For Immediate Release
Contact: Kim Schmelz, Foundation Director
Phone: 608.822.2379
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: April 21, 2021
Rodney Marx, 2017 alumnus and Finley Hospital Lab Supervisor
Fennimore -We are celebrating our Medical Laboratory Technicians this week by highlighting our graduates who play a key role in the healthcare system. Rodney Marx is a 2017 MLT graduate and is employed at UnityPoint Health – Finley in Dubuque, IA as the lab supervisor. 
What drew you to the Medical Lab Field?
I was initially interested in a different discipline, electroneurodiagnostic technology, but upon further research, I learned that job prospects would be few and far between and I would have a significant commute for schooling. I decided to look at attending Southwest Tech for a healthcare-related field instead, and the medical laboratory technician field caught my eye. Here was a field that I didn’t even know existed, and yet medical laboratory technicians and scientists work everywhere, in every hospital in every city. The work they do is invaluable to the health of the patients in these facilities, and the science continues to fascinate me to this day. I learn something new every day, and I get to work with state-of-the-art technology. It was a no-brainer for me to enter this field, and my career has been incredibly rewarding.
Why did you choose Southwest Tech?
I chose Southwest Tech because it allowed my partner and I to live in the area and it was relatively inexpensive. Southwest Tech also had clinical arrangements with all healthcare facilities close to where I lived, so I knew that I would not have to travel very far to complete the clinical rotation at the end of my program. I’m very happy that I chose Southwest Tech to earn my Associate’s degree.
What’s something you think every student should participate in during their time at Southwest Tech?
Every student should attend one of the job fairs during their first year at Southwest Tech to learn early on what the job opportunities will be once you graduate. After that, form a study group with your classmates you will be with throughout your program. I still keep in touch with some of my classmates five years later. Lastly, make sure you attend graduation. A lot of students skip their graduation, and I think that’s a mistake. Be proud of your accomplishment, you earned it.
What are you proudest of in relation to your degree and career?
What I’m most proud of is knowing that I have made a meaningful impact on patients at my hospital. I know that the results I produce are accurate thanks to the comprehensive MLT curriculum at Southwest Tech. This degree program also gave me excellent time management skills. I am extremely proud of the work that I do, and the confidence it has given me is, in part, it is why I was promoted to Laboratory Supervisor at my facility.
Explain your role at UnityPoint – Finley and how you’re utilizing your degree and other skills learned at Southwest Tech?
As a laboratory supervisor, I oversee all of the testing that takes place at the Finley Lab. I have a wide range of duties, including bringing on new testing, managing quality control for compliance, maintaining adequate staffing, and representing the laboratory to hospital staff and outside clients. I have used the skills gained from my degree at Southwest Tech to understand the inner workings of all the testing performed at lab, and I use that knowledge to be an expert to those who may have any questions about this testing. I became a supervisor at a unique time, in the height of the pandemic, and it has truly tested my skills as a medical laboratory technician, from facing critical supply shortages to validating new tests for SARS-CoV-2 and living under the constant threat of exposure to the virus. My team has been through it all, and I’ve been with them every step of the way. I’m grateful for the opportunity to give back to the team that helped me grow into the tech I am today, and I look forward to every day that I get to work with them. My degree has given me so many opportunities in this field, and none of this would have been possible without Southwest Tech.