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Stamps Health Services | Posted: November 14, 2017
Summary Sentence:
Get to know the person behind the microscope and what goes into providing your medical lab results.
Full Summary:
Helen Ukoh has been the clinical lab manager at Georgia Tech for the past four years. Get to know the person behind the microscope and what goes into providing your medical lab results.
Helen Ukoh Where did you attend school?
I got my Bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology from Georgia State University and my MBA from the University of Phoenix
How long have you been a staff member at Georgia Tech?
4 years this November
Why did you decide to pursue a career in healthcare?
Growing up in Nigeria my parents made it very clear what career paths they wanted us to follow – law, engineering, or medicine – which was a common practice in my culture. I hated law, engineering seemed too abstract at the time, therefore, medicine became my default option. I came to the U.S. to go to medical school only to face a shocking reality that I couldn’t afford it, so I settled for the medical technology program instead.
What do you love most about your job?
For over 15 years I had the opportunity to work for big hospitals and diagnostic institutions with high tech equipment and high complexity testing. I loved it, but labs in big hospitals tend to be very compartmentalized with little interdisciplinary interactions. I have grown to love and enjoy my regular interactions with the nurses, medical assistants, providers, pharmacy, business professionals, and patients. This cross-functional interaction, in my opinion, has a positive impact on patient care.
How have you seen Stamps Health Services (SHS) evolve throughout your time here?
The laboratory test volume has significantly increased over the years. In addition, we routinely expand our test menu options to include specialty testing in an effort to meet the needs of our increasing and diverse student population.
What have you learned from the people you work with at SHS?
Transitioning from in-patient to out-patient environment with completely different demographics needed some mental adjustment on my part, and my co-workers really helped me in that process. By observing them, I learned how to interact and communicate better with the students.
What does your day to day look like?
In addition to processing patients and performing lab testing, my daily routine is primarily focused on quality assurance management, reviewing patient’s results, quality controls and processes. In lab language, we call it the 3 “Rs” – making sure we provide the right result to the right person at the right time! This means removing any obstacles that would prevent personnel from doing their job efficiently and effectively.
What do you like to do when you are not at SHS?
I love mentoring young kids so I’m involved in outreach programs from time to time. I don’t know how to dance but I love dancing in my living room just to avoid going out to exercise.
