When Anne Hutchins first started working at Pennsylvania Hospital in the 1970s, she would enter clinical data into a key punch machine, carefully punching the information onto a paper card, then taking that form to a patients’ floor, and adding it to their chart by hand.
“It was the biggest machine you’ve ever seen,” said Hutchins, an anatomical pathology tech aide in the Cytology lab. “Everything that can now be done by computers, we did it by hand.”
Much has changed between when Hutchins began working at PAH and today, when she's celebrating more than 50 years of service at the hospital. But, to Hutchins, one thing has remained the same – the family atmosphere among colleagues.
“From the time I came here to now, everyone has always cared for each other and would chip in if you needed help,” she said. “We’re one big happy family.”
After graduating high school in 1971, Hutchins left her hometown in Georgia to live in Philadelphia with her older sister, who was already working at PAH. It was her sister who introduced her to a job opening at the hospital, first in Phlebotomy where she collected and labeled patient samples.
“I’m one of six siblings, and [my sister] helped raise all of us. Now, I take care of her and visit whenever she needs me,” Hutchins said. Similarly, Hutchins explained how PAH has done the same for her: “The staff have always taken good care of me, giving me the best care whenever I needed it. They take care of me; I take care of them.”
Throughout her 50 years at PAH, Hutchins has served in various roles, first working in Phlebotomy, then as a secretary in Chemistry, moving to Central Specimen Processing, and eventually in her current role in Cytology.
In the Cytology lab, she prepares all the patient samples that are delivered, processes them, and sends them out to the Penn Center for Personalized Diagnostics for further testing and determining treatment plans.
“We have all new technology, but it all really boils down to the old-school style. I teach the new generation the old-fashioned way of preparing samples, and they help me get with the new age, even helping me with my phone,” she said. “We all look out for each other.”
When she’s not in the lab, Hutchins enjoys visiting her family and spending time with her two cats – Aretha and Franklin. Although born and raised in Georgia, she loves living in Philadelphia, particularly being able to work at PAH, and has no plans to leave anytime soon.
“I’m so proud to be part of this health system. I tell everyone I know that I work here,” said Hutchins. “If I could work another 50 years here, I would.”