Jim Shock, Point of Care Coordinator to Retire

Jim Shock, Point of Care Coordinator in the Laboratory is retiring from Wood County Hospital on September 2, 2014 following a 41 year career. Shock joined Wood County Hospital in March 1973 following graduation from the Elkhart Institute of Technology as a Medical Laboratory Technician. In his early career at WCH, Jim worked simultaneously as both a phlebotomist and technologist drawing blood and running tests. In the early days, the Lab was staffed by six people during the day, two people at night and one staff person was on call after midnight. Other staff members who joined the Lab in 1973 and are still working in the department are Ann Emmerich and Brenda Fork.

As with everything in healthcare, automation and technology have made significant changes in the way hospital laboratories operate. ”The biggest change I’ve seen over the years has been the shift from manual to automated testing “says Shock. “The amount of time required to do a test, as well as the size of the sample required has been greatly reduced with advances in technology,” says Shock. “A glucose test used to require a minimum of 30 minutes to run and would use one milliliter of serum. Today that same test takes 20 seconds to run with only six microliters of serum.”

Another advance in the WCH Lab is the increased variety and number of tests the WCH Lab now performs each day. “We used to process tests for 20 to 30 patients each day. Today we run several hundred patients per day,” said Shock.

Over the span of his career at WCH, Shock has held positions as chemistry supervisor and assistant general supervisor. For the past 17 years he has worked with the nurses on the units refining their testing techniques.

Shock and his wife Kathy plan to sell their home in Bowling Green and move to Dayton, Ohio where their son and his family live. Kathy, who formerly worked in the Registration Department at WCH recently retired from Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Once he is settled in his new community, Jim plans to play more golf, do some volunteer work and travel. Best wishes Jim on this next phase of your life.

Be sure to attend Jim Shock’s retirement reception on Tuesday, September 2 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Guild Room.