Laboratory staff working long hours at Penn State’s Department of Pathology are proud of how they’ve adapted to making do with short supplies and heightened demand during the covid-19 pandemic, reports Penn State Health

“Medical technologists are extremely skilled,” said Dr. Melissa George, interim chair of the Department of Pathology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. “They’re here 24/7 – they even snowshoe to work if they have to. That’s how dedicated they are.”

The past 10 months have had a tremendous impact on testing volumes, duties and staffing levels, often leaving lab employees feeling drained and energized at the same moment.

In mid-March 2020, the Department of Pathology issued a call for help with COVID-19 testing to all its staff. Within 12 hours, more than 40 people had stepped up.

“I told my family, get used to not seeing me because I’ll be at work,” said Angie Spohn, senior technical specialist, who validated and wrote operating procedures and trained staff on the instruments for COVID-19 testing. “We’ve trained 20 extra people in a very short time. We all pulled together as a team, and I couldn’t be prouder of us.”

Read more at Penn State Health