Breanna Schnitger was inspired by her four young girls to further her education. As a result of her successful completion of our Phlebotomy program, she was hired by WellStar Cobb Hospital.

1. LIFE & STYLE ♦ MDJ ♦ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2016 ♦ 7D
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MEDICAL FIELD I PHLEBOTOMY PROGRAM
HEALTH I GUEST COLUMNIST
Kennesaw State Continuing Ed.
graduate lands job at WellStar
Staff reports
In hopes of getting her
foot in the door of the med-
ical field, Breanna Schnitger
was inspired by her four
young girls to pursue her
degree. She learned about
the Phlebotomy program at
KSU’s College of Continu-
ing and Professional Educa-
tion by attending an Open
House event in late 2014.
“I chose KSU because,
in the community, KSU is
known to be one of the best
for medical programs. With
a certificate from KSU, I
felt confident that future
employers would know that
I had received proper educa-
tion,” Schnitger said.
In the program, Schnitger
found the best way to learn
a skill was to perform the
skill on a regular basis. She
accomplished this through
weekly labs on campus. The
hands-on lab sessions were
her favorite part. Although
intimidating at first, the labs
were the most helpful.
“It also gave me the
tools that I needed when
applying for a position to let
my interviewer know I had
completed 50-plus success-
ful sticks, versus someone
who was new to phlebot-
omy and had not yet per-
formed the skill,” she said.
Receiving her certifi-
cation was a great accom-
plishment for Schnitger. She
worked hard to prove she
had the knowledge needed
to get a job in the field. The
test was not difficult for her
because she felt prepared
going into it.
“I knew that becoming
nationally certified would
be important when apply-
ing for a position. It shows
your future employer that
you went the extra mile and
really know your stuff,”
Schnitger said.
In February 2015, she
completed the program and
applied to WellStar Cobb
Hospital that same month.
She was hired as a lab
assistant and a phlebotomist
in April 2015. During her
training at Cobb, she was
able to transition to microbi-
ology and learn more about
phlebotomy, blood cultures,
fungus cultures, wound cul-
tures and much more.
“I would have never had
this opportunity without first
receiving my Phlebotomy
certification,” she said.
Later that year, she
transferred to WellStar
Paulding Hospital in Hiram
to be closer to her home.
Her job duties include
preparing specimens for
transport to reference labs,
microbiology processing,
specimen collection and
preparing samples for tech-
nical staff.
Before pursuing her cer-
tification in phlebotomy and
working at WellStar, Schnit-
ger was a stay-at-home
mother. She took college
courses “here and there”
over the past three years but
wanted to pursue the health-
care field. She knew she
needed to work nights to
avoid childcare and began
looking into hospitals since
they provided flexibility.
“I am now able to work
at night, make my own
schedule, and continue my
education towards a nursing
degree,” Schnitger said.
For students thinking of
joining the program, she
had this to say: “Not only
can phlebotomy be a career
but it can serve as diving
board. I would highly rec-
ommend this program to
others and would tell stu-
dents… to be relentless; if
you want a certain position
go for it, go after it!”
A free Open House
event at the KSU Center
is scheduled for Wednes-
day, Jan. 11 from 6 to 8
p.m. Learn more about the
healthcare certificate pro-
grams at KSU’s Continuing
Education by attending
Open House. For more
information on healthcare
offerings or to register for
Open House, visit ccpe.
kennesaw.edu or call 470-
578-6765.
By Collette Manning
Special to the MDJ
Every five minutes, two people die of dia-
betes-related causes, and 14 adults are newly
diagnosed, reports the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. This means in the
time it takes to read this article, at least 16
people, and their families’
lives have been changed
forever.
People with diabetes
either have type 1 diabetes,
where the body does not
produce insulin, or type 2
diabetes, where the body
does not use insulin prop-
erly. Type 1 diabetes is
usually diagnosed in chil-
dren and young adults, and
according to the American Diabetes Asso-
ciation only counts for about five percent of
people with diabetes, while type 2 diabetes
can affect people at any age, and is the most
common form of diabetes. Although much
work has already been started to reduce the
rate of new cases, diabetes continues to be a
growing problem in our country. According
to the CDC, more than one in two Ameri-
cans are affected by the chronic condition
or at risk for getting it and one in five health
care dollars spent in the U.S. goes toward
the care and treatment of people with diabe-
tes, leading to higher health care costs and
lost productivity at work.
National Diabetes Awareness Month
reminds us the stakes are high for our health
care system to make prevention, early detec-
tion and treatment of diabetes as efficient
and effective as possible. Employers have
an important role to play in helping their
employees stay healthy by providing the
necessary services and educating the work-
force about their benefits.
I know from firsthand experience as a
registered nurse the human body is a maze
of interacting, integrated systems. No one of
these can exist independently of the other,
and together they are responsible for sustain-
ing life. Diabetes begins from an imbalance
of critical hormones in the endocrine system,
but its effects are felt through the entire body
— wreaking havoc on the cardiovascular
and nervous systems, as well as on vision
and dental health. Disease impacts us holis-
tically — shouldn’t health care treat patients
holistically?
A growing trend in population health
management aims to address this problem
by treating a patient’s whole body, rather
than individual parts. The approach — called
integrated health care — connects dental,
vision, and disability data through a patient’s
insurance carrier, which in turn, promotes
opportunities including early detection and
improved management of chronic condi-
tions. Integrated health care programs like
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia
Whole Health Connection help improve
patients’ health by more effectively coordi-
nating medical and specialty care, making
every patient-provider interaction more
meaningful with richer information. These
programs not only help improve patient
outcomes, but also can reduce medical costs
over time.
For example, retinal scans can often lead
to early diagnosis of diabetes, given eye
care providers can detect early signs of the
disease in the eye. With an integrated health
plan like the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Georgia Whole Health Connection, vision
patients showing signs of early diabetes trig-
ger a referral to the care management team,
which helps members receive the best care
possible in their new medical reality.
This approach can also help those living
with diabetes manage their condition through
regular checkups and reminders.
Diabetes cases are expected to increase
over the coming years, and prevention, early
detection and management of the disease
will be essential to ensuring the best possible
outcomes for patients while also mitigating
the cost burden. Integrated health care pro-
grams such as Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Georgia Whole Health Connection are
the future of better care, and can achieve
this goal. Diabetes cannot be treated in a
vacuum, and health care plans should seek to
mimic the body’s interconnectivity.
Collette Manning, RN, CCM, ONC is the Clinical
Integration Strategy and Planning Director for Spe-
cialty Businesses at Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Georgia. Manning has more than 30 years of
Care Management experience in the provider and
insurance setting. During her years as part of Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, she has been
involved in the development of a number of clini-
cal programs, including Specialty Pharmacy Man-
agement and Enhanced Personal Health Care.
Integrated health care is best
approach to fighting diabetes
Breanna Schnitger learned about the Phlebotomy program
at KSU’s College of Continuing and Professional Education
by attending an Open House event in late 2014. In February
2015, she completed the program and applied to WellStar
Cobb Hospital that same month. She was hired as a lab
assistant and a phlebotomist in April 2015. / Special to the MDJ
Health Care Certificate
Programs at KSU’s
Continuing Education:
♦ Medical Assisting
♦ Certified Nursing Assis-
tant
♦ EKG Technician
♦ Phlebotomy Technician
♦ Pharmacy Technician
♦ Medical Billing and
Coding
♦ Medical Office Assistant
♦ Medical Interpreter
♦ Health Coach
♦ Personal Trainer
♦ Pedorthist
Collette
Manning