June 10, 2014
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photo by Brandon Steinert
Barton Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) student Jonna Anspaugh of Heizer received the Outstanding Student Award from the Kansas Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (KSCLS) in April. The award was presented to her at the MLT pinning on commencement day on May 16.
Anspaugh was one of five recipients of the award. The students were nominated by their program directors and the nominations were based on the following guideline: “This student should represent the qualities that you and your faculty consider most important for success in the medical laboratory profession.”
Barton MLT Program Coordinator Cheryl Lippert nominated Anspaugh due to her academic performance and her quality production as a student worker for the department.
“Jonna is conscientious, kind and gets the job done,” Lippert said. “She plans and executes. When there is a glitch in classwork, she is the first to ask questions, offer suggestions and discuss ideas and plans. I would recruit her in several years as an instructor after she has bench experience under her belt. Our department feels Jonna will be a very responsible, pleasant lab employee and supervisor.”
As the winner of the award, Anspaugh received her first year of membership in the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS) and the KSCLS if she works and resides in Kansas.
Lippert said the free membership is very valuable as a prize.
“By offering this membership, the professional organization hopes to encourage student participation on a local and state level and to offer mentoring in the profession, networking and employment opportunities,” she said.
Anspaugh is working on her clinical practicums so she can finish her MLT degree and become eligible to sit for the certification exam. She will then look for a career as an MLT and said she enjoyed her experience in the Barton MLT program.
“I had a great experience in the MLT program at Barton,” she said. “I really enjoyed the flexibility of the program having online classes and on-campus labs. It was nice having smaller class sizes so I had more one-on-one time with the instructors. Completing this program was definitely difficult and challenging at times, but it feels great knowing I accomplished my goal and will be able to start a rewarding career as a Medical Laboratory Technician.”
For more information, contact Medical Laboratory Technician Program Coordinator Cheryl Lippert at lippertc@bartonccc.edu or (620) 786-1133.