CERTIFIED SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST STANDS STRONG IN THE CURRENT
What do you do when your life’s work collides with the rising tide of life? For Kristin Berlin, Certified Surgical Technologist, the stated goal is to shift the momentum around midlife crisis—for good.
“I want to help people that might be experiencing something like what I went through. My first career as a teacher was so fulfilling. I was able to be at school with my kids and then read to them every night, too. But they don’t just stop growing up!”
As the divorced mother of two shepherded her youngest off to join his brother in the college ranks, Berlin wasn’t just about to be staring at 50 candles on her next birthday cake.
“My dad had congestive heart failure which necessitated many trips to St. Clair, including a stay in the intensive care unit at St. Clair with Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia. He was my best friend, and when he died some part of me realized I was going to be alone.”
Two fascinating elements of the care provided at St. Clair stirred something inside Berlin.
“I was blown away by the teamwork—all of the cross-department collaboration. At the same time, so many of them knew my dad! He was a teacher and administrator in the Mt. Lebanon school district and it seemed like one, ‘Hey, Mr. Miller!’ after another. They took his care personally and he really felt that.”
Every beep of a machine. Every drip of an IV. Every overhead page. Every warm blanket. And each kind conversation with a member of her dad’s care team sparked a curious thought.
“I wondered, ‘Could I do that?’ Beyond the technical expertise, everyone so obviously loved their jobs. That’s how ‘could I’ turned into something I knew I had to do.”
When your life’s work has been the family business—and the family business is education—that means you go back to school.
“My mom and her parents were also teachers and administrators, so you could say I was raised to love learning. I really looked up to my mom and wanted to be just like her. I’m a very passionate person— when I believe in something, I’m 100 percent all-in. I wanted to better myself, and not just for the sake of it. I wanted whatever came from my career change to help others. There’s just something truly empowering about servant leadership.”
Berlin, who grew up in Mt. Lebanon, enrolled at Pittsburgh Technical College where she earned an Associate of Science Degree in Surgical Technology. Through the School of Healthcare, Berlin received the Richard S. Caliguiri Award in honor of her academic achievements, personal achievements, and perseverance.
“School was so hard—and it was so worth it. Training to work in the operating room (OR) felt like it woke up a new part of my brain. From the ins and outs of air pressure, humidity, and anesthesia to something as granular as why the cabinets are recessed to create the most sterile environment possible. Every little thing is everything for each patient that comes through that door.”
In 2018, a familiar one opened as Berlin placed at St. Clair.
“I don’t believe in coincidences. This is something that was meant to be for me, and, now I’m walking down those same hallways with a complete sense of purpose because I feel like my dad is so proud of me.”
For Berlin, the connection is profound.
“He doesn’t know anything about this journey I’m on, but I’m here because of him. I always feel like a little piece of my dad is still with me whenever I’m on campus.”
The added bonus is extensive—carried across her new extended family.
“That’s really what it’s like—they’ve become some of the best friends I’ve ever had. I’ve never been in an environment that’s so team-focused. We really care about each other, and that’s extremely important to me. There isn’t a week that goes by where someone doesn’t tell me they’re so happy I’m working that particular day, and I feel the exact same way about them.”
At St. Clair Health, Berlin’s passion for pushing her personal progression unites with compassionate care for patients every time she’s in the OR. From setup through surgery, every segment of her journey serves as an instrument of success.
“Time stands still when you’re holding the hand of someone who’s maybe scared or uncertain or just in need of that human element on their way into surgery. I’m whole when I’m in that moment.”