Sheri Schweitzer began her career at Jamestown Regional Medical Center in 1985. The hospital had four computers then, she said, and she got one of them. It was a symbol of what was to come. JRMC’s current Materials Manager was also the facility’s first IT Manager.
Through technology and equipment, Schweitzer makes THE difference in patient care. Supporting the patient care teams and helping them get the tools they need at an affordable price helps patients, she said. That’s her critical piece of the healthcare puzzle.
“I often don’t get to work with patients directly,” Schweitzer said. “But I do feel I make a difference.”
As Materials Manager, Schweitzer helps JRMC obtain large items like the machine for a 3D Mammogram and small items like syringes, gauze pads and color kits for kids. The task can be a difficult one to manage – retaining the right amount of the right item in a small storeroom. However, Schweitzer and her team are often internally and externally acknowledged for their quality, accuracy and customer service.
Some patients require special supplies, Schweitzer said, like the man who had an adverse reaction to electrodes or the gentleman who had an allergy to most catheters. Schweitzer said she helped them, and JRMC, obtain supplies to improve their care.
“I felt like I did something that mattered,” she said.
Schweitzer’s been doing things that matter for more than 30 years.
In the beginning
Schweitzer began her career at JRMC as a support person in administration. She loved the computer she used as part of her job, the one of four in the building. She loved it so much that she learned everything she could about it. Soon, she was teaching others how to use what was then, new technology. She took on a role in IT part-time, in addition to her support staff duties. As technology grew and the hospital added more computers, Schweitzer helped cable the building so the computers could communicate with one another. Her team even wrote software, including programs for Home Health, Human Resources and a clinical system to help track physician orders in both lab and radiology. To continue her learning, Schweitzer enrolled in IT classes and was even certified as a Novell engineer.
A Novell Engineer certification certified those who install, maintain and support Netware systems and other server or hardware infrastructure from the Novell company, a former leader in networking systems.
By the 1990s, Schweitzer was ready for a new challenge. Management.
Ever the life-long learner, she enrolled in a Masters in Management program at the University of Mary. She graduated in 1994. For six years, she managed both the Materials and the IT departments at what was then Jamestown Hospital.
“I love that part of it, learning something new,” she said.
Schweitzer loves to learn. She also adapts easily – a great treat for someone in the emerging field of technology. Because of this, she trailblazed the way for JRMC to become a technology leader in the state. JRMC was the first, for example, to offer 3D Mammography. JRMC is the only hospital to offer the Alter-G treadmill in rehab. And, JRMC continues to be the only hospital in the state to offer Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
“I’m proud that our little hospital can do this for our community,” she said. “We can effect change so much more quickly.”