1.

What brought you to Mayo Clinic, and how long have you worked here?

October 8 of this year will make five years for me at Mayo Clinic. Before joining the company, I worked as a generalist for various hospital systems. I have always enjoyed exploring new processes and learning about different tests. Mayo Clinic provided an opportunity for me to have a better work-life balance while discovering different labs and testing within one hospital system.

Joune Twist

2.

What’s your current role and what does a typical workday look like for you?

As a medical laboratory scientist in the Neuroimmunology Lab, I perform testing on patient samples and share the results with providers. My workday can vary quite a bit depending on which bench I work. However, almost all benches start with pulling coversheets or task lists. These lists outline details from samples that require testing for our analyzer. Then, I will pull the samples from our refrigerators and check them out of our digital storage system. Most of these samples will go on an automatic pipettor, which places the sample in a 96-well plate. We have different styles of plates depending on the test.

From there, antigen and antibody are added, and the samples are read. Some assays require us to grow and lift our own cell lines. Immunofluorescence assays are placed on slides with sections of mouse brain, and fluorescent patterns are read in a scope room. Immunoprecipitation assays are placed on a gamma counter. Our live cell assays are put on a flow cytometer which then looks for fluorescence. Other assays are placed in plate readers which detect a color or light intensity change.

3.

How do you think your work benefits providers and patients?

In the Neuroimmunology Lab, we help diagnose autoimmune neurological diseases and cancer by providing immunobiologically sound serological tests, and interpreting autoantibody profiles. Our work helps providers and patients determine a diagnosis and prognosis. This sets our patients up for success on a correct treatment plan.

4.

Which part(s) of your job is the most challenging, and why?

Currently, we are renovating and switching our testing to an automation line. This is a very involved process with a great deal of change not only to our testing but to our physical lab. It’s an interesting day at work when an entire bench has moved to a different location. As part of the inventory team, all the moves have kept me busy. In addition, I do my best to stay on top of all the changes within the testing itself. Despite the challenges, there’s always something new to learn, which I enjoy.

5.

What gives you meaning and purpose in your work?

I have learned so much working in neuroimmunology and I look forward to what each day brings. Also, I have great co-workers who make coming to work fun.