It’s been a long, circuitous journey to her position as Clinical Laboratory Manager of a small community hospital in Astoria, OR. But , a native Texan, is well satisfied with both her career choice as well as her adopted state.
While her early interest in Biology and Chemistry initially inspired her to consider medical school, a class in Clinical Immunology piqued her interest in laboratory science. When she nearly failed an arduous medical school pre-requisite course in Biochemistry, she decided to make the switch to Medical Technology studies at the University of Houston. She finished the program in 1992 at the school’s campus in Corpus Christi (now Texas A&M University).
Upon earning her ASCP certification, Rhonda applied as a swing shift blood bank Medical Technologist at Sisters of the Providence Hospital, where she had done a clinical rotation during her training. “I realized I had a real passion for the problem-solving aspects of blood banking and Hematology from my rotations, so it was a logical career choice,” said Rhonda who describes the work as “very hands-on, as opposed to laboratory chemistry which can be much more automated.
“Immunohematology can be very intense, such as when blood has to be given to a patient immediately to save their life, and health care professionals are depending on you to make sure the donor blood has been properly cross-typed and is completely free of antibodies,” added Raney. “You also get involved with other types of blood analysis, such as pre-natal blood screening, and cord blood workups from newborns. As far as Hematology, it’s very interesting to be able to spot and diagnose blood disorders such as leukemia or parasites.”
Following the birth of her daughter, Rhonda needed day shift work, and took another immunohematology position at nearby Doctors Regional Medical Center. Then personal reasons took her to Astoria, OR in 1994. “I went from a hot, humid climate, to a cold and rainy one, but now I would never consider moving back,” said Rhonda. Unable to find work at local community hospitals, she accepted a position at a local physician’s clinic in Seaside, where she worked for five years. “I had the opportunity to expand the clinic’s laboratory, including installing an automated chemical analyzer, as well as prepare the lab for its first CLIA inspection,” said Raney. She also became licensed as a limited scope of practice in radiography in response to the clinic’s need.
When she was later laid off from the doctor’s clinic, she landed a job as a relief Medical Technologist at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, while also managing a fitness club to help finance the purchase of a new house. In 2002, she was hired as the lead Medical Technologist at nearby Ocean Beach Hospital, enabling her to quit both her other jobs. But two years later, Columbia beckoned once more, when the Laboratory Manager called Rhonda and urged her to apply for the position that she was leaving. “I told her I didn’t know much about compliance rules, or managing budgets, but she really encouraged me to apply, anyway,” said Rhonda. “I wasn’t their first choice, but I got the job, and I remember being terrified.
“All of the sudden, I was accountable for all laboratory operational and administrative issues, regulatory compliance, and supervising 21 people,” she said. “But the woman who hired me was convinced I had the drive and the ability to do the job. And I have always wanted to climb the ladder in my profession, including learning how to build and lead a team and work together to accomplish goals.”
Rhonda has since the led the laboratory through several COLA inspections, one of which recently resulted in COLA’s “Laboratory Excellence Award” for achieving a perfect score. She credits the success of her department to her skilled, experienced team, many members of which have been with the hospital for years. Her philosophy of creating a sense of ownership among team members paid off during a recent COLA survey of the laboratory when Rhonda, who had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy and was frequently absent. “Everybody in the lab really stepped up for me and got us through the survey,” said Rhonda, adding that “if there is one thing I have learned, it’s that you have to empower your team and be willing to delegate responsibility.”
Rhonda currently is considering taking on new roles, such as consulting, teaching or lecturing. Meanwhile, she tries to encourage young people to look into laboratory medicine as a career, because it “opens doors to lots of things.”
“Part of the problem in recruiting young people to the profession is that the laboratory industry is not well known enough,” said Rhonda. “To this day, when I tell people I work at a hospital, they assume I am a nurse. They don’t realize that almost 80 percent of all treatment decisions are based on laboratory results.
“One thing I would love to start is some online distance learning courses at our hospital, so we can start to ‘grow’ our own technologists,” added Rhonda. “I think more hospitals will have to look at these kinds of training opportunities if we want to have enough laboratory professionals in the years ahead.”
Columbia Memorial Hospital has been a COLA client since 1999.
