Best Seat in the House Belonged to Student Interns

BY KATHERINE KIRSCH, STUDENT RADIOGRAPHER

Mingling with our profession’s leaders and witnessing their dedication inspired us.

AS STUDENTS, we learn about physics, positioning, patient safety and the techniques used in radiography. We are introduced to organizations to guide us in our profession, but we don’t really understand how they operate. We see what our state affiliates do, but it’s nothing quite like at the national level.

Five other students and I had our applications selected and we served as student interns at the ASRT Annual Governance and House of Delegates Meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. I don’t think any of us knew what to expect.

With me were Laura Hansen and Kaylen Hunter, radiography students at the Mayo School of Health Sciences in Rochester, Minn. Mary Hart is a radiography student at City College of San Francisco.

Crystal Penaloza is a radiation therapy student at University of Texas Southwesten Medical Center, School of Health Professions, in Dallas. Ted Slater Jr. is a radiography student at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York.

The first day we met other students attending the Educational Symposium and made many new friends. We learned a lot that day.

The House of Delegates held its first business meeting on Friday. We all were assigned mentors, who answered a lot of our questions. I was assigned to Speaker of the House Donna Thaler Long, M.S.M., R.T.(R)(M)(QM), FASRT, and Vice Speaker of the House Sandra Hayden, M.A., R.T.(T). They were very welcoming and willing to teach me.

I was at the front of the House, which was an amazing sight. Because we were allowed to participate in some of the roles of the House, it was a very eye opening experience, as we saw firsthand at this meeting and the business meeting on Sunday the extent of the structure and delegates’ participation in the House. Everyone is there to work together to make the organization successful.

When not at the House, we mingled with leaders of our profession and attended the Honors Evening and Installation of Officers. It was all very inspiring, hearing how passionate these leaders are about their profession. It made us want to achieve so much more. We feel honored to have gotten a glimpse into the running of ASRT.

KATHERINE KIRSCH is a radiography student at Riverland Community College in Albert Lea, Minn. She’s been an ASRT member since 2010.

                                                                                                                                                             ©2011, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission of the ASRT for educational purposes.

Click here to download the original article taken from the August/September issue of the ASRT SCANNER.