This is a past event.

Claire Danielson

Biological Sciences Master Student
Co-advisors: Karyn Fay and John Durocher

Presentation Title: Cost Analysis and Job Description for the Implementation of a Night Shift Medical Technologist at Baraga County Memorial Hospital

Abstract: Rural healthcare faces many unique challenges such as workforce shortages, transportation, and health literacy. One challenge specific to Baraga County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) is staffing a night shift medical technologist. Currently, there is not a night shift medical technologist employed at BCMH. The hospital is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and requires the services of a medical technologist in order to provide medical services during these hours. The lack of nighttime coverage causes each day and evening shift employees to be on-call several times per month. It also increases turnaround time for patient results in the emergency room. This impedes patient care, as medical providers are waiting longer for laboratory results.

         Implementation of a night shift employee would decrease the number of on-call shifts for day and evening shift employees as well as increase the number of available working hours. This increase would ease the burden of required daily tasks by redistributing them to include night shift hours and allow for further growth in the services offered by the laboratory.  

        The goal of this study is to determine the cost-benefit analysis for the creation of a night shift medical technologist position, as well as develop a clear job description for implementation at BCMH. The aim of this project is to increase employee satisfaction, increase laboratory turnaround times, laboratory test catalog, laboratory profit, and reduce employee turnover in the laboratory.