After only three weeks on the job in the Blessing lab, Class of 2025 Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences Medical Laboratory Technology graduate Katie Graham was making a difference for Blessing patients.
Katie saw something unusual in a patient’s white blood cell while performing a test. What she found was Ehrlichia bacterium - transmitted by a tick bite - which causes the illness Ehrlichiosis. It can cause a range of symptoms, from mild flu-like feelings to severe illness, and can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.
Katie brought her discovery to the attention of the Laboratory Medical Director/ Pathologist, who diagnosed Ehrlichiosis and notified the treating provider. Confirmatory testing was performed at a reference laboratory.
“Not only is this bacterial infection infrequent in our area, it is quite uncommon for it to be initially diagnosed from analysis of a peripheral blood smear,” stated Dr. Tracy Murphy, Medical Director/ Pathologist. “Careful analysis by Katie led to speedy treatment with the correct antibiotics for this infection.”
“Ehrlichia is something I thought I would only see in books for school or in picture examples, but I saw it in my third week of being a lab tech,” Katie said. “I realize every day how important lab work is and the difference our findings can make for the outcome of patient care.”
In addition to her natural-born intelligence and skill, Katie credits her Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing and Health Sciences education for preparing her to be an exceptional lab tech.
“Because of the way we did clinicals, I felt prepared for the job and work environment I was entering. I had instructors and mentors at the school and at the hospital who encouraged me to be the best I can be,” Katie concluded.
For more information on the Blessing-Rieman MLT program go to brcn.edu.
In the photo, Katie Graham, MLT, displays an image from the CDC of a human monocyte – a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in the immune system. It is magnified 100 times and the Ehrlichia bacterium appears as a blue dot in the photo. This is the same bacteria Katie found when running a test on a patient’s blood.