We Are IH: Castlegar medical lab technologist a lifelong learner

Having always had a fascination with microbiology, Stephanie decided early on in life that she wanted to work in health care.

In 2015, Stephanie was involved in a quality improvement project that changed how orthopedic tissue samples were processed and handled in the microbiology lab at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital. Over a two-year period, the team was able to reduce the contamination rate significantly, which in turn reduces the potential of patients being on antibiotics unnecessarily.

In April 2021, Stephanie moved into a position as a regional lab quality coordinator. In this role, Stephanie’s tasks varied from day to day: writing and revising procedures; supporting staff with lab safety and biosafety education; and working on projects that help improve lab services or how the frontline staff perform their work.

As a lab quality coordinator, Stephanie also performs safety and biosafety audits, which involves travel to lab sites across Interior Health. “This is one of my favourite parts of the job, as I get to meet in person many of the frontline staff across the region.”

Stephanie believes a career in medical labs is unique because it combines scientific research and technology with health care.

“If you love science and technology, then medical lab technology is the career for you! We use complex and high-tech lab equipment to analyze patient samples for the purpose of diagnosing disease in patients or monitoring treatment of medical conditions.”

Stephanie has many favourite aspects about her role. “I find that once I’ve met medical lab technologists and assistants, they are more inclined to reach out to me via Microsoft Teams or email. They’ll ask questions, and they feel more comfortable providing suggestions for improvements.” Stephanie also values the autonomy to implement changes that have positive impacts on the daily work of the frontline staff, adding that “sometimes a simple change can make a world of difference!”

Her greatest motivation in the field of medical lab technology is knowing that MLTs play an integral part of the health-care team by providing behind-the-scenes patient care.  

Beyond her career, Stephanie enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities, especially living in the Kootenays, which she considers her own outdoor playground. You’ll find her out there snowboarding, snowshoeing, hiking, camping and paddle boarding. She’s also developed a love for gardening.

“It’s amazing being able to go out to my yard to pick fruits and vegetables, especially with the price of produce these days,” says Stephanie. Most recently, she’s been experimenting with a winter garden, which has had a mixture of success. “We ate garden carrots and beets all the way until December. Eating garden carrots with Christmas dinner was pretty special! Unfortunately, the Brussels sprouts didn’t fair very well – I only got a handful of small, marble-sized sprouts!”

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