For Noel Bruns, Medical Lab Technician at Quincy Medical Group, her desire to help others led her to a career in healthcare and laboratory science.
“For as long as I can remember, I have always had a compassionate and giving heart. I always knew that I would end up in a career where I would be helping people. So, what better career than in the healthcare field?” she shared.
This led Bruns to become a Certified Medical Assistant, working in a laboratory for a decade. Here, she honed her skills in phlebotomy and CLIA-waived testing, finding joy in easing patient anxieties during blood draws.
However, her ambition to provide a greater impact on patient care led her to pursue a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) qualification. Transitioning from blood collection to sample analysis, she now plays a critical role in assisting our providers with diagnoses and treatment plans.
For aspiring laboratory professionals, Bruns emphasizes the value of job shadowing.
“There are so many moving parts to a laboratory, and it is really hard to put into words what all we really do. You also have to be really good at multitasking,” she said. “If you are really good at multitasking and you love to be busy all the time, you should definitely consider a career in Laboratory Science.”
What truly excites Bruns is the variety the career brings.
“You are in a different department every day, either hematology, chemistry, microbiology, or urinalysis. This allows us to keep up on our skills/competencies,” she said. “I also enjoy the fellowship among my coworkers. We are always supporting each other and helping where it is needed. The laboratory is basically my second family.”
Sharing a poignant experience, Bruns recounts her time as a phlebotomist, where she formed a special bond with an elderly patient who visited weekly for monitoring.
“He was like a grandfather to me. One day I received a call from his family at work and was told that he could pass away at any time. They said that they knew he would love to see me one more time,” she shared. “I went and saw him and a few hours later I got the call that he had passed. I will never forget this moment in my entire life. This moment showed me that even if you are just drawing someone’s blood, you can have a forever impact on someone’s life.”