Cool Careers : Medical Imaging Technician

Hi, I'm Reitsa, and today I'm here at Stormont Vale Health to learn about medical imaging as a career. Stormont Vale Health is a healthcare organization that runs hospitals and clinics all over Kansas. Even though Stormont Vale's main hospital and 14 of its clinics are in Topeka, they also have 11 clinics in other parts of the state. Altogether, they have more than 5,200 employees taking care of patients all over Kansas. That's a lot of people. Today we're going to learn about medical imaging and the job of an imaging technologist who plays a very important role in diagnosing illnesses and injuries. Let's go! I'd like to introduce you to Hannah, who works as an imaging technologist at Stormont Vale. Hannah, do you want to tell us what medical imaging is? Sure thing. Medical imaging is the use of different technologies to see inside the human body to help doctors diagnose any injury or illness. Each of those technologies are called modalities. Each modality sees into the body a different way. So what's the difference between imaging and radiology? I've heard a lot about radiologists on TV shows. Radiology and imaging are very similar. The term radiology comes from the invention of the x-ray that was made over 120 years ago. X-rays are a type of radiation. We use different intensities or levels of that radiation to see inside the body. The doctor uses those x-rays to diagnose if you have a broken bone or not. Imaging is just a general term classifying all the different modalities that we have. Each of those modalities see into the body a different way. Some use radiation and some use other technologies. X-rays are typically the first type of equipment imaging techs learn to use. Overall, it's kind of the gateway to the imaging world. I had an x-ray once when I broke my finger playing kickball. It didn't hurt a bit. Well, the x-ray part that is. Yes, most kids are familiar with x-rays just because they either broke the bone or it's because it's the first thing they learn for the letter X. X-rays work by moving a type of energy called radiation through a body part toward a detector on the other side. The detector picks up the x-rays as they pass through the body and they turn them into an image. I studied x-rays while going to college at Fort Hayes State University to get my bachelor's degree in medical diagnostic imaging. While there, I also learned more about CT, PET scan, MRI, and interventional radiology and ultrasound, which is my favorite. So why is ultrasound your favorite? Ultrasound is so fascinating to me. It's so awesome how you can see inside the human body without harming the patient. During college, while I was learning how to be an imaging tech, I was reminded about how much I love to solve puzzles. And with puzzles, you have to put small pieces and clues together, which is much like an ultrasound. I use the doctor's notes as to why they want the test done. Before I start, I interview the patient to get to clues about where to look for the cause of their symptoms. Then I use the ultrasound machine to see inside the body for what could be causing the problem. I use everything I know about the human body to keep searching for any possible explanation, hoping to solve the puzzle and help the doctor treat the patient in the best way. I take images or video loops of everything I find to later present to the doctor or radiologist, who looks at all the evidence I gathered to make an official diagnosis. It's very cool. Besides being the eyes of the doctor, what else do you like about being an imaging tech? So with ultrasound specifically, they're just really cool. When I'm doing an ultrasound, I move a probe that's called a transducer in the areas of concern on the body. The probe gives off different levels of frequency of sound waves, and you can't hear those sounds, but when they bounce off of different textures or densities of the body, they echo back to the transducer where our computer creates the image. It's very similar to echolocation sonar technology that submarines use to navigate the depths of the ocean. Dolphins also use a type of echolocation when they hunt and move around in the water. That's so cool to think about, that you can use sound to see inside something like a body. Who would have thought that a machine would have something in common with a dolphin? Would you like to see an ultrasound in action? Yes, absolutely! Now we just gotta decide if we're gonna scan your body or mine. Hmm. How about both? Sounds like a plan! You know, I think, I think I might need some scrubs for this. Looking like a natural! Thanks, I feel like it! Well, let's go! Hannah showed me how the ultrasound machine works. She put this gel stuff on my neck and arms, then firmly pushed the probe against my body. It was so cool. Then we switched places, and I got to use the transducer on Hannah to see her internal organs. In case you're wondering, all of our insides look super awesome. Well, what'd you think? That was awesome! You have one of the coolest jobs in the world! I think so, too. I really enjoy it. So what inspired you to become an imaging tech? So it goes back to when I was a junior in high school, one of my math teachers brought in a CT head image of her husband, because he was going through brain cancer treatments at the time. And after seeing that, I just thought it was absolutely amazing how they could see inside the human body from the outside. I then found out that I could get my degree into medical imaging from Fort Hay State and decided that's what I wanted to do next. So what do you like the most about being an imaging tech besides solving puzzles? I'd have to say it's the people. I really enjoy helping my patients come through that door, whether it's good or bad, helping them find a diagnosis and getting them the correct treatment that they need. It is a very rewarding feeling, knowing that they're going to be taken care of and being able to move on with the rest of their life or get the care that they actually truly need to get to that point. There's also a lot of job security in my imaging field as a whole, whether it's in any type of modality. You can really get a job across the entire country right now and as well as it's a pretty good paying job too, which is always a good bonus. Your job is so cool and you must have so much fun with it. Thank you so much for teaching me all about it. You bet. It was my pleasure. So if I do end up wanting to become an imaging tech, what should I do now to start getting ready? First, you'll want to apply for an imaging program and those can be pretty competitive to get into. So you'll have to make sure that you keep your grades up so you look good when you apply. You'll also want to make sure that you take as many biology related science classes as you can and make sure that you enjoy them. If you don't find biology and the human body fascinating, then this might not be the right career for you. So I know you went to college and got your bachelor's degree, but it's not the only way to become an imaging tech. Nope, there's actually a lot of different ways to get into medical imaging. One way in particular is to get an entry level position at your local hospital right out of high school. A lot of our employees work at the hospital while finishing up their degrees from either a community college or a technical school too. Not everyone has to take a long six year route like I did. You can finish an imaging degree in two to four years too. Well you've certainly given me a lot to think about. This could be a really cool career one day. I think you'd really like it. I want to thank Hannah and everyone at Stormont Vale for letting me come out here today and learn about all different types of modalities, especially ultrasound, which was my personal favorite. Be sure to visit higherpaths.com to explore other high demand careers. Until next time, this is Bryce signing off in Manhattan for Cool Careers. Have a great day!