It's My Job: A piece of the puzzle

Stephanie Kjervestad plays a key role in diagnosing cancer cases. But she is invisible to the patient.

Kjervestad is a medical technician whose specialty is flow cytometry –

a technique for examining cells that involves suspending them in a stream of fluid and passing them through an electronic detector.

“Sometimes it’s just a little speck of tissue,” she says. “Other times we get like a lymph node, maybe a dime-sized piece of tissue.”

Her reports are sent to a physician, a pathologist, for final interpretation and diagnosis.

She spends much of her time at a device in the medical technology lab at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.

During her internship in St. Paul, she volunteered when an opening came up to operate a flow cytometry machine. She continued for three years before coming to Sanford Health in Fargo and now has more than 12 years of lab experience.

To the uninitiated, the patterns the device generates look like undistinguishable ink patterns.

What drew you to this field?

I always liked science. I originally wanted to go into physical therapy. When I didn’t go into that program, I said, “What else can I do with all the (health science) classes I’ve taken?”

What does it take to succeed in your job?

You have to be very organized. You have to be very focused on details. You have to have a strong background in science. A good team work ethic.

Do cancer cells have a “fingerprint”?

They do. There’s different markers for cancer cells. That’s what we’re trying to detect – if there’s normal or abnormal cells. For example, everybody’s heard of leukemia. We help to tell what type of leukemia it actually is, which helps the oncologist treat that patient.

What’s it like not actually meeting the patients you assist?

You become very familiar with their names and what their diagnosis is. Unfortunately, if you see the name in the obituaries, you feel kind of defeated.

What kind of education is required for your field?

I have a bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science. In North Dakota, you do need to have a license to have this job. You have to pass a registry exam. You have to pass a certification test and renew it every two years.

Are there common public misperceptions about your field?

I think a lot of people don’t realize what it takes to get a lab test result. Even physicians – they just send a sample and the result appears just like magic. We’re just a piece of the puzzle. We’re kind of the quickest piece because we can get our results within the day.

What do you enjoy most about the job?

It’s always interesting. I hate to say this, but it’s the abnormal stuff that gets us excited. Generally we learn something new every day.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Patrick Springer at (701) 241-5522

To submit an idea for “It’s My Job,” e-mail businessnews@forumcomm.com.

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