Clinical lab workers serve with precision

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brigitte N. Brantley-Sisk
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Personnel from the 23rd Medical Group clinical laboratory scored the highest possible rating of "outstanding " during a recent major inspection.

During the two-day inspection conducted by the College of American Pathologists, the laboratory technicians successfully answered approximately 2,000 questions about their job.

"The CAP inspection is a big deal because it verifies that we are providing high-quality patient care," said 1st Lt. Ryan Garrison, 23rd MDG clinical lab flight commander. "It can be compared to the Internal Revenue Service doing an audit because it reviews nearly every aspect of our operations."

To ensure the workers are maintaining high standards, the laboratory was inspected for quality control, test validation and proper documentation, as well as making sure their personnel are properly trained.

"The inspection was pretty stressful because they reviewed all of our operating instructions," said Senior Airman Maria Exiga, 23rd MDG clinical lab technician. "We have various sections including urinalysis, hematology, microbiology and serology."

Not only were the different sections inspected, the eight-man team was graded on how well they worked together.

"When it comes down to the bottom line, it is always important to function smoothly as a team," said Lieutenant Garrison. "The CAP inspection also tested our ability to overcome an issue once we come across it and the Airmen were phenomenal at showing their problem-solving abilities."

The clinical laboratory still dealt with a high volume of customers despite being inspected.

"The number of people we see varies day to day but we always seem to stay busy," said Staff Sgt. Iesha Stanley, another one of the lab's technicians. "Although we usually serve at least 30 patients a day, that number can sometimes jump to as high as 80."

Although the customer base is hard to number exactly, Moody has approximately 5,500 active duty personnel and an additional 5,000 family members. Including the amount of retirees and beneficiaries, the total number nears 20,000.