Women's health a place to comfort, learn

Published Sept. 1, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- She began her adult life as many college students do, switching majors frequently as she worked toward her degree. Her family's rich military history, topped with her dad's Air Force stories of the best years of his life, prompted Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Zello to join the Air Force.

She visited a recruiter and found that she qualified to be an Air Force medical technician. She was excited about this prospect.

About a year and a half ago, she learned she would be assigned to David Grant Medical Center at Travis.

At her first duty assignment, Zello has done lab work, assisted in surgical procedures and worked in the emergency room. She was eventually assigned to the 60th Surgical Operations Squadron women's health clinic, where she now works.

"I was excited about medical, but I just didn't know what to expect in women's health," Zello said. "It's a lot of fun."

Although she said the people make the job great, the workload is plentiful in women's health.

First, a list of extra duties is rotated through the staff, Zello said. It includes taking equipment to be sterilized, refrigerator temperature checks to ensure the safety of medications and crash cart checks. Crash cart checks are taking inventory of the entire cart, which is designed to assist in emergency situations.

What comes next depends on whether the medical technician is assigned to obstetrics, she said.

Obstetrics deals with pregnancy, Zello said. Some of the things a med tech might do during a normal appointment are take vitals, use a fetal Doppler to listen to a baby's heart, check fetal growth and review a patient's chart to let the doctor know of any abnormalities. Med techs also are in charge of setting up rooms with the necessary supplies, as well as cleaning up and sterilizing the rooms, she said.

As difficult as the job can be, Zello said being a med tech has some great benefits.

"I get to see babies being born," she said. "I think a birth is one of the most beautiful things in life."

Zello said working in an environment where doctors deploy and get permanent changes of station regularly has helped her learn a lot.

"Each doctor has their own way of doing things," she said. "So each time you deal with a new doctor, you get to learn new ways to do your job."

She has not made a decision on whether to make the Air Force a career, but said her experience in the women's health clinic has been valuable.

"I plan on pursuing a medical degree," she said. "If I do get out of the Air Force, I want to go to India or Africa to help people."

The people she works with and the opportunity to help people are what make working in the women's health clinic at DGMC great, Zello said.

"There are times when patients come in really upset about their health situation," she said. "When we can make them comfortable and assist the doctor in helping them feel better, and they leave happy, it is all worth it."