ASCLS - Idaho Focus

First, I would like to say THANK YOU to the members of ASCLS-Idaho for honoring me as this year’s Member of the Year. This award means the world to me and is something I will always cherish. I really feel that the award belongs to not just me but to all of you who have mentored me, worked with me, and helped me achieve this goal. I have been asked to give a brief bio, so here goes….

I originally hail from Montana, growing up in Billings. I had a wonderful 9th grade Biology teacher who recognized my leanings towards the sciences and suggested I look in to Medical Technology as a career option. We did a lab experiment on blood grouping and I was so excited, I immediately knew this was the career for me. From that time on, Medical Technology was my goal. I attended Whitworth College in Spokane Washington with a career track of Medical Technology. Due to the small size of the school, I ended up joining the USAF and obtaining my 12-month internship at the worldwide Air Force medical center, Wilford Hall, in San Antonio, Texas. That was a fascinating place to intern; the parasitology department was one entire outbuilding devoted solely to parasites. The rooms were lined with stool samples. One of the favorite “sports” in the parasit section was hatching schistosome eggs and watching them go – the Indy 500 of the flukes!

In 1976 I was transferred to Mountain Home AFB bringing me to beautiful Idaho. I finished my tour of duty in 1979 in Mountain Home and 2 weeks later began work at St. Luke’s in Boise where I have been ever since. I worked as a generalist on evening shift until 1981 when I took on Education Coordinator for our School of Medical Technology. When the school closed in 1986, I moved into the core Hematology position. In 1993, we brought Flow Cytometry into Hematology. Mary Carver (ASCLS-Idaho Treasurer) and I worked many long hours together to develop our Flow Cytometry area. My favorite story from that time happened when we were both tired and frustrated and had been writing numerous procedures, which we always gave to each other for proofreading prior to typing. Mary handed me her latest procedure and when I got to the reference section, she had written, “There are none, I made the whole thing up!” We are now on our 3rd generation flow cytometer and the procedures still work. My latest step in my career at St. Luke’s has been Hematology/Coag/Flow supervisor since 2000. As St. Luke’s continues to expand and move ahead with technology, this is a very exciting time.

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