Thanks for working here this week: Barb Shober, RPSGT, Sleep Center

Campbell County Health is proud of its employees, and we want the CCH family and the Campbell County community to know about the good work that they do for this organization.

Introducing Barb Shober, RPSGT, a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist at the Sleep Center at Campbell County Memorial Hospital in Gillette, Wyoming. Barb has earned a nursing degree from Switzerland, but never had it transferred to the U.S. She’s worked for CCH a total of 16 years; but, has been in healthcare since she was 15 years old!

CCH's Sleep Center is specially designed for sleep studies and provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment for more than 70 different sleep disorders. The most commonly treated sleep disorders are: snoring, sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and shift work disorder. Left untreated, sleep disorders can lead to serious health conditions like weight gain, high blood pressure, cardiac problems, diabetes, and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents.

Barb said she was drawn to a career in healthcare early on because she always cared about others.

She calls her healthcare hero Dr. Ramzi Ammari. “I worked closely with him while he was our medical director, and always admired his dedication to his work and most of all his patience, his vast knowledge, and his kind heart. I will always remember his perfectly starched shirts and the wafts of cologne as he speed-walked through the hallways. He was such an example of an incredible physician as well as a wonderful human,” she says.

When she’s not at work, Barb likes to keep herself busy. “I live on a small hobby farm, raising goats, chickens, bees, and miniature cows. My medical training has come in handy many times, taking care of critters or birthing baby goats. I love to garden and go hiking, and I have a small cookie decorating business on the side (check out The Bakerin on Facebook or Instagram). Our six kids are mostly grown by now, so parenting does not take up quite as much time as it used to. I love to cook for others, and am involved in summer camps as the camp cook every summer. As a Swiss person by birth, I also like to eat chocolate and cheese, and do some downhill skiing when I get a chance,” she says.

We asked Barb what she likes most about working for CCH, and what excellence every day means to her. Check out her response:

“My favorite part about my job is that treating sleep disorders is truly life-changing. It gives my work a lot of validation when patients wake up after their first night on CPAP, and say, ‘Wow, this is the best sleep I have had in years,’ or ‘I have forgotten how good it can feel to sleep.’ We know it improves their health, and really their life overall. Those success stories drive me. I know most people think my job must be really boring—after all, who wants to watch people sleep for a living, but there is so much technical knowledge, intuition, teaching abilities, and interpersonal skills that are needed to do this job well.

We have incredible staff here in the sleep center, and it’s been a joy to be a part of this team for as long as I have.

To me, excellence every day is putting forth my best effort at all times. Many of our sleep patients arrive at the sleep lab with concerns, fears, frustration, and hesitation over this all-night test. To guide them through this process successfully is only possible if I give them my best.”

Thanks, Barb, for taking such great care of our patients. We appreciate you!

Is there a CCH employee who went the extra mile or shows you extraordinary service? Give them a pat on the back by completing an Excellence Every Day card.

To learn more about the services available in the Sleep Center, visit www.cchwyo.org/sleep.