Although this is three months following my experiences in Washington I want to share it with everyone!!
This year I attended the RT in D.C. with Kevin Lawrence, Sharon Wartanbee, and JJ Powell. Their experience in this field made this trip one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The event involved educational sessions on the current status of Medicare reform, the CARE and MARCA Bill, and how to lobby with state legislators. All of these combined helped me to become familiar with our professions current issues and to effectively communicate with our state Senators and Representative. State licensure is not present in South Dakota, which in my opinion is a major deficit in our field. State licensure would provide job security as well as set the standard for who is qualified to perform diagnostic imaging. By setting standards for who is qualified to perform diagnostic imaging it would reduce the number of repeat exams, reduce patient dose, and lower healthcare costs.
Our meetings began at Senator Tim Johnson's office where we were greeted with support of both of the issues we were lobbying. Following this we met with both Senator John Thune and Representative Kristi Noem's offices. We were welcomed by both offices and our statements were well received. Senator Thune agreed to review our proposal to amend a current bill and attach the language from the CARE Bill to it. Representative Noem believes that our new approach is applicable but did not support the issue due to her belief that it should be handled at the state legislative level rather than a federal approach.
This experience opened my eyes to how healthcare issues are handled in the government and is something I will never forget. My passion for advocacy in this field was solidified after I attended this event. Advocacy is an absolutely integral portion of every profession, especially Radiologic Technology, and I plan to continue supporting advancement in my future profession!
Saturday, June 15, 2013
2013 ASRT House of Delegates meeting
Hello all!
I would just like to give an update on my experience thus far at the ASRT HOD meeting. Kevin Lawrence, Hannah Cotton( the incoming student intern), Erin Ernst, and myself traveled to Albuquerque, NM on June 12th to attend the HOD as well as the annual educational symposium. On Thursday June 13th I attended multiple informational sessions on relevant topics to the radiology field, including current issues with medical ethics and Trauma Computed Tomography cases. Following these meetings the opening pin exchange ceremony was held. This was an absolutely wonderful experience and allowed us to network with fellow students and technologists from throughout the nation. The first House of Delegates meeting was held on June 14th. This meeting allowed myself as well as Hannah and Erin to experience the governance side of our national society. So much more goes into this aspect of our profession than anyone realizes unless they experience this meeting. Our Scope of Practice and professional Practice standards are set by the individuals involved in this society. These statements and documents define our career as technologists and help to solidify us as reputable healthcare professionals. There is still a full day and a half left of this annual meeting and I continue to learn more every minute! I will keep my fellow South Dakota technologists updated on my experiences as they happen!
I would just like to give an update on my experience thus far at the ASRT HOD meeting. Kevin Lawrence, Hannah Cotton( the incoming student intern), Erin Ernst, and myself traveled to Albuquerque, NM on June 12th to attend the HOD as well as the annual educational symposium. On Thursday June 13th I attended multiple informational sessions on relevant topics to the radiology field, including current issues with medical ethics and Trauma Computed Tomography cases. Following these meetings the opening pin exchange ceremony was held. This was an absolutely wonderful experience and allowed us to network with fellow students and technologists from throughout the nation. The first House of Delegates meeting was held on June 14th. This meeting allowed myself as well as Hannah and Erin to experience the governance side of our national society. So much more goes into this aspect of our profession than anyone realizes unless they experience this meeting. Our Scope of Practice and professional Practice standards are set by the individuals involved in this society. These statements and documents define our career as technologists and help to solidify us as reputable healthcare professionals. There is still a full day and a half left of this annual meeting and I continue to learn more every minute! I will keep my fellow South Dakota technologists updated on my experiences as they happen!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Only six months left!
Hello all,
It has been awhile since I have posted anything and I apologize for that!
Today in clinicals, the realization hit me that only six months remain in my Radiography program! This thought brings both feelings of excitement and anxiety. My plans after school also bring much of the same feelings. I have applied to three Radiation Therapy programs and am now just waiting to hear back to set up interview times. My interest in Radiation Therapy was sparked early on in my Radiography education. After the first few months in Radiography school I knew I had the desire to continue on, but was not firmly set on a specific modality and after exploring my options and observing different modalities, I decided on Radiation Therapy. This modality will allow me to fulfill my personal goal of physically treating disease rather than just being involved with the diagnosis of the problem.
The next six months will be a very busy time. I will be attending both RT in D.C. and the ASRT national conference in Albuquerque. I am eager to share my passion with others in D.C. and promote advancement within our field. Along with this I know I will develop connections with others who share the same passion for this wonderful career! On top of this I will be preparing for the Registry examination which will take numerous hours of reviewing my past course material. I have recently began studying and have found that using the ASRT student section reviews, drills and practice exercises, and the numerous other study tools have been extremely beneficial.
I will keep you posted on my DC experience this upcoming March!
It has been awhile since I have posted anything and I apologize for that!
Today in clinicals, the realization hit me that only six months remain in my Radiography program! This thought brings both feelings of excitement and anxiety. My plans after school also bring much of the same feelings. I have applied to three Radiation Therapy programs and am now just waiting to hear back to set up interview times. My interest in Radiation Therapy was sparked early on in my Radiography education. After the first few months in Radiography school I knew I had the desire to continue on, but was not firmly set on a specific modality and after exploring my options and observing different modalities, I decided on Radiation Therapy. This modality will allow me to fulfill my personal goal of physically treating disease rather than just being involved with the diagnosis of the problem.
The next six months will be a very busy time. I will be attending both RT in D.C. and the ASRT national conference in Albuquerque. I am eager to share my passion with others in D.C. and promote advancement within our field. Along with this I know I will develop connections with others who share the same passion for this wonderful career! On top of this I will be preparing for the Registry examination which will take numerous hours of reviewing my past course material. I have recently began studying and have found that using the ASRT student section reviews, drills and practice exercises, and the numerous other study tools have been extremely beneficial.
I will keep you posted on my DC experience this upcoming March!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Fall Retreat Statement
Fall Retreat Statement
For those of you that I have
not met, my name is Dan Gunderson and was selected as the 2012-13 Student
Intern. I was fortunate enough to be
able to attend the 2012 Annual conference as my first SDSRT event. I gained an immense amount of knowledge
regarding how the society is run. I
attended the scientific paper presentations, the educators meeting, as well as
the various board meetings throughout the weekend. The speakers introduced me to various topics
within healthcare that I would normally not be familiar with.
After
the convention I contemplated what I could do to benefit the SDSRT and future
student interns. When I applied for the
position I did not know what the position would entirely entail. In order to educate future applicants, I have
created a blog, in which I am posting periodically, to explain the things I
have experienced as the current intern.
The blog website was placed on the student area of sdsrt.org. It is available for anyone to view as well as
comment on any of the posts. Please feel
free to contact me with any suggestions or advice you have.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
2012 SDSRT Conference
Greetings!
It has been one week since the annual conference was held. If you weren't able to make it you truly missed out on some excellent speakers and camaraderie between technologists throughout the state. This year was my first SDSRT event and I gained an immense amount of knowledge about how the society is run.
The convention began with the student scientific paper presentations and I was truly impressed with all of them as well as the other students exhibits. The topics of each paper were very relevant to the field of radiology and I know everyone gained something from them. I was also fortunate enough to attend the educators meeting. This meeting opened my eyes to how different each program is run. Meeting the other program directors from throughout the state really showed me how truly passionate each one is about the field of Radiologic Technology and how fortunate each student in state is to have them to look up to. The meetings that I attended throughout the weekend gave me insight into some sides of healthcare that I would normally not hear about. Everything from information on healthcare reform and the effect that it will have on technologists, to the connections between radiology and sports-related concussions.
Overall, my favorite part of convention were the board meetings. I felt that when we came together as a group to discuss or resolve a topic, we were able to accomplish the overall goal. Observing these meetings showed me that South Dakota has a great society and the technologists running it are people that I aspire to be.
It has been one week since the annual conference was held. If you weren't able to make it you truly missed out on some excellent speakers and camaraderie between technologists throughout the state. This year was my first SDSRT event and I gained an immense amount of knowledge about how the society is run.
The convention began with the student scientific paper presentations and I was truly impressed with all of them as well as the other students exhibits. The topics of each paper were very relevant to the field of radiology and I know everyone gained something from them. I was also fortunate enough to attend the educators meeting. This meeting opened my eyes to how different each program is run. Meeting the other program directors from throughout the state really showed me how truly passionate each one is about the field of Radiologic Technology and how fortunate each student in state is to have them to look up to. The meetings that I attended throughout the weekend gave me insight into some sides of healthcare that I would normally not hear about. Everything from information on healthcare reform and the effect that it will have on technologists, to the connections between radiology and sports-related concussions.
Overall, my favorite part of convention were the board meetings. I felt that when we came together as a group to discuss or resolve a topic, we were able to accomplish the overall goal. Observing these meetings showed me that South Dakota has a great society and the technologists running it are people that I aspire to be.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Introduction
Hello all!!
First off I would just like to introduce myself, my name is Dan Gunderson and am currently a first year Radiology Intern at Sanford USD Medical Center. Last fall I was informed of an opportunity to apply for a student internship with the South Dakota Society of Radiologic Technologists and became interested. Getting more involved within the profession is important and I saw this as a perfect opportunity to do so. I was selected as the 2012-2013 Student Intern and feel privileged to be given this honor.
Professional organizations within a person's career are essential in order to further your knowledge. The SDSRT allows technologists to connect with their colleagues throughout the state. The relationships that are developed within the society pave the way for the future of our profession. Throughout my time as the Student Intern I will be posting on this blog in order to inform future students of what the position truly entails. As well as this, my goal is to make this a way for Radiology students throughout the state to become more connected and share their thoughts. I am very excited to share my experiences throughout the next year with all of the students and technologists in South Dakota!!
First off I would just like to introduce myself, my name is Dan Gunderson and am currently a first year Radiology Intern at Sanford USD Medical Center. Last fall I was informed of an opportunity to apply for a student internship with the South Dakota Society of Radiologic Technologists and became interested. Getting more involved within the profession is important and I saw this as a perfect opportunity to do so. I was selected as the 2012-2013 Student Intern and feel privileged to be given this honor.
Professional organizations within a person's career are essential in order to further your knowledge. The SDSRT allows technologists to connect with their colleagues throughout the state. The relationships that are developed within the society pave the way for the future of our profession. Throughout my time as the Student Intern I will be posting on this blog in order to inform future students of what the position truly entails. As well as this, my goal is to make this a way for Radiology students throughout the state to become more connected and share their thoughts. I am very excited to share my experiences throughout the next year with all of the students and technologists in South Dakota!!
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