My Quest Story – Mark Hamilton

I’ve spent most of my career working in an industry where lives are on the line. Prior to coming to Quest Diagnostics, I worked in transportation in the airline industry as a ramp agent. My job responsibilities included using body signals to communicate with the pilot to direct planes—we had to say a lot to each other without saying a word. I also managed loading, stowing, and unloading of cargo, mail, and baggage. So, I was used to handling valuable cargo.

At Quest I worked a regular route for about 15 years. Now I have the delight of being a STAT driver. As a leader in the healthcare field, our company culture is the customer comes first. And, as an ambassador for Quest, I always think about that when I’m doing my day-to-day job. I put a lot of care toward the specimens that I pick up every day. We are responsible for transporting blood, urine, tissue, skin grafts, etc—each specimen representing a patient—and I put care toward the stowing of the specimens from the time I pick them up to putting them in the car, ensuring that they’re stored in the correct temperature, and having supplies for all temperature scenarios. I also ensure the specimens are all labeled correctly so nothing is lost once it hits our labs. We follow a strict SOP to ensure our specimens are processed in a timely manner.

Collaboration also is an important part of my day-to-day job. Not just talking but listening to our clients is so important. I want to ensure our clients are happy all the time. I’m open to hearing from clients about how we can better serve them and potentially improve our services and processes. I want to do whatever I can to ensure our clients are with us for the long term.

My job is very meaningful to me. Working for Quest has made me a better person. I love what I do and knowing I play a role in helping our patients. That feeling is the reason I don’t want to retire any time soon.