Photo By Gustave Rehnstrom | U.S. Army Medical Department Activity-Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield celebrates...... read more read more
U.S. Army Medical Department Activity-Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield celebrates National Medical Laboratory Professional Week April 18-24 and salutes our lab staff who play an important role in healthcare.
Specialist Jose Robinson, a native of Augusta, Georgia, said he became a medical laboratory technician because the opportunities it offered him.
“It is a wonderful job with a lot of different disciplines” Robinson said, adding it encompasses specialty areas, such as chemistry, hematology, microbiology, research and more.
He said the training for the position was excellent and helped prepare him with valuable experience for the job and follow-on careers. Skills in the hospital laboratory translates well to other positions in the civilian sector. For him, Robinson hopes to pursue forensic science.
Although he enjoys the work, there can be challenges.
“Last year was definitely a struggle,” Robinson said, alluding to the coronavirus. “Especially as far as testing for infectious diseases go.”
He said the lab stepped up to the mission, adapting and expanding their capabilities.
Part of the solution was upgrading equipment.
“We got the GeneXpert polymerase chain reaction analyzer and it helped us process a lot more tests, and get a lot more results - a lot faster,” Robinson said.
He said another factor was staying positive and productive – something he did with the support of his co-workers.
He said the teamwork in the lab is amazing.
Robinson stated, “You could see everybody was going through the same struggle—the same fight. It helped us realize we're all in this together, we're going to get through this together.”
Terry James, a civilian medical technologist at Winn ACH, came on board during that time. She helped fight COVID-19 while continuing traditional laboratory services too.
“People still have heart attacks and they're still having kidney problems and they're still having babies,” James said. “Lab services touches all of those things.”
She said lab work goes a long way to helping healthcare professionals make their diagnosis. She said it feels good to be part of the bigger team and help make a difference.
“Even though I don't have direct patient contact—every sample I get is a patient,” James said. “I keep that in mind all the time. Even when it's four o'clock and I'm ready to go home…The last patient is just as important as the first patient of the day.”
| Date Taken: | 04.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.20.2021 14:58 |
| Story ID: | 394277 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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