Homegrown Healthcare

Assisting in the efforts of recruiting health care professionals back to our community is one of the main goals of the Laboratory Control Ltd. Health Career Scholarship Program. One of these professionals we are so grateful to have is Dr. Jessica Allison. Dr. Allison is an Ottumwa native who, after a strenuous eight year scholastic curriculum filled with classrooms, clinicals and rotations, has chosen to return to Ottumwa to practice. Jessica, a multi-year award recipient, is grateful for the scholarship program for multiple reasons. “Of course the financial assistance was great to help me with tuition and student loans, said Jessica. “But what I really appreciated was the support I felt from people in my community.” When asked why she chose to be a Doctor of Optometry, Jessica shared the following; “I always knew I wanted to have a career in health care but I wasn’t really into the whole blood thing”, laughed Jessica. “Then one day in biology class we were dissecting eyeballs donated from Excel and it just hit me that this could be a really good fit.” Dr. Allison highlights being close to family and raising children in a smaller community as reasons she returned to her hometown and gives the following advice to others considering their career choices; “If you want to have a career in health care keep your options open to help you find your own niche – this will ultimately give you a job that you will enjoy every day!

For more information on the Laboratory Control Ltd. Health Career Scholarship program click here.