“We provide the physicians with the tools they need to manage the patient,” explained Patti Johnson, manager of diagnostic services at La Verendrye hospital here.
But the impact these medical applications have on the lives of patients go far beyond that–and Johnson is more than eager to share those little known facts.
“[Diagnostics is] often thought of as ‘behind the scenes’ [and] we’re known mostly as the person that inflicts pain,” she smiled, citing the lab technologists who come around to collect blood samples from patients.
Diagnostic services includes diagnostic imaging (general X-rays, ultrasounds, and mammography) and the hospital laboratory, where blood chemistry, hematology, a blood bank, and microbiology services also lay the groundwork for patient health.
Anemia, blood compatibility testing, blood infections, prenatal testing, the identification of organisms that cause disease, and testing of antibiotics against those organisms are among the lab’s most important duties.
Both areas are fascinating worlds to work in, said Johnson.
“[Diagnostics] is a very interesting field and an exciting job,” she enthused. “You never feel like ‘Oh my God, what are we going to do today?’
“It’s certainly a ‘change’ environment,” she reasoned.
Johnson zeroed in on advancements in diagnostic automation which have improved time utilization and testing–critical factors when results are needed.
“Diagnostic ultrasound is a rapidly growing field and we are always using it for more things,” she said, citing liver, gall bladder, echocardiography, and breast ultrasound as leading advancements.
“Turnaround time has greatly improved, [too],” she said. “It’s five times faster than before.”
X-rays aren’t read here, though. They’re sent to a radiologist in Dundas, Ont. “That’s working out very well and there’s not a big difference in that turnaround time,” Johnson noted.
She also singled out hematology–the study of the physiology of the blood–as one of the most professionally stimulating areas of work in the lab.
“It’s where you actually use your expertise instead of a machine giving you the results,” she explained. “You are looking at blood cells to determine if those cells are normal or not normal.”
As with any health professional, Johnson said diagnostic services staff are committed to lifelong learning and have to show evidence of that by maintaining vigilance in educational upgrades.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
