“There are 3 kinds of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened” (Tommy Lasorda). I think of this quote, as always trying to get better in life whether if it is for yourself, your family or your organization. Having goals in life keep a person motivated and structured. A person without goals I feel life will pass them by and before they know it they will wonder “what happened?” Finishing my bachelor’s and master’s degree have been personal goals of mine for a very long time, however; what will happen after the completion of my masters degree? The three future goals that I have come up with are: 1) Keeping up with technology 2) Become a teacher and teach courses in a radiography program and a community college 3) Becoming an educational coordinator for the radiology department at Northwestern Medicine.
Technology is the future and I need to keep up with it. My first future goal is to keep up with technology in all sorts of aspects such as everyday living and in my work setting. Technology is everywhere and all around us such as, social media, communication methods, and education. I feel it is important to keep up and make the adjustments to where I am comfortable as long as it does not take over my life. I have worked in the field of Radiology for fifteen years and I have seen the field majorly evolve with the use of technology. Converting from an analogue system (darkroom, films, cassettes) to digital analogue system (film less, no darkroom, computers) and it has provided an upgrade in patient care and workflow. The department I work in our leadership team has transformed our procedure suites that provided the basic needs to perform simple flouroscopic procedures to a complete overhaul of technological change. With these new suites the physicians are able to combine modalities such as computer tomography (CT) Ultrasound and live x-ray at the same time to perform procedures and produce positive outcomes. I need to keep up because this is my skill and I want to stay efficient. To stay proficient I am a member of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT). With this membership I complete continuing education points related to innovative procedures. Every year I attend the national convention called Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA). This convention is a platform for radiology education and research. I attend seminars that showcase cutting edge and premarket technology. Utilizing both resources I am able to keep up with radiologic technology.
My second future goal has a short and long term goal. The short term is to become an instructor in the radiography program at Northwestern Medicine. I have been a preceptor in the department I work in for about five years and love doing it. I love sharing my knowledge of the field of radiology and teaching the skills I have developed over the years with students. I would like to take it to the next level and teach a course. As a starting point I am the clinical instructor for the students that rotate in the department. As a clinical instructor I have to make sure the students complete their comps during their rotation and make sure they see many procedures during their time. I feel this a good step towards becoming an instructor in the radiography program. My Long term goal is I hope to teach in a community college setting. I will have many years of experience in the medical field and I would like to teach courses such as medical terminology, anatomy & physiology when I retire from Northwestern Medicine.
Currently, there is an educational coordinator in the department and he is a nurse by trade. He coordinates education for both the nurses and the technologist for the department which is close to 300 staff members. I feel that is a lot for one person. If I can be given the opportunity to become an educational coordinator for just the radiologic technologist that can ease off on the workload and can provide more attention and upkeep on education for x-ray technologist such as concentrating on getting more continuing education opportunities, help schedule technologist for CPR renewal classes, and coordinate the online training courses in a timely manner. I feel this can be a benefit for the department of radiology and an opportunity to improve continuing education for technologist.
In conclusion, everyday I wake up there is always something to learn. Learning something new everyday and having goals keeps the mind and body sharp, more importantly it keeps the person relevant in society. I do not want to wake up one morning and wonder “what happened?”
(Tommy Lasorda, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and 2 time World Series Champion