In Profile: Scholarship Winners
One is pursuing his master's in clinical engineering; the other is a mother of four returning to college to study biomedical equipment technology and medical imaging technology. The two winners of the AAMI Foundation's Michael J. Miller Scholarship Program, Ed Ryan and Leslie Carroll, are highly motivated students. Their academic excellence and commitment to the profession has earned them $2,500 to help in their pursuits.
Ed Ryan
 |
|
| Ed Ryan |
Ed Ryan is working toward his master's, focusing on clinical engineering, through the University of Connecticut's Biomedical Engineering program. He currently is interning at the Hartford Hospital's Biomedical Engineering Department.
How did you first become interested in clinical engineering?
I found out about clinical engineering largely by accident. It started with an e-mail late in my senior year from a professor I had been doing research for, mentioning that there was an opening in the University of Connecticut's Clinical Engineering Program. I applied and got the position I have at Hartford Hospital. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about clinical engineering at that point. However, over the short time I have been an intern, the profession has really grown on me. It allows me to apply my biomedical engineering background in a way that I can see how it has an impact on the care we provide at the hospital.
As an intern, what experiences have stood out the most for you?
The most memorable experiences I've had are the two operating room cases I have observed: a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and a prostatectomy. The TAVR case was the most impressive, with such a large volume of clinicians and technology working to replace the patient's faulty valve. The procedure was approved by the FDA in November 2011; therefore, it was an opportunity that I would have not gotten to see if not for this program.
The robot-assisted prostatectomy showed me another approach to surgery. I previously had seen images of "open" surgeries and had a general idea how much less-invasive the robot-assisted procedures were, but actually getting to see it, how the extra degrees of freedom helped the case to be completed. Overall, it was just a very exciting thing to watch.
What classes have you enjoyed?
My favorite class is a clinical rotations course that is formally taken each spring semester in the program, though the work for it is done throughout the year. The course requires us to shadow clinical staff in various departments within the hospital and observe how medical technology has an impact on the care provided. This experience gives us, as developing clinical engineers, some insight into what the clinical staff likes or dislikes using; complaints they have; suggestions or ideas they would like to see implemented; and a variety of other feedback. We, in turn, get a much better perspective on how the technology is being used and can focus our attention more on areas that we and the clinical staff find most relevant.
Leslie Carroll
 |
|
| Leslie Carroll |
Leslie Carroll is a returning college student with a passion for customer service. Because she also likes working with her hands, becoming a healthcare technology management professional seemed like a natural choice. She currently is enrolled at the Texas State Technical College (TSTC), dual majoring in biomedical equipment technology and medical imaging technology.
What prompted you to major in biomedical equipment technology/medical imaging technology?
I am not sure that I chose the biomedical equipment technology/medical imaging technology field; I think that it really chose me. I came to TSTC with my cousin. She had thought it would be a better idea to attend a technical school and learn a trade rather than go to a two- or four-year college and get another degree that just gave us a piece of paper with our names on it. I agreed.
At the time, I had absolutely no idea what my major would be. I was handed a list of the programs, and I had it narrowed down to two that I thought seemed interesting—biomedical equipment technology and nanotechnology. I asked the adviser what in the world biomed was, and when she told me, I knew that I had found my calling. I had a premature baby girl in November 2008. Remembering all of the machines that were attached to that tiny baby is what really prompted me to go into this field.
I see you held customer service jobs previously. What did you enjoy about that line of work?
I am a very outgoing person. I love being around people, and I have never met a stranger. I thank my father for that fact. I love to help people and always want everyone to be happy. If they are not happy, I want to do whatever is necessary to lighten their mood. That is what I enjoy the most about customer service.
What have been some of your favorite courses?
Some of my favorite courses at TSTC have been my electrical classes. When I started this program, I had no idea that I would be good at working with electrical circuits. I really excelled in my AC/DC class, and I absolutely loved it. I also really enjoyed the soldering class—being able to build the circuits and actually see the components working together was amazing.
AAMI News: June 2013, Vol. 48, No. 6