ELIZABETH CRUZ
San Antonio,TX
Summary
Air Force veteran (retired at rank E6: Technical Sergeant) garnered 16 years within the healthcare system plus
medical laboratory management experience seeking to expand leadership skills with formal MBA education.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Night Shift Laboratory Technician
HCA Healthcare Hospitals
San Antonio, Texas
05.2022 - 06.2023
- Initially hired to work at Northeast Methodist Hospital, then agreed to transfer to Methodist Specialty and
- Transplant Hospital in November 2022
- Accelerated through training and promoted within the year
- Assist diagnosticians in patient care by expediting laboratory results
- Identified, troubleshot, and resolved laboratory issues ranging from instrument maintenance, quality control and assurance, and healthcare team concerns
- Prepared and issued blood products for safe transfusion
- Ensured team cohesiveness and provided guidance to team members according to operating procedures to facilitate excellent patient care
- Delivered quality output to achieve strategic goals set in place by leadership to have all morning labs delivered by 7am
- Ranked and maintained top-performing lab amongst other
- Methodist hospitals in the county.
Hospital Call Center Worker
US Air Force, Medical Group Aviano Air Base
08.2017 - 03.2018
- As a screener for a busy patient care line, answered calls and assessed patient medical needs
- Routed concerns through nursing colleagues as appropriate
- Executed referral requests and coordinated with 11 clinics and one hospital to assist other staff
- Continued focus on patient safety by instructing hospital personnel
- One of 3 people chosen for this role.
Laboratory Supervisor
US Air Force, Medical Group Aviano Air Base
03.2014 - 08.2017
- Single-handedly managed laboratory acquisition and supply budget of $450,000 annually
- Revised and implemented new policies, including training 10 staff on new transfusion software
- Took on additional responsibility as the designated Patient Care Advocate and managed patient concerns regarding laboratory services
- Established and monitored appropriate staffing schedules, as well as evaluated competency schedules
- Implemented and executed process methodology and validations as required
- Prepared microbiology, hematology, blood bank sections for 3 inspections (College of American Pathologists twice and FDA), in addition to completing quarterly accreditation compliance surveys
- Zero deficiencies in all my sections
- Superior phlebotomy skills for patients of all ages
- Elizabeth Cruz | 2 Ultimately responsible for lab operations ensuring bodily fluids, tissues, and blood samples were prepared, processed, reviewed, accurately certified specimen analyses according to operation procedures, and remaining in compliance.
Operations Team Supervisor
Armed Services Blood Program Blood Donor Center
, Texas
01.2012 - 03.2014
- Oversaw preparation of >700 transfusable blood units daily
- Liaised, monitored, and recorded blood utilization across three departments for quality assurance
- Supervised 18 staff members by coordinating schedules, reviewing and submitting timesheets, and competency tracking
- Liaised effectively with 3 contract companies and 11 contracted employees
- As blood drive supervisor, oversaw safety standards for donors, including ensuring aseptic techniques, temperature recordings, and time-sensitive supply and inventory management.
Supervisor of Night Operations
Camp Arifjan
07.2011 - 12.2011
- Supervised expedited laboratory support to medical evacuation patients en route to Landstuhl, Germany
- Provided expert clinical laboratory training to 4 Army lab technicians and 1 Navy lab technician
- Prepared 20-45 blood units for transfusion bi-weekly, including receiving, typing, maintaining integrity, and issuing for transfusion.
Supervisor
Wilford Hall Medical Center, USAF
Antonio, Texas
03.2007 - 07.2011
- Initially began as a medical lab technician in 2007, then steadily promoted; first to supervisor of inventory and lab supply logistics in October 2009, then to final title, above, in January 2011
- Supervised receipt of patient specimens for analysis
- Ensured specimen suitability and arranged logistical groundwork to maintain physiologic state of specimen and ensure prompt analysis
- Procured and tracked supplies and equipment for 9 departments of the laboratory as inventory manager
- Served as liaison for lab director in drafting and negotiating contracts and financial analysis
- As a general CORE laboratory technician, performed a full range of clinical laboratory testing, quality control, and troubleshooting across sections, including hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, chemistry, and serology.
Education
MBA -
Texas A&M University
San Antonio, TX05.2024
Bachelor of Science - Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry
Texas A&M
San Antonio, TX2022
Management Development Course Completion - undefined
Air University
2016
Associate of Allied Health Sciences - Medical Laboratory Technician
Community College of the Air Force
2012
Skills
- Laboratory Operations Manager
- Leader, Trainer, and Motivator
- Team empowerment
- Results Driven
- Strategic Planner
- Data Management/Statistical Reports
- Budget and Workflow Analysis
- Process Improvement
- Laboratory Equipment and Supply
- Laboratory Contracts
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Method Validations, Correlations, and Implementation
- Quality Control and Assurance
Accomplishments
- Medical Laboratory Scientist (MT/MLS), American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) expiry: 2026
- Basic Life Support Certification (BLS), Military Training Network Cardiac & Trauma Life Support expiry: 2025
- Volunteerism
- Church Bible study teacher, St
- Rose of Lima, San Antonio, Tx 2017 – 2019 - Led a group of 12 youths in weekly meetings, preparing them for their first communion
- Technical Proficiencies
- Instruments: Biomerieux VITEK II/BacT ALERT, Coulter DxH 600, AeroSpray Slide stainer, Sysmex Ca-500
- Siemens Dimension XL/ISTAT/VISTAs, SYSMEX XN and SP Hematology and IRIS for Urinalysis, STAGO
- Coagulation, ROCHE Chemistry, ABBOTT Serology
- Electronic Medical Record Systems: Epic, AHLTA, CHCS, HCLL, and Meditech
Timeline
Night Shift Laboratory Technician
HCA Healthcare Hospitals
05.2022 - 06.2023
Hospital Call Center Worker
US Air Force, Medical Group Aviano Air Base
08.2017 - 03.2018
Laboratory Supervisor
US Air Force, Medical Group Aviano Air Base
03.2014 - 08.2017
Operations Team Supervisor
Armed Services Blood Program Blood Donor Center
01.2012 - 03.2014
Supervisor of Night Operations
Camp Arifjan
07.2011 - 12.2011
Supervisor
Wilford Hall Medical Center, USAF
03.2007 - 07.2011
MBA -
Texas A&M University
Bachelor of Science - Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry
Texas A&M
Management Development Course Completion - undefined
Air University
Associate of Allied Health Sciences - Medical Laboratory Technician
Community College of the Air Force
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