“Ultrasound: More Than Just Babies”
In this audio, I interviewed a family friend, Tina Martin, who is currently an ultrasound tech at Sentara Leigh Hospital. Tina received a degree in biology at Virginia Commonwealth University and continued her education, getting her associate in radiologic technology and Diagnostic medical sonography. Her inspiration to become an ultrasound tech came from a familiarity with the health and medicine field because her family has history in the medical field. While a biology major at VCU, her father gave her a book about different health professions and chose circled professions she was interested in. After VCU Tina had a friend in X-Ray, so she started in X-ray for two years and sort of “fell” into ultrasound. Her basic roles range from all types of patients, but all of them help imaging and access a disease, or a patient’s body (organs). Her responsibilities, next to basic roles, are to help or do ultrasound evaluations with patients and keep them calm throughout the process. The most surprising aspect about her job is how many things that ultrasound is used for, other than babies. On a more serious note, in this interview she also talked about the challenging aspect of her job: the emotional aspect; the hardship of having to see patients hurting or experiencing negative things and be there for them. Lastly, she gave her best advice for being a health professional: Be compassionate to every patient; treat them like you would treat your family member because you have to remember they are also someone’s family member and have someone who cares for them. From this interview, I learned how ultrasound works and the different aspects of an ultrasound technician’s job in a hospital. There are varieties of jobs to do in a hospital that are perfect for a wide range of personalities and interests. Listen to the interview to learn more!
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