Warminster’s Karen Hoyer connects the St. Mary community to information as its medical librarian
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
For as long as she can remember, Karen Hoyer has loved reading. A self-admitted bookworm, the Warminster native would zip through the pages of mystery novels as a child, determined to get to the bottom of each case.
Over the years, Hoyer held fast to that early interest in books and passion for problem solving, brilliantly managing to unite the two in a viable career path as a librarian. Currently, Hoyer boasts more than three decades of experience in the field, with the last six taking place at Langhorne’s St. Mary Medical Center, 1201 Langhorne-Newtown Road, as its resident medical librarian.
On a recent Wednesday morning, The Times sat down with Hoyer in the quaint library space to learn more about her expertise, and how she regularly helps physicians stay up-to-date on the latest healthcare trends, and provides patients with background information on diseases and treatments.
Hoyer attended Shippensburg University for her bachelor’s degree in English education and library science, followed by Drexel University for her master’s. After graduating, she worked at a variety of locations, including a government contract library, a business, a public library, pharmaceutical company and a library at Abington Hospital.
“A lot of library work is the same, but a lot of it is different depending on what kind you’re in,” she said. “I think public libraries are very much a challenge because you run into all kinds of people and all different information needs, and what people are really looking for versus what they ask for.”
According to Hoyer, this sentiment is true for a medical library as well. But that’s what keeps the job interesting.
“Every day is different. You never know exactly what’s going to happen, and that’s the fun thing. And I like the fact that I’m learning along with the people that I’m trying to find information for,” she said. “You have a challenge every time you go in to do a search, to see whether you’re going to find what you’re looking for or not. You’re not necessarily trying to fix things, but you’re trying to find answers for somebody. They didn’t know about this particular topic or drug or condition for someone in their family, for themselves, for someone that they know, a patient here. It’s very satisfying to help people with things like that.”
Physicians and patients alike are welcome to utilize the library, which features shelves of medical literature and multiple computers. Hoyer explained how each of the dozen or so people who stop by daily are seeking information on different topics. Doctors often inquire about guidelines and procedures regarding new cancer treatments, or wish to collect data for a department initiative, such as how to decrease falls. Hoyer aids them in finding results from past studies that could potentially be adopted at St. Mary.
Student residents can also be found conducting research for projects, as well as patients who wish to study up on a condition they’ve been diagnosed with or surgery they’re about to undergo. While guests won’t find the latest issue of People or celebrity biography, Hoyer promised they’ll leave with a slew of medical knowledge they didn’t have when they walked in the door.
“You run into a lot of finding exactly what’s out there now,” she said. “It’s a lot of hunting and searching, and that’s fun.”
For anyone who requests information from Hoyer, she works diligently to deliver answers within a day or two.
“I try to be very timely about things because most people are looking for timely answers,” she said. “If they don’t find it from you, they’re going to go to a search engine. So it’s better if you can get an accurate, up-to-date, meaningful set of information than just saying, ‘you check that one and I’ll check over here.’”
Still, the answers aren’t always a few clicks away.
“The hardest one I’ve run into recently is trying to find statistics,” she said, reflecting on a physician who wanted to know how many patients in Pennsylvania hospitals were discharged and returned in the past 30 days. “Finding those things is very hard because most of the time, the statistics are older. It’s a conglomeration of the last five years or something like that. You don’t find last month except at a specific hospital. So if you contacted the hospitals and asked those kinds of questions, you might be able to get that information. But to get it on a state level is rougher to find.”
Despite the occasional challenge, Hoyer isn’t one to ever say “no.” She’s always willing to play detective, like she did so long ago while reading her mystery novels, and find whatever information is needed. In fact, she wants more people to know about what she referred to as St. Mary’s “well-kept secret.”
“It’s a very, very important function that we provide, and do our best to keep everybody else up to date. If I found out that a particular physician or physician group has an interest in something general or specific, if I can find that information, I’ll send that to them to make sure they’re on top of it and can talk about it for the next conference or for their next meeting,” she said.
For Hoyer, it’s been a thrill to introduce the St. Mary community to her favorite mantra — “Stay curious.”
“Any healthcare information I can help you find, that’s what I’m here for. I appreciate the fact that people come here and need to know and want to know,” she said. “It behoves me to make my best effort to make them happy also.” ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
