Providence Care lab technician Megan Ratz is a part of a small but mighty, all women, lab team that aides in the diagnosis and care of patients and clients at Providence Care.
For the last six years, Megan has dedicated herself to the important, behind-the-scenes work of collecting and packaging blood and specimens from Providence Care Hospital, Providence Transitional Care Centre and Community Services to laboratories with partners of Providence Care, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington Public Health and Dynacare Laboratories for testing and examination.
Megan attended St. Lawrence College where she took Pre-Health Sciences to help her decided which route she wanted to take within the realm of health care. The program quickly helped her realize the lab was where she belonged.
“I like the lab world,” explains Megan. “I did my student placement at Providence Care and I realized I really liked being with the patients rather than just in a testing lab like I thought I wanted. The patients are so great here and we have such a good team in the lab, I decided I really like being patient facing more.”
When you’re the one greeting patients every morning with blood work needles, Megan explains that it’s important to build a relationship with patients, have conversations to ease their nerves and not be afraid to crack a joke here and there.
“The patients and clients get pretty used to us quickly because we’re a small team, so they start to recognize us which makes it easier to build a relationship. Kindness and compassion go a long way and some people require monthly bloodwork so we’re really able to build a good relationship.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 per cent of all medical decisions depend on lab results. Lab technicians like Megan have an important role that often gets overlooked but directly impacts the quality of patient and client care.
“We work a lot with the physicians and nurses,” says Megan. “You don’t really think about the lab when you think of being in a hospital, but lab technicians work hard and are there to help get the proper diagnosis with all the lab tests.”
Manager of Clinical Support Services, Sonya Kelso agrees, emphasizing that Providence Care’s lab technicians like Megan, are integral members of the interdisciplinary approach to individualized care.
“In the sub-acute setting here at Providence Care, our lab team is included as part of the interdisciplinary team and are very valued by the physicians and the nurses on the floor. The lab team provides lots of support and expertise and has a level of interaction with the patients and clients that you might not get at an acute-care facility. Our lab team is always willing to jump in whenever they can and we are grateful for their attention to detail and hard work,” says Sonya.
During this Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, we’re shining a spotlight on the amazing lab technicians just like Megan at Providence Care, who always wear pink on Fridays! Thank you for your hard work, commitment and dedication to the people in your care!
Looking to join our dynamic team at Providence Care? Review our job openings today and start your career! Providence Care External Career Page jobs .
