This week we also share Amber Martin’s story with you. She is a Lead Medical Technologist at Quincy Medical Group, a career path that wasn’t exactly planned.
“I stumbled into this career field by accident. Years ago, I was studying to go into forensic science, and I needed some laboratory experience,” she shared. “I started working in phlebotomy at a hospital and learned about medical laboratory science. I found it interesting and vital to patient care and I enjoyed the fact that every day was different.”
Fueled by this intrigue, Martin pursued a medical laboratory program and developed a strong interest in microbiology – a department she now leads at QMG.
“I absolutely love microbiology because we use microscopy, biochemical and technical methods to identify the organism causing a patient’s infection and find the appropriate antibiotics to treat them,” she said.
For aspiring lab professionals, Marting offers valuable advice: “Take time to find your niche within the laboratory science field.”
“We are trained in multiple departments within the lab: chemistry, hematology/oncology, coagulation, urinalysis, serology, special chemistry, microbiology, and blood bank (when working at hospitals). There are a variety of career routes within the field and beyond where lab experience is essential: phlebotomy, lab assistants, generalists (float between departments), laboratory information system analysts, technical support specialists, department leads, lab management, public health, quality assurance, forensic science, pathology, etc.,” she added.
Beyond the technical aspects, Amber cherishes the colleagues she is side-by-side with here at QMG.
“I work with a wonderful group of people. They are all so dedicated, passionate, fun and willing to do whatever it takes to help each other out,” she shared.
Many of their moments are behind the scenes in the laboratory and are unseen by most, she said. However, a personal experience for her is recently completing a project for updating the antimicrobial breakpoints in Microbiology to current standards.
She stated, “It was a big undertaking and I learned so much from the project, but it will positively affect patient care for the treatment of infections as we tackle the issue of antimicrobial resistance now and in the future.