Jan. 14, 2016
One of my greatest honors is being able to volunteer in the radiologic sciences community through the ASRT Foundation.
At an early age, I discovered how personally fulfilling it is to give back to our community, and volunteering has been a part of my life ever since. I volunteer for several organizations because I believe in the great work they are doing for our community.
Medical imaging is a field in which I am proud to work, and I want to do everything I can to help the profession move forward. One of the biggest challenges in our community is that other health care specialties do not fully understand what we do and how important our work is for the health and safety of our patients. That’s why I feel it is our duty as R.T.s to help educate others and advocate for the profession we love.
My involvement in helping the Foundation began while I was volunteering for the ASRT on the ASRT Scanner Editorial Advisory Panel. Working on this panel, I learned about the Foundation and the various programs it offered.
At the time I was pursuing my doctorate and needed financial assistance to complete the program. I applied for and was awarded a Foundation scholarship that helped me finish the program and earn my degree. It meant the world to me.
The idea that others donated their own money so people like me could continue their education was overwhelming. I wanted to help others the way donors had helped me. I got involved with the Foundation as a way of paying forward the support others had given me.
As I learned more about what the Foundation does for our community, I was drawn to its community outreach efforts and applied to be considered for a volunteer position on the ASRT Foundation Community Outreach Review Committee.
I wanted be a part of this committee because of my experiences serving in the U.S. Army in the Middle East. I worked directly with the local health care communities and saw firsthand the challenges that some of these populations faced in providing health care to their people. The Foundation’s community outreach projects help provide much needed training and education to those underserved populations.
The impact volunteers have on these communities is huge, and I feel blessed to be able to be a part of this great work. This committee has allowed me to make a difference in the lives of people like the ones I worked with when I was overseas.
On a more personal note, volunteering on this committee has expanded my knowledge. Each member of the committee plays an important role in the success of every community outreach project, and the process involves a lot of collaboration among committee members. Because the Foundation provides opportunities for radiation therapists and radiologic technologists in all modalities and facets of the profession, the committee is made up of experts from these areas.
By working together to assess the needs of each project and select the best volunteer candidates to do the important work, we learn from each other. This adds another aspect of educating each other to the field and helps us give back even more to our professional community.
Foundation supporters and volunteers are helping to create a bright future for everyone in the medical imaging and radiation therapy professions. It is this sense of community and giving back to one another that makes volunteering so rewarding for me. Whether it’s volunteering time or donating funds for research grants, scholarships and community outreach projects, I believe it’s important that everyone support our future in a way they find meaningful.