Brendon Sato
Medical Laboratory Technology
2006 Graduate
What made you choose the Medical Laboratory program at Mitchell Technical Institute?
I already had a bachelors in biology and spent a couple years working in a clinic lab. Because I hadn’t been through a lab program, I wasn’t considered a certified tech. I wanted to be certified and the only way to do that is to go to school. So, I called MTI and asked to speak with the head of the MLT program. At that time it was Barb Feilmeier. She had me come to MTI to talk about my education and experience in the lab. After our meeting, Barb agreed to let me into the program.
How did the skills you learned at MTI help on the job?
MTI gave me a strong background in the technical aspects of laboratory science. What I also think is just as important is the real world knowledge and lessons that come from the instructors who had been in the laboratory field for years before becoming instructors. What I learned from their experiences is invaluable.
What is your current position and responsibilities?
Currently I am the lab supervisor for Molecular Diagnostics, Microbiology, and Flow Cytometry at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. Basically, I oversee the day to day operations of those three departments. I’m also the safety officer and a lean greenbelt. I still work the bench once or twice a week.
What do you like about your current job?
The challenge. It’s different everyday. I like knowing I’m not coming to work to do the same thing day after day.
What advice would you give to someone struggling with a decision about continuing their education and/or a career choice?
It’s a tough decision to make. I would tell a person to investigate their interests. Shadow someone in a field that looks interesting. Talk to people. Read about the field, pay, businesses involved, future trends, etc. Research everything. Make an educated decision, not a spur of the moment decision. As for education, it is the only thing a person has.