Raedean Hiebert, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS-Minnesota 2018-19 President
One of the most interesting things about being a member of ASCLS is the people you meet and the stories they tell of their journeys in the profession. Each one of us has a unique story and yet at the same time our stories have a lot in common. My name is Raedean Hiebert, and I served as president of ASCLS-Minnesota for 2018-19. I am married and have three beautiful kids. It truly is an honor to have the opportunity to serve my profession in this capacity.
I graduated from Bemidji State University in 1996 and my first job was at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I worked the evening shift. An opportunity to move into an advanced position landed me at six pediatric clinics as their lab consultant. I really thrived in this independent environment and quickly realized management was my next career step, so I changed jobs again and went to work at a very busy family practice in Edina, Minnesota, as the lab director.
These last 19 years brought me to the reference laboratory environment in a sales role. I have found this role to be immensely challenging at times, but always rewarding. My current role is all about providing solutions for my customer base and their patients, helping to provide quality laboratory care in a changing healthcare ecosystem. This can be accomplished by improving laboratory efficiencies and reducing costs by leveraging existing lab infrastructure, purchasing power, and operational excellence tactics to optimize cost and efficiency.
“[B]ecoming active in ASCLS has been one of the most satisfying experiences thus far. The people and opportunities that were presented to me over the years, and that assist with my growth as a professional, are things that can’t be found by just showing up for work every day.”
As important to me as my career path, another passion has been leading ASCLS-MN this past year. The main areas of need that were identified in our organization were recruitment and mentorship. These new initiatives have been well received, especially the creation of a succession plan to support our future leaders of ASCLS-MN by providing a structured process along with increasing member involvement opportunities. ASCLS continues to provide a solid backbone to help facilitate ideas and solutions through advocacy for our profession.
Personally, becoming active in ASCLS has been one of the most satisfying experiences thus far. The people and opportunities that were presented to me over the years, and that assist with my growth as a professional, are things that can’t be found by just showing up for work every day. Being involved with ASCLS has confirmed for me that being a medical laboratory scientist has been the right career choice. As a part of ASCLS, we can shape the future of our profession and the quality of healthcare in our nation.
Raedean Hiebert is account executive at Quest Diagnostics in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Dean Porter, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS-MN Past President
This year I will celebrate my 20th year as an ASCLS member, and I still remember the day at our Spring Collaborative meeting when I signed up. I was visiting with people that I knew from previous jobs and stopped by the ASCLS-Minnesota booth. They made a very good argument about why I should join ASCLS, and so I did! I’ve had memberships in other professional societies and really valued my time, but ASCLS has given me the most payback for my time and effort.
At our spring meeting in St. Cloud, Minnesota, at the end of April this year, one of the sessions had presentations from all the professional groups represented in the collaborative. This included representatives from six different laboratory organizations plus ASCLS. All of them gave very nice presentations about the strengths and opportunities of their respective groups, but I still came back to the thought of how great it would be for us all to be one big group; one big family.
“So many new roles and opportunities are right in front of us. We have new career pathways, and a professional society like ASCLS can help us find these new paths through mentorship and networking with colleagues.”
One of the comments that did bring us all together is how these meetings are our “Laboratory Family Reunion,” both at the state and national levels. It truly is a reunion and fun to see everyone—if only once per year—and no matter what group we are in, we have a common goal of providing the best possible quality in the laboratory, each and every day.
I’ve long been a proponent that all laboratory professionals should be under one organization, so we truly have the strongest voice possible. There are so many different organizations, but I feel that ASCLS is one of the strongest organizations and gives all laboratory professionals an equal voice, whether a member or not.
It seems to be in our nature to keep to ourselves in the laboratory, but we have such a powerful message to bring to the healthcare team and need to continue to develop programs to bring out those people with that passion for the patient. So many new roles and opportunities are right in front of us. We have new career pathways, and a professional society like ASCLS can help us find these new paths through mentorship and networking with colleagues. I believe this is something we need to continue to do so we have active and vibrant societies at all levels.
I am very thankful for the great network of friends and acquaintances I have garnered from my time in ASCLS and look forward to this continuing. Having the privilege to be a leader in the organization will be something I will hold out as one of the bigger growth opportunities in my career, and I appreciate the great network of people that helped me through it.
This group is always growing and is out there for all who jump into the pool. Encourage your friends to join and be active as this is our profession to nurture and make stronger. The world is run by those that show up, so we all need to come together and, as the Nike slogan goes, “Just Do It!”
Dean Porter is laboratory administrative director at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, Minnesota.