This is “The RAD Position” with ASRT CEO and Executive Director Melissa Pergola, a
podcast for medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals.
Melissa Pergola: Hi there, and welcome back to “The RAD Position” podcast. I’m your host, Melissa
Pergola, ASRT CEO and executive director.
Ray Arambula: And I’m her co-host, Ray Arambula.
Melissa Pergola: I’m so happy to have you, Ray.
Ray Arambula: Well, thank you.
Melissa Pergola: I haven’t said that yet.
Ray Arambula: You haven’t.
Melissa Pergola: I’m so happy to have you as a partner.
Ray Arambula: You should be.
Melissa Pergola: [laughs] I am. I am. And I’m so happy about this episode that is airing tonight. So
we are talking to three unique individuals in our profession who have sort of alternative careers.
Ray Arambula: Yeah, interesting, very unique pathways that I think we’re going to learn more about,
anywhere from sports to everyday patients to pets.
Melissa Pergola: All right, we’ll get started right after this message.
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Melissa Pergola: Our first guest today is Karen Anderson, a seasoned leader in the field of medical
imaging whose career spans clinical practice, education, health IT and industry leadership. Karen began her journey as
a radiologic technologist and mammographer, eventually earning her bachelor’s of science in radiologic technology and
her master’s in health care administration.
Her career took root in clinical settings, but she quickly expanded into education, serving as a clinical instructor
at the Parkland School of Radiologic Sciences in Texas. From there, she transitioned into health care analytics and IT
roles with MD Buyline and McKesson before returning to Parkland as both radiology IT manager and later as breast
center manager.
After more than five years leading the breast center, Karen shifted into the corporate side of health care, taking on
leadership roles at Solace, GE HealthCare and now Siemens Healthineers. She currently serves as a scientific marketing
manager and key opinion leader manager for the North American women’s health business.
We’re excited to have Karen. Her career reflects not only the wide range of opportunities available to radiologic
technologists but also the value of blending clinical expertise with leadership, strategy and innovation. I’m really
happy to welcome her to the show today to talk about alternative career paths in medical imaging and how technologists
can grow beyond the traditional clinical track.
Welcome, Karen.
Karen Anderson: Thank you so much, and I’m excited to be here to share some transferable skills and
some fulfilling opportunities outside of the hospital setting.
Melissa Pergola: Yes, yes. So we’re going to talk about that and all of the skills and the
interesting opportunities. But I want to go back maybe to the beginning. So you’ve had an amazing, rich and evolving
career, but can you tell us what drew you to radiography and mammography at the very start?
Karen Anderson: My professional career began in Conway, Arkansas, where I attended the University of
Central Arkansas. And I did my clinicals at the St. Edwards Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
And it was there that my radiologic technology and medical director kind of encouraged me to pursue some
opportunities at a really large hospital in Dallas — Parkland Hospital. And it was at Parkland where I really began to
understand and really, really mold myself into becoming the best radiographer that I could be.
Melissa Pergola: Nice.
Karen Anderson: I always wanted to help people. I knew I couldn’t be a nurse because I was terrified
of sticking people and being stuck. So I knew that wasn’t my career path. But radiology always was very interesting to
me because there were so many different things that you could do in the field of radiology.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. So you didn’t have venipuncture in your radiography training?
Karen Anderson: We did, but I never liked it.
Melissa Pergola and Ray Arambula: [laughs]
Karen Anderson: It was not my forte.
Melissa Pergola: I started to say — because it’s funny, a lot of times people get into imaging
because they say they don’t want to be a nurse because they don’t like blood, they don’t like throw-up, they don’t
want to do venipuncture. But then they get into our field, and if they’re a radiographer, right, they’re doing upper
GIs [gastrointestinal imaging procedure] and barium enemas and cleaning up after people and starting IVs. So, yeah,
but that was definitely not your favorite.
Karen Anderson: Not my favorite. And you’re taking me back some years —
Melissa Pergola and Ray Arambula: [laughs]
Karen Anderson: — because I remember all of those things. [laughs]
Melissa Pergola: [laughs] Well, what led you then to — was it that desire to help in patient care,
but not necessarily, like, venipuncture that took you to mammography?
Karen Anderson: I wanted to have more of a relationship with my patients. And so when I looked into
mammography, that was it. Because you see those patients over and over again. You start with their screening
procedures, then they have to come back if we find something in diagnostic. So that was so interesting to me that I
could actually see those patients, follow those patients and, you know, really be engaged, delivering my skill set and
really, really working one-on-one with those women.
Ray Arambula: Karen, you’ve worn so many hats: clinical instructor, radiology IT manager, breast
center leader. What have been some maybe pivotal moments where you knew it was time to make a change or explore a new
direction?
Karen Anderson: I believe when I feel like I have mastered a certain area, meaning I’ve learned
everything that I could and really, really made a contribution in that area, I tend to find myself wanting to do more.
Ray Arambula: Yeah.
Karen Anderson: And so I tend to look for other avenues. And that has really, really opened a lot of
doors just by, you know, looking at different options outside of the clinical space. You’d be amazed at all of the
different transitional jobs that you can, you know, put yourself into.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. So sort of continuing on that theme of beyond the clinical floor, what kinds
of career paths do you think are most exciting and maybe even underappreciated in a way?
Karen Anderson: So let’s talk about options for mammographers specifically.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Karen Anderson: So with mammography, there are just — outside of just doing your day to day, which
is very, very rewarding if you like that communication in that time, one-on-one with those women and men, because you
do image men in mammography. But if you really, really enjoy that feel, there are so many other options that I don’t
think a lot of people realize are available.
Let’s talk about advocacy for breast cancer awareness. So you have different advocacy groups. You have the Susan G.
Komens, you have the breast cancer — National Breast Cancer Foundation. Those are advocacy groups that they look for
patient navigators to actually walk with women and help them understand their diagnosis, what happens next after that
diagnosis and really, really taking those patients by the hand and leading them through that process. So that’s a
great option for women that are interested in doing — that are in mammography and won’t expand outside of that.
There’s also educational things that you can do, such as with the ACR, American College of Radiology, with those
accreditation bodies, the government agencies, FDA [Food and Drug Administration] MQSA [Mammography Quality Standards
Act] inspectors. That’s huge in mammography, you know?
So there are so many different avenues just specifically for mammographers. You know, even the big thing right now is
AI [artificial intelligence] —
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Karen Anderson: — in the field. And there’s opportunities with AI companies that help — where
mammographers could help, you know, extend their expertise in those areas. You know, you have DeepHealth, you have
RadNet, just to name a few.
So there are so many different avenues just waiting to be explored. So I urge all my mammographers that are
listening, you know, to be inquisitive, go to LinkedIn, go Google these type of opportunities, and you’ll find, you
know, that doors will open for you.
Ray Arambula: What would you say when someone tells you they’re feeling stuck or unsure about their
next step? What’s the first thing that you usually ask or recommend?
Karen Anderson: So the first thing I typically recommend, I say, “Why? Why do you feel stuck? What
is occurring right now with you and your career to make you feel that way? Are there physical challenges with the job
that are, you know, having you feel this way?” So you really want to understand why they’re feeling that way.
And then what my next question is: “What is it that you think you want to do?” And with those two
questions, you can kind of understand where that person is in their career path, and I can almost begin to kind of
mold and create some mentorship around what they don’t like and what they are interested in doing, seeing where those
gaps are with that individual, and then point them into some different career path and/or options.
And I’m so passionate about helping young people, young women find those different career options. Because I know as
a mammographer, you do experience the burnout.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Karen Anderson: So those are just the two main questions that I start with. And then I start to kind
of work with that individual to figure out, you know, what’s your best career choice.
I do have a couple other things I’d like to share. You know, when you’re talking — if we could step back a little bit
— when you’re talking to technologists and, you know, what they need to do next, I mean, some of the things you also
need to consider are what transferable skills do they have when they’re trying to take the next steps? You know, what
gaps do they have? Are there additional trainings, certifications that they may need to make that leap into the next
role? So that’s very, very important. You know, asking them about career growth opportunities: When they see a role,
does that role offer any type of advancement? Are there leadership potential — do they even want to be in leadership?
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Karen Anderson: You know, so asking those type of questions also are helpful. And then one of the
big, big, big things I always ask, you know, is understand what work-life balance means to you. Because that’s so
valuable, and no matter what career you’re in, even if you — you start to feel the burnout. Because it’s different for
me or you.
Melissa Pergola: Yes!
Karen Anderson: So it’s very important to understand that when you’re considering moving to a
different career.
Melissa Pergola: Hmm. I like that. You know, I said a lot of imaging professionals who’ve had a
career like you’ve had, I can only imagine it’s because you’ve been amazing at what you did before, and a lot of
times, positions come open, doors open because of the relationships you have within the profession. And I say that a
lot. If you show up the way you’re supposed to show up and you build the relationships, there will be so many
opportunities.
But what I think — one of the things I don’t say, which, you made me think of it, is, but you have to have yourself
prepared to walk through that door when it presents to you, right? And that’s the considering, what other
certifications do you need to get? What other degrees do you need to get? So when that door presents itself, you can
seamlessly walk through it, right? So it’s not sitting around and waiting. It’s anticipating what might that future
be, and then being proactive now, right?
And I never really thought about that. Like I said, I talk so much about just doing what you’re supposed to do and
the doors will open. But you talk about the preparing yourself ahead of time.
Karen Anderson: Yes. I love that. I think that’s so very valuable to think about. If you really are
sincere about making career changes and choices, you really need to understand what is required for those other roles.
And a lot of times, it’s a secondary degree or certifications. So if you’re interested in moving, you need to
research, you know, do your due diligence, do your research, and figure out what is necessary for me to move to the
next role.
Ray Arambula: And, Karen, I think you remind us, too, that it’s important to lean in on that
mentorship and that networking. We don’t always realize how much guidance is available if we just reach out and tap
into it. And it sounds like you’ve had that along your way as well.
Karen Anderson: Yes. Mentorship is huge. And not only did I have mentorship — I provide mentorship,
because it’s so important. Someone helped me in the past, and I want to repay that by helping young people realize
there’s so much more if you just lean into what lies ahead.
Melissa Pergola: Hmm. I love that. So I want to shift gears just for a second because I’m so
interested in one of your positions. I know you currently serve as two positions at Siemens, but — the key opinion
leader manager for North American women’s health business. What is that?
Karen Anderson: [chuckles] That’s great. That’s a mouthful. When people ask me my title and I tell
them that, it’s always a mouthful. But, you know, the key opinion leader position at Siemens, what that really means
in a small package is I focus on building and managing relationships with influential experts in the field of
mammography to help shape the innovation at Siemens, to provide collaborations between Siemens and the partner
hospitals or facilities, and then also excelling in the clinical excellence in the breast imaging space. So all of
that packaged in a bow.
You are really working with individuals that look for breast cancer, diagnose breast cancer, because they’re the
leaders in that field, but we want to collaborate or walk alongside of them to help shape innovation that Siemens
does.
Melissa Pergola: What an interesting job, right? And this, I think, is at the heart of why it is so
amazing to talk with you, because there are so many positions out there that our technologists and therapists have
never heard of, have no idea — and important work. I mean, how significantly important is your job in patient care and
health care and the future of mammography and diagnosis? It’s just very, very cool.
Ray Arambula: Yeah.
Karen Anderson: It is. There are a lot of opportunities, and, you know, Siemens is a fantastic
company, and we are really proud at all of the innovation and collaborations that we do in the industry. So yeah,
there’s just so much more outside of that clinical space — if you are willing to take that chance and look.
Melissa Pergola: The fact that we have you on, telling technologists and therapists, “Go look for
these jobs,” like, you don’t have to have someone come in and say, “Hey, we think you’d be good as a trainer.” You can
be seeking these and preparing yourself for those. I think it’s an exciting time.
Karen Anderson: It is.
Ray Arambula: Well, Karen, you’ve certainly inspired me. I’m going to look at my career pathway now,
too, and see what —
Melissa Pergola: No, you’re not.
Ray Arambula: I’m just kidding. I’m kidding. [laughs]
Melissa Pergola: No, he’s not. [laughs]
Ray Arambula: Yeah, that’s very inspirational. Thank you for sharing that. And I really love the
points that you touched on about making connections. I think that’s very vital at any stage in your career.
Karen Anderson: Well, thank you so much for having me.
Melissa Pergola: I’m so excited to let you know that we have Dr. Hansen. Dr. Hansen started his
radiology journey as a student in the School of Radiologic Technology at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in
St. Louis. He worked many years as a technologist and also a department manager in St. Louis and New Orleans. He
joined GE HealthCare as a CT [computed tomography] application specialist and transitioned into marketing and product
development.
Now, as a second career, Dr. Hansen embarked upon attending the St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine
in Grenada, West Indies. After earning his DVM [doctor of veterinary medicine], he completed a one-year medical and
surgical internship in Chicago and a four-year residency at the University of Missouri.
Presently, Dr. Hansen is a professor of radiology and course director at the St. George’s University School of
Veterinary Medicine, and he’s even the owner of Hansen Imaging LLC, a veterinary teleradiology service.
Ray Arambula: It’s not every day you hear of someone who’s bridged radiology and veterinary care, so
this is going to be interesting.
Melissa Pergola: Let’s start at the beginning, Dr. Hansen. Sort of what drew you to radiography and
what did those early days in human health care look like for you?
Thomas Hansen: So back in my high school days, I happened to be working at Barnes Hospital, where
Mallinckrodt Institute is located, in the film library. So I was a film librarian on weekends and holidays. So, you
know, everybody in the digital world now doesn’t realize that we had film librarians, people to go find the old cases
so they could be compared to the recent studies. So that was our job.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Thomas Hansen: And I kind of knew about the program because my older brother was attending the R.T.
[radiologic technologist] program. And, you know, talking to my older brother, he was like, “Well, why don’t you do
the tech program? It’s free.” And I know students today, they, like, freak out when you say it was a free, on-the-job
training program sponsored by Washington University. So I went, loved it and stuck with it ever since.
Ray Arambula: So at what point did you start thinking about making that jump to veterinarian
medicine? Was there a moment or experience that really sparked that shift?
Thomas Hansen: Not really being challenged and, you know, maybe I want to do more. I don’t know if I
could do M.D. [doctor of medicine], but I always wanted to do vet med, so it’s like, I’m going to find out what it
takes to do that. And that was a whole huge challenge in itself to do all the prerequisite work to even get accepted
into vet school. But yeah, it was just kind of, I felt like I needed a bigger challenge and that’s what I took on.
Ray Arambula: So obviously it gave you a head start, your radiography background, it sounds like.
Thomas Hansen: Absolutely, yeah, to a certain extent. But again, being trained as an R.T. and also
then secondarily going on and finishing a bachelor’s degree in management, I didn’t have the science background for
vet school.
Melissa Pergola: Oh.
Ray Arambula: OK.
Thomas Hansen: So the challenge was to find the courses that I could take in the evening. Because
it’s like, well, I can’t give up working and go to school full time when you’re — so I started vet school when I was
57 years old.
Ray Arambula: Wow.
Melissa Pergola: That is excellent.
Thomas Hansen: So, at the time, you know, a pretty well-established career. It’s like, well, I can’t
give up the income and do all these courses. Anyways, I did find evening courses at the local universities here in the
Milwaukee area and spent about two, three years doing all my pre-reqs and getting all the sciences out of the way and,
you know, finding an o-chem [organic chemistry] course and finding an o-chem lab and then finally applying. And even
applying was about a three-year process to finally get accepted somewhere, so.
Melissa Pergola: Wow. So I’m curious, what were some of the biggest adjustments that you had to make
going from human to animal with veterinary radiography?
Thomas Hansen: There’s a lot of similarities, which is really nice. You know, kV [kilovolts] is kV
and mass is mass.
Melissa Pergola: True.
Thomas Hansen: So that was great. Vet med has mostly made the jump to digital, so that is very nice
too. Positioning is different. Positioning’s a little challenging, but it’s a lot like dealing with pediatrics.
Melissa Pergola: Hmm. Yeah.
Thomas Hansen: You know, our patients can’t tell us what hurts. They can’t tell us that, you know,
“Don’t do that to me.” They’ll try and nip at you, if you try and do something they don’t like.
Melissa Pergola: [laughs]
Thomas Hansen: But, you know, positioning is challenging, and the positioning planes are named
differently in the quadruped species than in the biped species. So that’s always a little challenging. But my
background as an R.T. helped tremendously with that.
Ray Arambula: So what does a typical day look like for you now, combining both your radiography and
veterinary experience?
Thomas Hansen: Oh, well, my days have recently changed. So for the past five years, I’ve returned to
St. George’s to run the radiology program for, you know, teaching the vet students the ins and outs of veterinary
radiography. Right now I’ve returned to clinical work, so clinically I am serving three specialty hospitals.
So in veterinary medicine there are about 25 recognized specialties, radiology being one, but just like human
medicine, we have internal medicine, dermatology, oncology, surgery — the whole gamut. And so I’m at a specialty
center where several of those specialties are offered, as well as emergency service.
So my day now is reading cases for the emergency service, doing ultrasounds and CTs. We do at one facility also have
an MRI [magnetic resonance imaging machine]. So I get to practice just about everything, almost like human
radiologists. We can get pretty busy too. I’m a one-man show, so it keeps me busy over three hospitals.
Melissa Pergola: Wow, I was going to ask you that: What different modalities are included in your
practice? But you said CT, MR, ultrasound, x-ray — is that right?
Thomas Hansen: Yes, exactly.
Melissa Pergola: Wow. Wow.
Ray Arambula: Wow.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. So, another question. Can you share maybe a particularly memorable case that
imaging played a critical role when you were able to take care of or save an animal?
Thomas Hansen: I would say that daily, we, radiology, can save a patient from surgery where we can,
or I can say that on radiographs and ultrasound, the dog is not obstructed. The cat didn’t eat anything. It’s not
vomiting because it has a foreign body. So I think that’s one of the bigger ones. Or using rads, going, yes, that dog
ate the sock, but it’s in the colon, so if we just wait it out, it’ll take care of itself.
So I think that that’s always great. But, you know, imaging I think plays a huge part in actually pinpointing what
the problem is and saying, here’s what we need to go fix. So, especially with advanced imaging nowadays, it’s just
tremendous to be able to do ultrasound and CT.
Melissa Pergola: Well, the work that you do is so important. I’ve always had animals growing up. And
I guess I would like for you to tell our listeners and our viewers sort of where the passion comes from, and maybe
talk to them about the purpose and what you like most about your job.
Thomas Hansen: The passion, I guess, came from just being a little kid and, you know, loving the
neighbor dogs, wanting to have our own dog, which we eventually got, and just thinking that’s the greatest thing, and,
you know, at some point going, “Wouldn’t it be great to spend your entire time with animals?”
And then for me, I think I’m just very lucky to be able to do that bridge to go from human radiology or just, you
know, radiography to radiologist in the vet world, and, you know, continue, I think, kind of like two real passions
there, which is radiography and having the love for animals and taking care of animals and providing that service.
Melissa Pergola: Well, is there anything else that you would like to tell our listeners or our
viewers about your pathway or maybe to motivate them to take that chance?
Thomas Hansen: [Laughs] So, okay, since what we’re talking about like alternative careers and
what has happened to me. People always ask me along the way, it’s like, well, you know, “What would you tell people
today?” — you know, some person starting an R.T. program or B.S.R.T. [Bachelor of Science in respiratory therapy]
program somewhere. First of all, it’s like, believe in yourself no matter what anybody else says. You know, if it’s
deep inside you where it’s like, “This is what I need to do,” then go do it, and you will find a way to do it, so.
There’s going to be roadblocks. It’s not going to be a straight line. Look at my career — there’s nothing
straight-line about it. If you want to do it, you can do it. Find a way to do it. Never say never.
Melissa Pergola: Love that. Well, thank you so much for talking to us.
Thomas Hansen: My pleasure.
Melissa Pergola: It’s been exciting to hear about your career and inspiring, so, never say never.
Ray Arambula: Never say never. I love that.
Thomas Hansen: Yeah, exactly. Thank you.
Melissa Pergola: All right, well, I am so excited to continue our series on sort of interesting
occupations in medical imaging and radiation therapy. And today on the show, we are thrilled to welcome someone who’s
had an incredible journey through the world of sports medicine and athletic care. Our guest, Paul Kacprzak — did I say
it right?
Paul Kacprzak: Yes, you did.
Melissa Pergola: Yes. Paul Kacprzak has spent the last two years working alongside some of the most
recognized orthopedic specialists in the country at the Baptist Health Orthopedic Institute in south Florida. This
team isn’t just any team. They care for professional, collegiate and amateur athletes and are internationally known
for their work. In partnership with the Miami Dolphins, they’ve helped establish a cutting-edge training complex and
medical facility blending elite performance with world-class care. So while he was invited to cover every Dolphins
home game, he made the thoughtful decision to keep his time balanced, continuing to care for a wide range of patients
including NFL [National Football League] players as the season ramps up.
Born in Poland and raised in the U.S. by a hardworking single mother, his strong work ethic was instilled early and
has carried him through a long and rewarding career. He’s been married since 1986 and has two sons and is now looking
ahead to retirement in the next few years, though, as he puts it, that timeline may depend on when the grandchildren
start arriving.
He is proud to be ending his career working with top-tier physicians and world-class athletes. And did we mention he
has a Stanley Cup ring? Possibly even a second one on the way. Please join me in welcoming someone with deep
experience, great stories and a true passion for his work.
Well, let’s go back to, like, the very beginning. So what got you into radiography?
Paul Kacprzak: Well, my wife and I relocated from New Jersey to Florida, and I was in consumer
electronics. And I said, “You know what? I got to find something I liked,” and I knew people who worked health care. I
said, “But I have no idea what I’m interested in.” But, as you said, being Polish, I’ve always been interested in
Marie Curie.
One day I opened up one of my books that I have, autobiographies of her, and it just fell open to the page of her in
her radium cars during World War I. And I said, “You know what, x-ray, that sounds pretty interesting.” So then I
contacted the local schools, got an idea of what tuition was and requirements, and then when I went to see the Broward
Community College, the public school, Mr. Britt said, “You know, we want you to do a full day at a facility. We’ll see
exactly what you do to make sure that you like this, that you enjoy doing it.”
Melissa Pergola: Smart.
Paul Kacprzak: I always had an interest in photography, and I go, I like taking care of people and
having, you know — I’m a nice guy. I said, maybe this fits — everything will fit together.
Melissa Pergola: Well, how then did you sort of make that transition and go to working with pro
teams and athletes? How did that happen?
Paul Kacprzak: I eventually — in 2000 I worked for a private imaging center that was primarily MRI
in Boca Raton, and I was doing very well there. We were like the first place to use Canon digital equipment. You know,
I worked with the engineers on doing something called IVPs [intravenous pyelograms], which they don’t do today.
Melissa Pergola: Oh, I loved IVPs.
Paul Kacprzak: So a couple years, in like 2006, we had salespeople, and one of the salespeople came
by. He liked me a lot, and he said, “Paul, you really do a good job here. You really know what you’re doing, and you
take this stuff seriously.” He says, “I have a neighbor where I live who is an assistant trainer with the Florida
Panthers hockey team.” The trainer calls me the next day, and then I speak to him and he says, “OK, come in and just
see what you can do.” Now, this is like 2007 or so. So I did the images. I did them exactly the way they wanted them.
And they said, “Please, we want you to work here.”
The thing about sports medicine is that there’s two different approaches here. One, when you’re in a facility like
the Panthers arena and a player gets injured, the doctor has to immediately, as fast as possible, determine what
injury and can they go back on the ice, or do we have to do something else? Still we primarily get hand, wrist injury,
shoulder injuries from going to the boards and crashing on the ice, and feet and ankle injuries, and also knee
injuries because, you know, you get hit with pucks, and that hurts.
Now they can know what’s the player going to do. So, if we’ve got a serious injury, do they need to get a CAT
[computed axial tomography] scan the next day? Do they need to get an MRI for a soft tissue injury? The players want
to play. They want to go back on the ice. You’d be shocked at how many players got a broken finger and they still go
back on the ice.
To me, this is a pinnacle of your career to be able to end it like this —
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Paul Kacprzak: — where you’re with the top doctors, you’re with top athletes from a top facility.
And as I tell people, you know, I didn’t apply to work there. I was drafted, like a player.
Melissa Pergola: Right. Oh, I love that. [laughs]
Paul Kacprzak: The doctor said, “Paul —” I said, “Well, what about my —” They go, “Paul, don’t
worry. You’re hired.” [laughs] “Don’t worry about the interview. You’re hired,” you know. And these are the people who
are in charge of all this stuff that I worked with for the Panthers for years. So it’s been a lot of fun. I love what
I do.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. Well, it sounds like a really exciting career. What additional advice would
you give someone who’s in imaging who might be interested in getting into sort of the sports career?
Paul Kacprzak: Well, what you do is you’re going to have cities that have major league and minor
league teams. And what you do is you basically, you contact them, you know, with a resume and a letter of
introduction. You want to contact the trainers, the person who’s the head trainer on the team, because that’s the
person who has to ultimately work with the doctors and ownership, management, and the players on getting players taken
care of.
Ray Arambula: Well, what a career, Paul, from caring to everyday patients to supporting championship
teams, which has actually led to you earning a Stanley Cup ring. So as we close, can you tell us some more about that?
Paul Kacprzak: Yeah, this is, you know, I was absolutely floored. So I went up there; they fitted it
to me. This has the name spelled out in diamonds, the insignia. It’s got — laser engraved inside they have the results
of all the four games they won —
Melissa Pergola: Oh, wow.
Ray Arambula: Oh, wow.
Paul Kacprzak: — the final scores.
Melissa Pergola: Well, I’ll tell you, I am jealous that we are not going to work with you tomorrow
morning, because I do love sports, and it sounds like you’ve had an absolutely amazing career and so much excitement.
Female Voice: We’ll be right back after this short message.
Ad: National Radiologic Technology Week® is coming up November 2nd through the 8th. It’s the perfect
time to recognize and celebrate the incredible work of radiologic technologists, who play a crucial role in patient
care and safety every day. Whether you’re planning a celebration or just want to say thanks, head over to asrt.org/NRTW for everything you need: official merchandise, downloadable templates
and creative ideas to make the week special.
Ray Arambula: Wow, those were great interviews.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. So cool.
Ray Arambula: Very insightful. I learned a lot. Did you learn a lot?
Melissa Pergola: I did learn a lot.
Ray Arambula: So many different —
Melissa Pergola: I learned that I need to go join a sports team and be a radiographer.
Ray Arambula: Yeah, and maybe end up with a ring.
Melissa Pergola: Oh my gosh. How cool would that be?
Ray Arambula: Well, guess what time it is.
Melissa Pergola: What time is it?
Ray Arambula: Now it’s time to transition to our We See You segment.
Melissa Pergola: Oh, cool!
Christina Burch: Hi Melissa, love the podcast. My name’s Christina Burch. I’m a radiation therapist
from Colorado. My question is, how is the ASRT working with educational institutions to ensure technologists are
prepared for emerging modalities and roles?
Melissa Pergola: What a great question, and an important question, right? Because technology is ever
changing. So one of the things our members might not know is that, of course, we hold the curricula for all of the
modalities, and we revise them on a regular schedule. And we also make sure that we’re being futurists to see what
might be coming. And what we’ll do when we go through curriculum revision is we’ll actually add things that are not
necessarily on the registry yet. And sometimes they’ll be optional, but then as they’re moving towards things that
will become part of what we do and maybe even move into the registry exams, then they become required on the
curricula.
Ray Arambula: Yeah, I think that that’s an important point is that we do partner with accrediting
bodies —
Melissa Pergola: Yeah.
Ray Arambula: — to make sure that those competencies do reflect what’s needed in our practice.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. I think a good example of that is AI.
Ray Arambula: Yeah.
Melissa Pergola: So AI has been put in our curricula as alternative, but it’s moving towards
required, right? Because it’s something that we’re seeing that’s coming into our profession.
And we also have, on our amazing education products, many of our products have institution versions. So with the
institutional version, the education programs can purchase those and use them in their curriculum as well.
Another thing is that ASRT is forging new relationships with corporate partners, and we’re working on some exciting
things to offer new education. And I think that’s important. We have our Corporate Roundtable, and the partners that
come together in sort of a safe environment where they can talk about new technology, and the fact that we bring them
together and we’re at the table with them, it gives us the opportunity to sort of see what’s coming.
And as I said, it’s kind of exciting. It’s kind of a preview to what’s coming, but we’re partnering with some of them
and starting to talk about partnering on creating education for some of this new technology.
Ray Arambula: Yeah, definitely. And if you want to learn more, please visit asrt.org/Store and navigate to the Educational Programs. You’ll see For Educators,
For Students, as well as Image Libraries and Test Banks.
Melissa Pergola: And now it’s time for some updates. Don’t put yourself in a bad position —
Ray Arambula: — stay up to date with “The RAD Position.” The ASRT is promoting awareness one step at
a time. On November 8th, the RAD Dash 5K is being held to recognize the vital role that medical imaging and radiation
therapy professionals play in health care.
We invite you to run and walk with us to celebrate the important work of these health care heroes. This
family-friendly event offers in-person and virtual participation options. So you can join us in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, or wherever you are. Visit asrt.org/RADDash to learn more and sign up
today.
Melissa Pergola: Well, this was fun having three different guests and so many takeaways. I think so
many things. I think about — one thing with Dr. Hansen is he talked to us a little bit after. I wanted to make sure
that our listeners and viewers hear. He said if you’re interested in being an imager in veterinary medicine that you
should look for veterinary specialty hospitals in your area. And I thought it was really interesting that he said many
of them are looking for CT and MR technologists.
Ray Arambula: Hmm. Yes, he did. And with Paul, I think we learned that, you know, your skills can
definitely translate and open up a whole new world to many diverse opportunities, based on the skill set that you had.
I mean, I never thought I’d be hosting a podcast with you, so.
Melissa Pergola and Ray Arambula: [laughs]
Melissa Pergola: That’s true. That’s true. And then I guess if we think about Karen, that kind of
sums it all up. There’s so many different pathways that her career has taken, and I think that’s one of the things
that’s so amazing about medical imaging and radiation therapy is that if you ask any technologist or therapist that’s
been in the profession for a number of years, so many different doorways that open.
Ray Arambula: Well, thank you all for listening and watching. Please don’t forget to subscribe.
Melissa Pergola: Yes.
Ray Arambula: You can also email us at [email protected]. We would love to hear your stories.
Melissa Pergola: Yeah. Or fill out the form at asrt.org/RADPosition.
Ray Arambula: And to all our medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals, be seen —
Melissa Pergola: — and stay rad.