Greetings!
I am Tee Queen of many surgical services departments, specifically in endoscopy. I started my healthcare career back in 1998 as a TERRIFIED direct support professional (DSP), at a facility which was known then as the "State School"; a facility for mentally challenged and developmentally disabled individuals, before such services of the state were discontinued. I was recruited to this experience by another dedicated, hard worker of my family, who was employed at the State School at the time and admired my work ethic as a teenager.
Being grateful for the praises, I gladly accepted the offer to take full advantage of the opportunity and enter a new industry, not really knowing what I was getting myself into. This new experience started out very scary as I remind you that I was a young DIRECT support professional for mentally challenged and disabled individuals. Quite a difference from guests requesting extra mayo on a sandwich or customers walking into a gas station asking for $20 on pump 9 and a pack of Marlboro lights, right?.....
Well, time went on and I became discouraged as I would walk into each individual's (patient's/resident's) room with my eyes closed to reach for the light switch! I shared my anxiety and fear with my "recruiting" family member but was met with a great deal of encouragement and a little "sly threat" to seal the convo ;-) which influenced me to keep going. Needless to say, here I am today with so much gratitiude, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose as one stage in healthcare led to another.
As I embarked on the journey to endoscopy, my curiosity and eagerness to learn gastroenterology grew tremendously! I positioned myself on every base to consume as much knowledge as my curiosity and legal scope could allow me. To date, within the 18 years of being an endoscopy technician, I have learned many skills to advance in the field. Receiving the knowledge birthed a very exciting and rewarding career. It didn't start out as good as it is now, however, I stood the course and became the AGTS (Advanced Gastroenterology Technical Specialist) that I am today with confidence. I am honored to be a part of this industry that continues to grow and evolve in treatments with the latest technologies for best practices.
~Tee Queen
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