'People thank us every day'

Jamey Smith
Customer Service Representative
Tampa, Florida
At Quest since 2016

“I’m originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I first came to Tampa for college and went back to Baton Rouge where I worked in a call center, and then returned to Tampa.

“A friend recommended that I work at Quest. I was initially hesitant about being in a call center again, but the environment at Quest was not what I expected. It was very open and much quieter.

“I take calls from doctors, patients and insurance companies. I look up results, add/cancel orders and address other issues. What I do helps people and improves people’s lives. I feel there is a purpose to what I do. We’re doing something positive and helping people manage their health…. Believe it or not, people thank us nearly every day.

“I like to tell people how easy it is to get your own results just by setting up a MyQuest account. Also, doctor offices often don’t know much about QuestConnect. I really enjoy hearing how surprised people are when I tell them about our services.”

‘It’s not just a job. You are truly able to develop a career at Quest’

Nadia Hassani
Specimen Processing Supervisor
San Juan Capistrano, California
At Quest since 2010

"I'm all over any opportunity that I get to learn something new. …I'll often ask people 'how do you do this' just so I can learn. This has helped me develop skills and knowledge throughout the years, and also build relationships – all of which have helped my career.

"I've had lots of opportunities throughout my career at Quest. I started as a Specimen Technician I. After a few years in that role, I wanted to try something different. I ended up moving into a Cenegenics processing role and was processing for one of our high visibility clients, which was very interesting work.

"Next, I moved into a lab admin role within my department. After about a year and a half, I moved into a Specialist I position. It took me behind the scenes doing hands-on work with the laboratory, reporting, and supported overall department needs.

"An admin assistant position for the Lab Director opened the following year. I applied and moved into the job. I was in that role for a short time when my previous manager told me he had a supervisor position open. While I enjoyed the admin role, the leadership role sounded like the right next step, so I decided to go through the interview process and was ultimately chosen for the job. I moved into the supervisor role, which is the job I'm in today, and I love it.

"For me, it's not just a job. You are truly able to develop a career at Quest. Whether you advance in your current department or transfer to a different one, there are so many career opportunities within the company. You can find opportunities through networking and our on-line career portal.

"Looking back 10 years ago, I would not have pictured where I am now and I'm forever grateful for the opportunities I've had at Quest."

‘No time for failure’ – the COVID test developers' story

Gwynn:
"Our work was crucial because so many depended on us to get the Quest COVID-19 Lab Developed Test up and running. A delay of a day or two could mean no diagnosis for people suffering with the virus."

Russell:
"To say the pressure was insane would be an understatement. There was no time for failure. We felt the weight of the patient needing treatment and the doctor looking to make a diagnosis. The stress led to sleepless nights for both of us…...”

Russell:
"Developing a test for a novel pathogen is difficult because so little is known about the organism and samples aren't available for test development…. It was a real tag team effort and we literally had to watch each other's back. "I think we both felt a brief moment of relief when we got approval from the FDA on March 17.

Gwynn:
"It's hard to put into words how proud I feel that we helped develop this test. Projects like this are what drew me to doing this type of work. It's something I'll want to tell my children about when they're old enough to understand."