SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- The Weasel of the Week series asks Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, heroes, experts and all-around great Airmen to share their likes, dislikes, Air Force spirit and personalities.
We sat down with Senior Airman Jennifer Lesley and Airman 1st Class Samuel Ferguson, 20th Medical Group biomedical equipment technicians, to get to know them and how they help keep the equipment used to keep you in tiptop shape running smoothly.
Senior Airman Lesley:
Where are you from?
I was born in La Habra, California.
Why did you decide to join the Air Force?
I decided to join the Air Force to pursue a different career path.
How long have you been at Shaw?
I have been a Shaw since April 2017.
What is your favorite part of South Carolina?
I love the small town feel of where we live and the short drive to a variety of beaches.
How would you describe a normal day?
A normal day to me is pretty chaotic. Most mornings I get my two girls to school and begin mentally preparing myself for the possibility of a large volume of items which may have to be repaired. A lot of times by 7:30 a.m. a million things have already gone wrong and we are expected to quickly assess and repair issues to ensure patient care isn’t affected.
What is your favorite sports team?
By default I have to like the Buckeyes, my husband is from Ohio. O-H!
How would you describe your leadership style?
I bounce back and forth between the “transformational leadership,” and “democratic leadership” styles almost daily. I like to get everyone’s input, but at the end of the day I’m going to make the best decision for the benefit of the team as whole. Depending on the situation I’ll use transformational leadership to help foster an individual’s idea.
What is one Air Force resource you found that is incredibly beneficial and why?
I appreciate the gyms we have available here on base. I personally enjoy fitness and find it is an excellent way to change a bad day into a good day. Physical activity helps reduce stress and maintain energy levels throughout the day, and I am just thankful to have a place to work out every day if I want or need to.
What’s your outlook mailbox look like?
My outlook mailbox is 50 percent correspondence with equipment manufacturers and tech support regarding equipment repairs; 20 percent trusted care information; 15 percent information on medical equipment, recalls and updates; 10 percent internal communication and calendar invites and 5 percent miscellaneous.
What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?
Even though my primary job is fixing equipment, it requires excellent customer service, which allows me to perform the duties of a biomedical equipment technician with a proper flow. Also take care of your equipment custodians!
What is your least favorite task and how do you make sure you get it done?
I dislike admin work. We spend a lot of our day documenting our work so the Air Force Medical Readiness Agency can keep track of our numbers and statistics. It isn’t really something they prepare you for in technical school. I get through it by putting music on and just pushing through.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Fixing a piece of equipment that is deemed vital to patient care operations and seeing the relief on the faces of the Airmen who call in the request.
Airman 1st Class Ferguson:
Where are you from?
I am from Houston, Texas.
Why did you decide to join the Air Force?
I wanted a career where I could make a difference.
How long have you been at Shaw?
I’ve been at Shaw since August of 2019.
What is your favorite part of South Carolina?
I haven’t had much opportunity to travel, but Columbia is a fun place to go.
How would you describe a normal day?
I go to work, go to the gym and then go home and call my wife who’s stationed in Korea.
What is your favorite sports team?
My favorite basketball team is the Houston Rockets.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I lead by example. Being an airman first class there aren’t a lot of traditional leadership opportunities so I try to lead by example.
What is one Air Force resource you found that is incredibly beneficial and why?
The gym. It’s an excellent resource for bettering yourself.
What’s your outlook mailbox look like?
I get a lot of emails about the Defense Health Agency transition. The entire military medical system is changing to DHA and right now there is a lot of information and updates being sent out.
What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?
I wish people knew that 90 percent of my job is paper work. I’d say it takes more time to actually do the paper work then it does to actually repair the equipment.
What is your least favorite task and how do you make sure you get it done?
I don’t like doing admin work; I have to sit down and just grind through it.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Replacing parts in broken medical equipment.