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Show Laboratory Helping Doctors Diagnose The Problem little bit of blood can go a long at least in the laboratory at Sevier Valley Hospital. A Hospital from owning all of the newest equipment, but the courier service provides the best of both worlds capability and cost savings, Anderson said. way A blood sample or other body fluid sample goes through a lot before a patient's diagnosis is finally made. For instance, blood can tell a doctor many things about a patient, depending on what test is performed. Sometimes just looking at blood cells can provide a doctor with the proper diagnosis. Sometimes a test is needed more quickly than the courier service can get it back to Richfield. In those cases one of the highly trained technologists in the Sevier Valley Hospital lab performs the necessary steps to complete the test and provide the information to the physician. So, depending on what the doctor calls the for, laboratory technologists can perform a number of different tests. Training The profession takes technology medical specialized training that can come in a number of different ways. Sometimes the necessary information can be obtained simply by looking at the body fluid under magnifies tioa At 150 times normal size a technologist or doctor can tell a lot about blood, but often times it requires more magnification. At 600 times normal size the structure of the blood cell itself can be observed. But, there are times when even 600 times isnt enough. the So, the technolgist might crank 1,500 microscope up to full power times the normal size. If that still isnt enough, the technologist will place a drop of oil on top of the dried blood sample. That doubles the magnification, allowing a maximum of 3,000 times normal size. Volkhart has been a laboratory technician for 20 years and has been at Sevier Valley Hospital for six years. She received her degree in Medical Techology in Michigan. Christensen has a bachelor of science degree in botany and is a graduate of a special medical technology Fact Finders But, taking a body fluid sample for observation is just where the work of Sevier Valley Hospital laboratory technologists begins. They also gather facts in microbiology, serology, urinology, hemotology, chemistry and drug analysis. Anderson refers to himself and the three other technicians who work with him, Karen Volkart, Madeline Christensen and John Gledhill, as What that means, generalists. explains Anderson, is that they are capable of doing just about anything that the doctor orders. In all the technicians are capable of doing over 100 different tests. We are fact finders, explains The Anderson. laboratory technologist finds the facts of the case and turns them over to the doctor for analysis and diagnosis. Its a challenging and demanding task, since the doctors diagnosis is no better from the facts he has to work with, Anderson said. Technology Some of the equipment used in the laboratory is very sophisticated technology has invaded the medical laboratory as much as anywhere in our society. school. Gledhill has also been at Sevier Valley Hospital for several years. He received his training while in the Air Force. Why is it necessary to go to all that bother, just to look at a blood cell? Many health problems are related to blood cells, explains Terry An- head derson, laboratory technologist at Sevier Valley Hospital. The structure of a single cell can provide valuable information for a doctor to make a diagnosis and plan treatment, he said. of Regulation Direct Observation For instance, if a doctor ordered a blood count a few years ago, the technologist would take the blood sample, place it in a machine that spins it around very fast, then visually count the individual blood cells through use of a microscope. Today, the technologist on duty simply pours the blood into a machine, turns it on and, viola, a few moments later the blood cells are counted and the numbers listed on an LED readout. A printed summary of the findings of the test follows a few moments later. Much Change For Anderson the workings of the laboratory is an entirely different place than what it was when he began at Sevier Valley Hospital 21 years ago after receiving his at Brigham Young training Utah and Valley University Hospital. For many years Anderson was alone in the lab, doing everything that needed to be done, whenever it needed to be done. Many of the proceedures that now take a few minutes took him hours to complete. At that time there were many things that he couldnt do for lack of equipment. Times changed as technology changed. The technologists receive constant training. With the addition of a few pieces of equipment, they began to do most of the laboratory work in this area. Now, times have changed again. the laboratory Even though technologists at Sevier Valley Hospital are capable of doing 95 percent of the tests that are ordered by doctors, many tests are now sent to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. Courier Service A courier service, operated by Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, runs between Richfield and Provo twice a day. Because of intricate equipment that has recently been introduced, Anderson explains, it is possible to do a test at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for 50 cents that might cost $15 in Richfield. The initial cost of the equipment precludes Sevier Valley Medical laboratories are among the most highly regulated industries. It is one of the few places a person must constantly prove his capabilities, Anderson said. However, Anderson doesnt mind that. He recognizes the importance of technologists doing their work properly. One mistake can have very serious consequences for a patient. So, every few weeks each of the technologists gets a test in the mail from the state regulating agency or from the College of American Pathologists. They are required to do the test and return the results. The results are analyzed to assure that each technologist is competent. Blood Bank Besides all of these functions, the laboratory also contains the blood bank. Tbe blood bank is usually stocked with about 20 units of most common blood types. Randy Rogers, M.D. Dr. Rogers came to Utah from the midwest states. He completed his both with training bachelor's and master's degrees at Brigham Young University. He attended medical school at the University of South Dakota and an internship at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He completed a family practice residency program at Sioux Falls. Dr. Rogers has been affiliated with the hospital since June, 1983. pre-me- d William D. Ashworth, M.D. Dr. Ashworth was raised in Salt Lake Valley with ties to the Richfield area through his mothers family. He graduated from the University of Utah, completed his school medical at training Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He completed a residency in interal medicine at the University of Michigan Hospital. Dr. Ashworth came to Richfield in August, 1985. Lloyd G. Higgins, M.D. d Dr. Higgins completed his training at Brigham Young University and attended medical school at the Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, New York; then completed several residency Childrens including programs Hospital of East Bay in Oakland, California in pediatrics; Dee Memorial Hospital in Ogden in obstetrics and gynecology; and the Stanford University in Palo Alto, California in radiology. Dr. Higgins has been affiliated with Sevier Valley Hospital since 1980. pre-me- Not only is the high degree of for initial training necessary competence in the laboratory, a technologist is constantly being tested to see that he stays on techniques and expertise. Laboratory technologist Madeline Christensen uses a very high powered microscope to view blood cells. A blood cell magnified thousands of times can provide a doctor with valuable information. said. Even though an emergency only occurs about once a year, it is a rare moment when plenty of blood cant be obtained in a matter of a few minutes, he added. The the blood technologists cross-matc- h type and makes sure it is appropriate for the recipient. It is impossible to stock some of the more rare blood types. In those instances a donor list is kept for ready reference. People in this area are great to volunteer their blood in an emergency, Anderson Robert E. Potts, M.D. d Dr. Potts completed his education at Harvard University and the University of Louisville. He then attended the University of Louisville School of Medicine and an internship at Sisters of Mary and Elizabeth Hospital in Louisville. He has also completed general practice residency at Riverside General Hospital in Riverside, California. Dr. Potts has been affiliated with Sevier Valley Hospital since January, 1985. pre-me- James R. Jaussi, M.D. Dr. Jaussi was raised in the Bear Lake, Idaho area. He obtained his d education at Utah State University and completed medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago. He them completed a internship at LDS Hospital. He completed his training in obstetrics and gynecology in a residency at Harbor General program Hospital in Torrence, California. Dr. Jaussi has been in the Richfield area since July, 1985. pre-me- Page 3 |