April Guru of the Month - Deanna Wilkinson

Deanna Wilkinson kind of fell into the HTM field after a reorganization at the American Red Cross in Portland, OR! She started out as a Compliance Specialist following a lab position in San Francisco, CA, and went on to become the Equipment Management Supervisor. While she was working as a biomed at the Red Cross, she was going to school for fashion design for the fun of it! But when Deanna saw that the community college she was attending also had a biomed program and a desire to always want to study electronics, she figured she’d be foolish not to go through that program! In 2014, Deanna graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology and her ICC CBET certification.

Today, Deanna is the sole biomed for Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, OR, with Agiliti Health. She tends to work the most on infusion pumps, patient monitors, defibrillator machines… if it’s in a hospital, she’s probably gotten at least a cursory look at it! 

To keep up with the HTM world, Deanna uses MedWrench, a proud member of at least 2 years, sometimes attends TechNation Webinars, and attends professional training for specific equipment. If she could share any wisdom to anyone just graduating or entering into the HTM field, she say:

“Try to keep things simple!  It is so tempting to use all of that knowledge that you just gained, and by all means, use it when appropriate, but I find that sometimes it is easy to get lost in the details, when an overall, bigger picture will solve the problem.  I know that still happens to me all of the time!”

Outside of work, Deanna is an avid swimmer. She loves that there is a pool across from the hospital! She also likes to run, ride bikes, knit, crochet, sew, draw, and also plays the drums! She’s been in many bands - though none we’ve probably heard of :) She lives with her husband, two cats and a pug in Astoria, OR. 

Thank you, Deanna, for your dedication to the HTM field! We appreciate your input and wisdom in our community. 

Want to be our next MedWrench Guru or know someone that should? Send us an email at mandy@medwrench.com to nominate or be considered!