MASSENA – Massena Memorial Hospital has named Tina Hatch as Administrative Director of Laboratory Services.

Tina Hatch is a 28-year employee of Massena Memorial Hospital and has climbed the organization ladder to one of the highest positions in health care.

Earlier this June, Hatch was promoted to the Administrative Director of Laboratory Services at MMH after working the past 28 years in the laboratory as a bench technician.

"I started as a student working here at Massena Memorial Hospital for my internship to complete my Associate's Degree from SUNY Canton," Hatch said. "After Canton I was hired as a per diem tech and worked as a per diem tech for four years while I went back to school to get my Bachelor's Degree at SUNY Potsdam."

Hatch too advantage of a MMH program that helped her pay for school and save some money as well. "The hospital offered this program to students interested in health care because of a grant given to the hospital by New York State," said Hatch. "This program helped me pay for some of my schooling, books, and even my gas. So I was paid to drive back and forth from Potsdam each day."

From 1992, when she graduated from SUNY Potsdam, until 2008 she was working as a full time bench tech in the MMH laboratory. In 2008, MMH hired a new medical laboratory director in Kevin Ward who hired Hatch on as his Assistant Director.

Medical laboratory work wasn't Hatch's first interest in healthcare however. "At first I thought I wanted to be a nurse so I started my work in the Candy Stripping program here at Massena Memorial Hospital but later decided that it just wasn't for me."

After nursing didn't keep Hatch's interests, close family ties brought her into the department of medical lab work. "I wanted to work here because a close friend of my family's worked in the lab and I kind of always wanted to be like her," said Hatch. "After starting my work in the lab, I knew this was something I really wanted to do."

Hatch also stressed that working in medical labs at MMH or any hospital for that matter is a very important job to have.

"There is always a need for more lab technicians," said Hatch. "If someone does have an interest in health care, the medical lab is a place where you can really earn some big bucks."