General Education
Communications 1010
Spring Semester 2012
It's been great to finally be starting my college education at Salt Lake Community College. The first semester is now coming to an end and I'm ready for the next. I started with math 0990 and communications 1010. I have reviewed and been taught quite a bit in math and have done well this semester. I couldn't be happier about my progress in math. The communications class has been great as well. I particularly enjoyed the interview assignment which is posted below.
Research Interview Project
Submitted by:
Brittany Koury
Salt Lake Community College
Communication 1010
February 18, 2012
My interview was with Ultrasound Technician Heather Andersen. I have always known I would like to have a career in the medical field yet not until a year ago decided that I would love it to be in Ultrasound. It was a great opportunity to be able to meet with someone working in the career I’m interested in. I actually have even more of a drive to achieve my goal after I talked with Heather.
The memo that follows is a summary of information & advice from the interview.
A Typical Day
Heather really likes that she may do similar things every single work day yet each work day is very different from the next. She works in a hospital setting & goes wherever she is needed. Some ultrasounds are scheduled & in between she may need to run to the emergency room to do another ultrasound.
I found out that ultrasound is used throughout the whole hospital & you can get a more accurate diagnosis than CAT Scans & MRI’s. There is just so much detail you can see with an ultrasound to pin point what is exactly going on inside the body. Ultrasound Technicians look at babies & check for other things in the abdomen, but they also look at the thyroid, kidneys, liver, & even check for blood clots in the arms & legs. A couple of interesting things that I had no idea Ultrasound Technicians did are biopsies & draining fluids from areas that need to be seen. A fun way Heather explained ultrasound is that it’s kind of like detective work for the body to figure out what the problem is. You can find out if someone has cancer, urine backup in the kidneys, & of course how the babies are growing in the uterus.
Getting Started in Ultrasound
There are actually two levels in ultrasound. Before a student takes the national board they are called Special Procedures Technologist. After you pass the national board you are an Ultrasound Technologist. Heather graduated from SLCC so it was great to find out how students are picked for the ultrasound course. A helpful tip Heather gave me was to get on the waitlist for X-ray technician classes because there isn’t a waitlist for ultrasound at this time. The way students are picked is on a point system. The certification is through IHC so you could have points for already working for them, if you have X-ray certification, how well you do in an interview & how well you do giving a presentation. When you get into the course it’s a 6 semester program.
All the hard work to get into ultrasound definitely seems worth it though. I found out that before taking the national board you start at about $20/hr., after you pass the test you get a $6/hr. raise. The other benefits, & exciting fast paced work also appeal to me.
Analysis of Ultrasound Technician as my Career Choice
I had been fairly certain that I wanted to be an Ultrasound Technician before I conducted the career interview with Heather. After I got to talk with someone actually working in that career I’m even more excited to achieve that goal. I found out that it can be a fast paced career when working in a hospital setting & I love that kind of work. I also love that it is a career that helps people to discover what the problem could be with their health in order to fix it. The advice on getting on the X-ray Tech waitlist & the process of being picked for the Ultrasound course is highly valuable to me.
Analysis of my Interviewing Process
I have to admit I was a little nervous at first to do this project. I do talk to strangers all day in my job I have now, but at times can be a little introverted when not working & don’t like figuring out time to set up meetings with people. One thing I just reminded myself is that an interview is just a semi-formal conversation with another person. My list of questions was imperative to make sure I didn’t miss any information I wanted to find out from Heather. I also decided to bring a voice recorder so I could maintain the natural flow of the conversation as much as possible & not feel as though I was interrupting her thoughts. I’m very grateful for this assignment & now have such valuable & exciting information on a career that I know will change my life for the better.
Letter of Thanks
Dear Heather,
I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with me about being an Ultrasound Technician.
After we talked it made me even more enthusiastic to do the hard work ahead in order to become an Ultrasound Technician myself. The advice you gave me on how the point system is used to choose students for the course & suggesting that I get on the X-ray Tech waitlist in case I’m not chosen right away for ultrasound is highly valuable information to me. I can’t thank you enough.
A couple of things in particular I think I would like about a career in ultrasound are how well you can see the inner workings of the body for diagnosis reasons in order to help the patient. Another thing I know I would really like is to work in a hospital environment because I would love the fast paced work & the opportunity to help with all kinds of different patients from the ER, to Labor & Delivery, & any other area ultrasound is needed for the day. I love the satisfied feeling after a busy day of work is done!
I can’t thank you enough for your helpful information. It was a pleasure to be able to meet with you.
Sincerely,
Brittany Koury
