Misericordia University medical imaging majors Emily Donovan, Whitesboro, N.Y., and Cheyenne Wulff, Sugar Run, Pa., have been selected to represent Pennsylvania at the 2016 American Society of Radiologic Technologist (ASRT) Student Leadership Development Program in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 23-26.
The Pennsylvania Society of Radiologic Technologists (PSRT) selected the Misericordia University students after reviewing essays from radiologic technology students in the state. In the 500-700-word essays, the students outlined how they expected to grow professionally by participating in the all-expenses paid program and trip. Up to 100 students – two per state – were eligible for the program, which also includes educational programs designed for students, professional mentorship meetings, and an insider's look into the largest association for medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals.
ASRT represents more than 152,000 members that perform medical imaging procedures or plan and deliver radiation therapy treatments. The society also provides radiologic technology students with the tools, services and support they need to prepare for careers in medical imaging and radiation therapy.
The daughter of Patty Wulff of Sugar Run and Tom Wulff of Phillipsburg, N.J., believes the ASRT program will provide her an opportunity to grow academically, socially and professionally. Wulff plans on becoming a multi-credentialed professional, as she is working toward her Bachelor of Science degree in medical imaging and certification in mammography while completing an internship at a regional hospital.
"By attending the Student Leadership Development Program, I will apply all of the knowledge and experiences that I would gain to my everyday life as a future radiologic technologist,'' Wulff, a Wyalusing High School graduate, wrote in her essay. "Not only will I apply the knowledge and experiences to my everyday life, but I will also use what I have learned to make beneficial changes in the profession. Overall, the program will help me grow into a better future leader within the radiologic sciences profession and a more rounded individual.''
In her essay, the daughter of Pamela and Scott Donovan of Whitesboro, N.Y., addressed the many ways a person can grow professionally. Donovan envisions herself being a future leader in the field, perhaps as a chief technologist or other administrative position, and believes the ASRT program will be another step in making her field of study more than a job.
"The ASRT Student Leadership Development Program would be a change for tremendous professional growth," Donovan, a Whitesboro High School graduate, wrote in her essay. "Being a leader is an important quality to me and all of the experiences that I could gain from the program would aid me in being a better leader now and in the future. I have confidence that the program will only strengthen my love for the field of radiologic technology and assist me in further knowing that a career in radiography is the one for me.''
Misericordia University has the only Bachelor of Science-level medical imaging program in northeastern Pennsylvania and is one of only two in the state. Nationally, there are 33 programs accredited by JRCERT. The program features six full-time faculty members with more than 90 years of combined professional and academic experience who are also cross-trained in multiple disciplines.
The medical imaging program also has strong relationships with 29 clinical sites in the region, some of which have been with the program since its inception in 1973. This relationship affords MU students valuable clinical internships at prestigious facilities that provide real-world experience.
Medical imaging students at Misericordia concentrate on radiography until their senior year. During their senior year, students experience an internship that affords them clinical education experience in advanced imaging modalities. A career in medical imaging offers numerous opportunities due to the myriad of specialty fields. A medical imaging major, for example, can specialize in radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, mammography and computed tomography, to name a few. There also are opportunities in education, management and sales in the imaging sciences.
For more information about the medical imaging program at Misericordia University, please call (570) 674-6400 or log on to www.misericordia.edu/medical-imaging. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1924, Misericordia University is Luzerne County's first four-year college and offers 32 academic programs on the graduate and undergraduate levels in full- and part-time formats. Misericordia University ranks in the top tier of the Best Regional Universities – North category of U.S. News and World Report's 2016 edition of Best Colleges, and was designated a 2016 Best Northeastern College by the Princeton Review.
Caption:
Misericordia University medical imaging majors have been selected to represent Pennsylvania at the 2016 American Society of Radiologic Technologist Student Leadership Development Program in Las Vegas, Nev. Emily Donovan, Whitesboro, N.Y., left, and Cheyenne Wulff, Sugar Run, Pa., right, pose with Lorie Zelna, M.S., R.T.(R)(MR), interim chair and associate professor of the Department of Medical Imaging.