Rose started at the hospital in 1970 while attending Los Altos High School when she joined their Work Exploratory Experience Program.
She was attending Los Altos High School when she joined their Work Exploratory Experience Program in 1970. The program offered internship-like opportunities at local companies and organizations, and Rose was placed at El Camino Hospital. She shadowed staff in various specialties and eventually gravitated toward the work being done in the Electroencephalography-Electrocardiography (EEG-ECG) department.
The hospital was ringing in its tenth year when Rose was hired. During this time she also went to school and pursued a bachelor’s degree in business with a marketing concentration. In her role she enjoyed doing a little bit of everything, from performing electrocardiograms and stress tests, to providing administrative support and eventually training in and performing electroencephalograms. “I was interested in EEG-ECG because of the hands-on nature of the work, the subject matter and the ability to interact with patients,” Rose recalls. “I stayed because of the people here and the organization”.
In her 45 years at the hospital, Rose has witnessed great change and growth, both within her department with new staff and advanced imaging technologies, and across the organization from construction of the new hospital to the Los Gatos expansion. She has seen both patients and employees return to the hospital. She remembers when El Camino Hospital installed the world's first computer-aided medical information system and implemented computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in 1971. Rose was also involved in the implementation of the Epiphany ECG data management system.
“I’m proud to be a part of a community hospital that is pioneering new healthcare technology and innovative treatments,” says Rose. “The staff also strive to make a difference in people’s lives and provide genuine and compassionate care. I feel fortunate to still be a part of that caring environment.”
Now a happy grandmother, Rose enjoys taking long drives on the weekends and making trips out to the beach when possible. Some of her close friends still work at the hospital. She has no immediate plans to retire but has voiced her interest in returning to the hospital to volunteer should she ever leave.
“El Camino Hospital will always be a meaningful place to me. I grew up here, and this is where my second family is.”