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WORLAND – Banner Health Washakie Medical Center's Diagnostic Manager over Lab and Imaging Marty Hinkel received Technologist of the Year from the American Medical Technologists (AMT) Aug. 10.

The award is given to only one technologist in the country and quite an honor. "I was excited and very honored to receive this award They only give one technologist of the year award in the nation. One person out of like 70,000 members," Hinkel said.

The criteria for being nominated for the award is extensive. "This award is given out once a year; all the different states societies can nominate one person. In order to be qualified to be nominated you have to be active at the local, state and national level. You have to have been published, so you have to have had some type of journal or article published in a national publication. I've had several articles published in the continuing education journal that AMT has. You have to have lectured or given a workshop or helped on a state and national level. I've been a speaker at the national level," Hinkel said. "Then you just have to be actively involved. I am on several national committees," she added.

Hinkel is on two national committees that she is proud of. "I am on the AMT RPT education examination qualifications and standards committee. We write the board exam for the nation. The national board exam, once a year they fly me to Chicago and we have a work day. We write the review questions. We review the tests that were given this year. Like the test that is given in 2016, when we go back next year we will review all the exams given across the country. Then we review new questions to put into the exam because the exam changes every year. So we are constantly having to review, to make sure that we don't have duplicate questions and that the questions are relevant," Hinkel said. "That committee, I really enjoy working on, because that's the test that everyone across the country takes," she added.

The second committee that she is proud of is also the most enjoyable. "At the national level I'm the scientific and speaker chair. At the national meeting that we have every year we have anywhere from 25-30 lectures. My job is to help find topics and speakers and review if what they are presenting will meet the needs of our members at the national level. So when we have the national meeting in Memphis in July those workshops, those speakers, those topics all came from my committee. So that's like way exciting," Hinkel said.

Lab work is Hinkel's passion. "The laboratory is where we do all your routine blood work. Seventy percent of the diagnoses that physicians make are based off the results you get from the lab tests that we run. So when you go to the doctor and he/she tells you that you are diabetic, well we were the ones that told him that you are diabetic. We are the ones that did the test that say yes. If you go in and you have cancer, we are the ones who did the screening tests to look at the blood, to look at what's happening within your body to give the doctor the information so that they know how to treat you. If the doctor goes and says that you have a urinary tract infection, we're the ones that diagnose that. We're the ones that identified what bacteria is causing the infection and we identify what antibiotics will help kill that bacteria. You can't just go to the cupboard and grab an antibiotic because different bacteria react to different antibiotics. So we're the ones that do the testing with that bacteria against the different antibiotics to help him/her, the doctor give you the proper medicine to treat you, to help you get your infection cleared. We are kind of behind the scenes in health care, but the lab is a very important piece of the hospital," Hinkel explained.

According to the AMT, Hinkel was certified as a medical lab technician in 1988 and as a medical technologist in 1997. "I went to Northwest College in Powell and graduated in 1988. I was in the last class that had the laboratory program, and then they turned that program into a nursing program. Then I went and worked and took classes while working full time to get my bachelor's in 97. It took a while but when you're working full time you take a few classes at a time," Hinkel said. "Don't ever give up on your education and learning. I hear people say, I just can't go to school. You can if there's a will and when you work so hard for it, it means so much more," she added.

Hinkel is also active in the community. "I serve on the board of directors of Cloud Peak Counseling/ Mental Health. I am also active with the Worland Rotary. I'm the past president and current secretary. The Rotary is very important to me," she said.

Hinkel's father instilled in her a strong work ethic. "My dad was a school teacher, Pinky Warren from Thermopolis, and he always instilled in me, whatever your profession is, have a voice, be an active participant in it. So I've always been very active in AMT based on his influence," she said. "My travelling buddy for the last 15 years, Lucy Leyva who won phlebotomist of the year last year, played an important part in my receiving this award. Along with the support of my husband, who understands the importance of what I do," she added.

Hinkel also received the award for her dedication to the patients and a love of her job. "We want to make sure that our patients here have the highest quality of care that they could get in a large metropolitan area. When you come into my lab I can assure you that you are going to get the same quality of results and care that you would get in a Billings lab. We are treating our friends and family so we want to make sure that we are giving the best care that we can," she said. "I love what I do. When you can go home at night and think, man I made a difference today in that person's life. I helped identify that leukemia or someone's having a heart attack and what you did helped the doctor direct what they do to help them. It's just that rewarding feeling. I think that's why we are all in it, we want to make a difference, we care about our patients, and we care about our community. I love Worland, this is home."