On ThE JOb
What Employers Want
A NURTURING SPIRIT
sandra shuya, interim director of nursing at el paso
community college, says her field “is not for the faint of
heart. I look for people who have a nurturing attitude,”
she says. “They must be caring and giving.”
“Because all of our patients are cancer patients,”
says ean rankin, chief executive officer (ceo) of
austin cancer centers, “it takes people with great
compassion and courage to deal with the problems
The Healing
our patients face.”
PATIENCE
Touch
“To work in science, one does have to be patient,” says
Janet engelkirk, chair of the biotechnology department
at the Texas Bioscience Institute at Temple college.
Because healing takes time and effort, health Combine expertise, passion, and attention to detail to
service professionals must be able to persevere. It is
crucial, in both patient care and medical research, to
build a CAREER IN HEALTH SCIENCE.
be able to stick with a project or task until the goal
is reached.
LOVE OF SCIENCE
D
uncanville pharmacist James performing electrocardiograms (EKGs), as
R. Walters has a philosophy that is well as observing patients for any adverse
typical among those working in reactions,” she says.
“I look for someone who loves science,” engelkirk adds.
health science. It is important to balance the technical
scientific technology and knowledge are expanding
“I really enjoy my job,” he says. “I aspect of the treatment process with
and changing daily. new drugs are discovered, new
like people and I like being able to help empathy for the patients. After all, “I
techniques are perfected, and new equipment is
others, especially because I can make administer new chemotherapy drugs that
developed at an incredible pace.
such a difference in their choices and possibly will be the cure for certain cancers,”
most careers have some element of change, but
health outcomes.” she points out.
in health science, it is constant. “with all of the new
Beth Guthrie, an oncology nurse at
technology,” says shuya, “changes come quickly and
Cancer Therapy and Research Center in Effective Communication
you must enjoy learning.”
San Antonio, agrees. Although Guthrie knows communication
“To work in oncology research, a nurse with patients is important, she also realizes
BASIC kNOWLEDGE
should have experience in conventional connections are established in various ways.
science education builds on itself, and, if a
chemotherapy, peripheral IVs, central lines, “In our treatment room, we laugh and joke
person’s science knowledge is weak, it is
lab values, communication skills, and, with our patients and they love it,” she says.
impossible for that person to be successful as a
most importantly, a compassionate heart,” “They are dealing with a terrible disease,
health science professional.
she says. and laughter is good medicine for both the
renee Tonquest, curriculum specialist at the
Guthrie’s compassion is one of the patients and the staff.”
university of north Texas, points out that a sound
valuable parts of her character which Marc Bateman, a clinical engineer at
future in health science starts early: “It is critical
enables her to overcome the challenges Methodist Hospital in Houston, agrees that
for students to have a strong background in math
presented by working with patients who good interpersonal skills are important
and science if they want to succeed in a career in
are fighting for their lives. in health science. “People in clinical
health care.”
“I am collecting engineering must have good interpersonal
numerous blood skills,” he says. “They will deal with many
INTEGRITY
samples, monitoring different types of people in stressful
Because people’s lives are at stake, health
vital signs, and situations. For example, doctors and nurses
science is a demanding field, engelkirk says.
professionals in this field must be “very detail
more THan
oriented, organized, methodical, observant, and
have a high level of integrity.”
950 HearT TransplanTs
Have Been performed aT one of HousTon’s
largesT TransplanT cenTers.
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