Graduate Spotlights
Walter
In 2010, Walter joined a new cohort of Project SEARCH interns at Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin. Throughout his internship, Walter worked primarily with the Histology and Pathology teams within Seton Medical Center Austin’s Clinical Lab. His primary responsibility was to file tissue slides examined by physicians, which aid in diagnosing various diseases. In March 2011, while filing slides, Walter came across one slide that was filed wrong. He notified the team and filed it again in the correct place.
“It was a great save,” said La Shawn Barnett, histology lead technician. “If Walter had not made the catch it could have led to a misdiagnosis.”
Walter is no stranger to making great catches. He possesses an incredible eye for detail and recalls the identification numbers he sees. In another good catch, he recognized identical numbers on different patients’ tissues.
The lab uses a system to log every case number and patient specimen from surgery. With that and help from multiple patient identifiers, including the patient’s name, Walter and the team reconciled which patient specimen was mislabeled and corrected it.
After graduating from Project SEARCH, Walter was offered a full time position with the Clinical Lab at Seton Medical Center Austin. Daily, he is responsible for reconciling and filing tissue blocks and slides for long term storage. In addition, he serves as the department’s main surgical specimen transporter.
Stacy
During her 2017 Project SEARCH internship at Ascension Seton Northwest, Stacy spent her first rotation with the Mother/Baby unit. She provided support to the nurses and care teams, assisting with duties to allow them more time attending to the needs of patients. Her primary responsibilities were preparing cribs, setting up rooms for arriving families, and stocking vital supplies throughout the unit.
While interning in Mother/Baby, Stacy noticed a great need for the nurses to take uninterrupted breaks so she offered to take on extra responsibilities like answering calls and supporting families with questions so the team could truly have time for themselves. Because of Stacy’s ongoing desire to learn new skills, her thoughtfulness and teamwork approach, the nurses advocated to make her an official part of the unit. Shortly upon completion of her internship rotation, a job opening became available, and Stacy applied. In January 2018, she was hired as a full time Patient Care Tech with Mother/Baby.
Stacy continues to serve as an asset to her team, and as of July 2023, she is now a Certified Patient Care Technician. This certification has allowed her more opportunities to work directly with the newborns, including taking vitals and bathing. Stacy is currently looking into becoming a Surgical Technologist and when asked about her pathway into healthcare, Stacy says, “I would not be where I am today without the support and guidance of Project SEARCH.”