PH DuBois Employee of the Month for February

Sharon Patterson, unit secretary of the Emergency Department at Penn Highlands DuBois, is the PH DuBois employee of the month for February 2016.

Sharon is responsible for answering phones and the call bells, ordering supplies, coordinating arrangements for ambulances and helicopters for patients being transferred to other facilities, updating patients and their families of their stay in the ED and calling ancillary staff so patient tests are done in a timely manner as physicians order them. She multi-tasks and is also responsible for scheduling the secretarial staff.

Sharon started at PH DuBois in 1988 and has been in this position since that time.

She received her associate’s degree in medical secretarial science from the DuBois Business College and she is a certified bridal consultant and event planner. She is also active in the Emergency Department’s Relay for Life time, Lifesavers.

“My favorite part of my job is the employees and the pre-hospital EMS personnel,” Sharon said. “We work together as a team to put our patient’s needs first. Miracles happen each day, and I am very proud to be a part of this team.”

The most challenging part of her job is “keeping everyone organized and focused in a time of crisis,” she said.

“Sharon consistently exhibits caring attitude toward patients and co-workers at Penn Highlands DuBois,” Kim Cicon, director of the Emergency Department at PH DuBois, said. “She is pleasant and professional in her actions and communications as an Emergency Department employee. Sharon has helped to orient new employees to our department and does so with kindness and understanding.”

“She has an ability to maintain her composure in stressful situations. This quality makes her a valuable member of our team. Sharon is dependable as an employee. She rarely misses work and fill in whenever it is needed. The physicians and clinical staff have a lot of respect for Sharon’s abilities and work ethic. We are glad to have her on our ED Team,” Kim said.

A native of Luthersburg, Sharon lives with her husband, Bill Patterson, in Luthersburg, with Abbie and Lillie, their bichons. She has two brothers, David and Dean Kashella.