Two Medical Laboratory Science Upward Mobility Program students supplemented their curriculum with sample processing from suspected COVID-19 patients.
Michelle Holzbauer
Both are hospital lab techs: Michelle Holzbauer at Platte Health Center and Bobbi Gilkerson at Avera St. Mary’s in Pierre.
Gilkerson had seen literally hundreds of samples come through the lab by mid-April, about a month after the disease appeared in South Dakota. However, “Our negatives are very good right now,†she said. Hughes County has seen only five positives with two in neighboring Lyman County. Only one person needed to be hospitalized as a result.
Staff has spent time preparing for the expected peak by participating in trainings. For the most part, St. Mary’s is a quiet place. There are no elective surgeries, a blood and lipid check program has been suspended and drug screenings for employers is down. Consequently, staff has been encouraged to take paid time off when not training, Gilkerson said.
St. Mary’s role in sample collection is fairly simple. A nurse takes the swab. The lab puts a bar code on the sample container, enters the information into the computer and sends the sample to Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls.
Both Holzbauer and Gilkerson hope that gaining a bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science will make them a candidate for management in their field. Gilkerson notes that Avera is helping to foot the cost. She will wrap up the two-year program after fall semester. Gilkerson will complete her schooling in August.
