to get an iPad. As an intern, I had to do some online training to assist me in my learning, and getting the appropriate technology was a lot easier after getting my SPARK Grant.
