Technology touches nearly every corner of a modern hospital. When a workstation won't connect to the network, a printer stops responding, or an employee needs help navigating a system, a hospital's work can't just stop — patient care teams need to keep moving.
That's where Aaron Conrardy comes in.
As an IT end user services specialist at CommonSpirit St. Catherine Hospital - Dodge City, Conrardy helps ensure the technology hospital employees rely on remains available and functional. Computer user support specialists provide technical assistance with hardware and software, including printing, installation, email, and operating systems.
"A typical day revolves around making sure all of the IT equipment stays working so our team can serve our patients," Conrardy said.
That responsibility is essential in any workplace, but especially at St. Catherine Hospital - Dodge City, a 99-bed hospital serving southwest Kansas. The hospital provides services ranging from emergency and rehabilitation care to cardiology and other specialties.
Supporting the Tech Behind Critical Patient Care
While Conrardy's work may happen behind the scenes, its effect ripples through a facility where clinical and administrative teams depend on digital documentation and communication tools every day. For him, IT support is about more than repairing equipment or resolving an isolated technical problem.
Each working device and restored connection helps another hospital employee return to serving patients. Conrardy understands that even a relatively small issue, if left unaddressed, can disrupt the work happening elsewhere in the hospital.
"Technology affects all aspects of people's daily lives at this time," Conrardy said. “I'm glad to be part of helping people when they have technology needs.”
Conrardy brings decades of customer support experience to the hospital. Before joining the team, he spent 23 years supporting a grocery retail customer. The experience left him looking for a career opportunity that would keep him closer to home and allow him to serve the community where he has spent his life.
He found that at St. Catherine Hospital not only serves its community, but also helps Conrardy to do the same.
"I’m truly thankful for an organization that helps support local entities outside of the hospital," Conrardy said.
Giving Back to the Community He Loves
When he isn't working at the hospital, he volunteers and serves on the board of directors at the Dodge City Family YMCA, an opportunity he said, "allows me to give back to an amazing community that has given so much to me over the years."
For Conrardy, that community is defined by both its character and its willingness to show up for neighbors in need.
"Dodge City is a proud and diverse community that seems to always help people out when they need it," he said.
That same spirit shapes how he views his colleagues. Although Conrardy's job centers around technology, the people he supports — and the team he does so with — remain at the heart of the work.
"I’m proud to be a part of a team that feels like family," he said.
