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#IamMGH tells the stories of our people. Meet Jason Kwan, Senior Laboratory Technologist, Transfusion Medicine in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH).
"As the Senior Technologist in the Blood Bank, I lead a dedicated team ensuring that safe, life-saving blood products are delivered when they are needed most. Working in transfusion medicine allows me to use my critical thinking and investigative abilities. What I do has a direct and immediate impact on the patient.
As a kid, I was always interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), especially science, and this led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in microbiology. I took a lab course that included clinical testing and I thought it was so cool. This led me to look into the medical laboratory sciences.
I graduated from the Michener Institute’s Medical Laboratory Science program in 2010. When it came time for my clinical placement, MGH was a natural fit for me. I used to live in the East York area, and my family had been to this hospital before, so I really wanted to contribute to my local community.
Transfusion medicine is one of the five major disciplines in lab medicine and the one that I felt was both interesting and challenging.
After my clinical placement, I joined MGH as a bench technologist and eventually my experience led me into the role of a senior technologist.
In transfusion medicine, my team and I perform intricate testing such as ABORh blood grouping and cross-matching donor units with patient blood to ensure compatibility.
Many people know about the main ABO blood group, but there are many other blood group systems that can cause harm if they aren't properly matched which we identify through the antibody screen and antibody identification tests. By identifying these antibodies, we ensure that the unit of blood is a safe match for the patient.
As a transfusion medicine technologist, we also serve as stewards for Canada’s blood supply, carefully managing our inventory so that precious donor blood is never wasted.
There are many scenarios when a transfusion or a blood product is needed – like major surgeries, medical procedures, cancer treatments and more. As someone who sees what donor blood can do for patients, I always encourage people to become a blood donor. It can take multiple donors to support just one patient being treated for cancer, as well as other patients who require lifelong transfusional support for their conditions.
One of my proudest achievements has been modernizing MGH’s Code Omega to what’s now known as Code Transfusion. Inspired by a clinical conference I attended, I worked alongside clinical resource leaders and physicians across the hospital to update this protocol to standardize with other hospitals in the province and hopefully improve patient outcomes.
My day-to-day work always requires me to focus and be efficient, but that becomes even more evident when I hear a Code Transfusion called overhead. This protocol means that a patient is experiencing a massive hemorrhage and requires blood immediately.
On the blood bank side, we have to determine the appropriate blood group to give depending on the patient’s history or demographics, prepare the required units of blood and hand it off to the porter within 10 minutes of activation. It can be a very stressful time, but it’s also when the team shines. Everyone stops what they are currently doing to focus on the task at hand, colleagues from the core lab come to assist and the team operates like a well-oiled machine.
One of the most rewarding parts of my job is mentoring and training new technologists and seeing them grow into confident professionals who not only do well in their regular work but also thrive under these intense situations.
Since stepping into this senior role, my day-to-day has expanded beyond the walls of the lab. I help conduct hospital-wide educational in-services for nurses. I participate in various committees within the hospital and outside of the hospital, such as the Central Ontario Transfusion Medicine Peer Group. This group is very collaborative and we reach out to each other regularly when we encounter a problem. This way, we can connect and explore solutions to the different issues that our labs face.
Getting out of the lab also helps showcase what we do on a daily basis – we are friendly, collaborative partners who share the same goal: providing the best possible care for patients.
When I'm not working, my time is dedicated to my family. I have two young kids, ages 5 and 7, who take up most of my time. I love taking them outdoors and exploring new places.
As a lifelong fan of science, I also enjoy keeping up with new technologies. I unwind by listening to science podcasts like Neil deGrasse Tyson's Star Talk, watching sci-fi and anime and attempting to master the guitar.
The tight-knit culture at MGH is truly what has kept me here for 16 years. The atmosphere and the people I work with make it feel like a family and we always help each other out. While we are a community hospital, I feel like we do big hospital things that are beyond what a typical community hospital does.”
