Staff profile: Nicholas Heffernan

(Inside Aotea, August 2010)

Medical Laboratory technician in the biochemistry team

Responsibilities

A typical day starts with maintenance of lab equipment followed by sample preparation and analysis. The most common of these are blood tests requested by your doctor for testing things such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol and hormones.

Most rewarding part of your job

Learning on the job, and being able to play a part in patient care

How do you most enjoy spending time outside work

Relaxing and rock climbing; luckily Wellington has some really good bouldering spots, but I also love travelling around New Zealand to where the really good rock is, especially Castle Hill Basin near Christchurch, which is an amazing place even if you’re just visiting. I also like attempting downhill trail biking, with interesting results.

Health tip

Drink tea and sleep well!

Something your colleagues may not know about you

I’m terrified of heights — a great combination with climbing!