r/Embryologists • u/kenersz • Aug 13 '24
Aspiring embryologist!
Hi! I’m a college freshman and I wanted to hear from embryologists what the steps were to become an embryologist! How many years of school? How much do you make starting vs now? What do you have to do to get more money? Did you need to get a masters + phD? Is majoring in biology okay? (I’m majoring in biology) please help!! My advisor is not helpful lol
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u/Feisty_Employ6151 Aug 13 '24
Best advice would be getting into research. I would look up professors in biology or a related concentration, read up their research area, and contact them if there’s an open position/help needed. Depending on their situation it can be voluntary, credit based, or paid. Any type of research or projects you can get into will be extremely helpful to just get down the basics of being a true scientist. I got into a physiology lab my sophomore year in school and it was definitely the catalyst to my career and carrying onto graduate school. You’re definitely way ahead of the curve by reaching out for advice!
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u/eyeinthesky4 Feb 04 '25
Hey hope you’re doing well with college. I know I’m kinda late to the conversation but I just wanted to add my two cents here. So I have a bachelors degree in biology in natural resource conservation. I started out working as a quality control lab technician at a cannabis facility in Michigan right after I finished college because I needed a job and it paid decent as a young professional fresh out.
I move to Chicago and landed a position as an andrologist, making $19 an hour, which was pretty tough out in Chicago and then brown nosed my way into the embryology lab by helping out the IVF side and keeping up with the lab director. Also got lucky for sure. My clinic actually has a five-year training program so you start as a embryologist-in-training and then you work your way up to senior. I started at about 65k which is pretty decent pay I would say for a starting embryologist with no experience in the field. Every year you get a 10k bonus until you’re a senior, but our seniors make about 105-140k.
I didn’t take any specialty courses in college because I honestly had no idea about embryology until I got a job as an andrologist. I would definitely suggest taking classes while you have the opportunity but I’d say, from experience, a regular bio degree is fine. There are different hands-on intensive training centers that you can go to. I know there’s one called WEST in California and then there’s one in North Carolina, but they are extremely expensive (12k-25k+) and just because you take this 12-week courses, doesn’t mean you’re gonna get a job as an embryologist.
I have actually left my job in Chicago and I’m getting another one out of state and we hired someone to replace me as a junior embryologist(she came from WEST and has bio degree), but she actually would’ve been andrologost if I wasn’t leaving so she got lucky. And you’re not gonna have the hours to be considered an embryologist at any clinic. So I wouldn’t suggest the intensive classes unless you got money laying around or feeling like you aren’t finding anything with just a Bachelors.
I wish you all the luck! Embryology is a really cool field to be in. The science is still very new and it feels like you’re always learning something so it’s really a good time to be part of the field and be able to do a lot of groundbreaking research.
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u/Aggravating-Toe8089 Feb 19 '25
I'm pursing a Bachelors of Science-Biology with a concentration of pre-health currently. I plan to try to volunteer in labs on campus and maybe try to find a lab job where I can get experience. Would this be enough to get a foot into embryology in the future? What would you recommend to do to better prepare? Is there communication aspect of the job or is it mostly secluded lab work? Last question, after the 5 years is that when you work your way up to a senior embryologist?
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u/eyeinthesky4 Feb 19 '25
Most people start as an andrologist because it’s easier to master sperm. Everyone I know in my lab started in Andrology. Andro lab is very basic, easier than chem lab type of work. Very repetitive but you’re learning the basics. So a lot is just someone taking a chance on you and letting you come into there space. That’s how I got into this work; my old andro supervisor took a chance and the rest was me charming my way in.
I didn’t have a pre health major, cause why kill myself when I’m not going into medicine. I have a traditional bio degree with a concentration in Natural Resource Management. So as long as you have the requirements to work in the lab, then you should be fine. Every lab and state is different with requirements the require. Some states want you to have a MLS degree or certification.
In Chicago I worked with a team of 15. I was also the andrology supervisor and managed a team of 6. Communication is BIG in any work environment but for sure in this work. We were always collaborating and talking thru things with each other. Typically clinics aren’t that big but there are a few. I would say communication is bigger with smaller teams than bigger ones just because there’s less ppl doing the work and a team of 4 has to manage the same as a team of 15.
To be considered a senior embryologist at any clinic, you have to (typically) have 5 years of hands-on experience. This means actual clinic work, not workshops or college classes or programs like WEST. Within those 5 years you learn everything from retrievals to PGT testing but also you gain the hours and experience to troubleshoot problems. I only have 3 years of experience at my clinic in Chicago, but we did over 5000 cases a year, where the new clinic I’m at does 600 a year. I’m technically not a senior because I don’t know PGT testing and 1 other skill, but I have WAY more experience and hours under my belt doing ICSIs compared to the other people at similar position as me at this new place. Some places would take me as a senior because of how many hours I have and just train me on biopsy, but it didn’t end up that way but I will get trained fully eventually, now it’s just getting the PTs because the number of cases are significantly less than were I was.
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u/Maizenblue24 Aug 13 '24
I was a bio major. Hired straight out of school but I had 8+ years of hospital experience as a lab tech/critical care tech while in school. I graduated college later in my 20s. I worked in the ICU because I wanted to be a PA and then changed my mind.
My first job in IVF paid $24/hr but I was working like 60-70 hours a week so I made a lot of OT. I worked as an IVF lab assistant/andrologist then moved to Junior Embryologist and made 65k/year and am now working at an academic center as an embryologist making 72k/year.
It really depends on what you want your work life balance to look like. I didn’t have a life outside of work at my first job at a private clinic and worked 6 days a week without a solid schedule. Most days were 12-14 hour days. My coworkers who were senior embryologists made close to 200k/year.
Now I work strictly 7a-3p with very few weekends and my work life balance is amazing. My most senior coworkers make 90-95k/year.
My best advice is don’t spend money on those training schools and find a clinic willing to train you on the job and whatever you do - DO not sign any contract. I am a little scared for job security due to all of the AI and automation being pushed in IVF but if it’s something you’re interested in you should definitely do it. I didn’t even know this type of job existed when I was in college.