Andrea McDaniel, lab assistant and specimen processor at Parkview Regional Medical Center, has been with the organization for nine years. Her career began as a patient care technician at Parkview Bridgeways, a specialty mental health unit for geriatric patients located within Parkview Hospital Randallia. But her passion for science eventually led her to the lab, where she has been working since 2020.
"I really liked being involved in patient care, but I wanted to do something more science-related. I have a background in biology, and this job allows me to be involved in patient care without being directly involved in it. I'm the first person that your specimen comes to once you have a specimen collected."
Andrea's previous experience in biology, coupled with the department's immersive training curriculum, made for an uncomplicated transition. "We do media labs and CBLs to teach us the important parts, but a lot of it is repetitive and hands-on. You really learn on the job here."
What Andrea enjoys most about her work is the variety. Each day brings a new type of specimen and a chance to collaborate with her co-workers on the next steps. "Even throughout the day, the volume goes up and down, so it keeps you on your toes," she said.
Parkview Pride
Andrea takes pride in being part of a crew whose work is critical to patient outcomes, even though it is mainly behind the scenes. "We do important things here. Without the lab, patients don't get a diagnosis. I love being involved in the care team and making sure that we're helping our patients and getting them the best results we can."
To someone interested in exploring similar roles in this field, Andrea encourages them to take the leap! "We have a really great team and community here in the lab. It takes all of us working together to get the job done."
Join the team
We would love to speak with you about the many career opportunities available at Parkview Health. You can apply for one of our openings online, text "Parkview" to 97211 to speak to a recruiter or email jobs@parkview.com.
