Lisa Dostick

Penn College is special, because we provide students with education that is innovative and useable in the marketplace. Students graduate feeling prepared to enter their career field. Penn College develops a lifetime relationship with the student long after they graduate. This includes benefits such as career coaching services, which are available to Penn College alumni. I did not have these experiences with my alma maters. I am envious my daughter will have the opportunity to not only receive an exceptionally marketable degree, but also enjoy an ongoing support system and relationship as a future Penn College alumni.

As the clinical supervisor, I am honored to share my love for imaging the human body with the next generation of radiologic technologists. Every day is different, but equally rewarding. I am able to see students grasp a new concept, provide excellent patient care, and be a part of the imaging team that could potentially save a patient's life. It's a privilege that I am able to witness the growth process of these radiography students as they prepare to enter the field. One of the most satisfying experiences is to see these students, long after they have graduated, express gratitude for what I have helped them accomplish in partnership with Penn College.

A multi-modality technologist is one that is credentialed in more than one modality. Radiography is just the first step, then from there our graduates can expand their skillset as I did. I am registered in four different modalities: radiography, mammography, computerized tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We also have other faculty and staff on our team who are multi-modality. This means that we have completed the education and have passed the board exams in each of modalities. Each specialty requires some type of educational requirement and demonstration of clinical competence before sitting for the modality specific registry board exams.

Penn College is innovative in helping students understand the importance of life-long learning and explore various pathways. The field of radiography has so many opportunities to make that happen. As a multi-modality technologist, I still pick up hours in three of the four modalities to stay active and sharp in the field, which allows me to share my experiences with our students. The radiography program at Penn College prepares students for the primary pathway examination in radiography. We introduce the students to various secondary pathways such as Mammography, CT, MRI, Cardiac / Interventional, Radiation Therapy, and Bone Densitometry through the Advanced Modalities Course and their clinical experience rotations.

Students often inquire as to my favorite modality. This allows me to talk about the differences in each, the educational journey that I embarked on, and the pros and cons within each modality such as work type demands and life balance. 

My professional background in the various modalities allows me to clearly speak about these experiences as opposed to the students just reading about them. My direct involvement in the field allows me to translate the tasks I perform in these modalities into a valuable student learning experience. The anecdotes I have shared have sparked interest in students to pursue additional information in seeking educational opportunities such as the elective CT and MRI courses we offer here at Penn College.

The main benefit of being a radiologic technologist is being part of a medical team providing care to a variety of patients. This care includes helping various populations by changing lives, participating in the healing process, and sharing hope. Every day brings something new, promoting increased engagement. The radiologic technologist career path allows a blend of science, photography (art), and humanities. Professional opportunities are endless for the radiologic technologist outside of traditional imaging, and include teaching, sales, and applications.

Future students always want to know industry pay scale, what a typical day in the field looks like, and job placement rates for our graduates. The answers to these questions show why Penn College is so amazing. Our job placement rate, state-of-the-art lab, and the various clinical opportunities we provide for students to learn actively prepare them for the field. We also have a pathway for students to obtain a bachelors in Healthcare Leadership and Administration that opens additional educational opportunities and learning experiences.

Radiography is a hands-on field. We interact with patients both physically and verbally daily. Hands-on instruction is the most effective way to teach students how we practice radiography in the field. We teach the students theory and concepts verbally and visually, but then we take them to the lab for the hands-on portion. This is where most students begin to truly connect with the material. The students' hands-on experience in the clinical setting then further solidifies the taught curriculum.

The proudest moments are too numerous to mention. I wish I had known how rewarding it is to teach 15 years ago. Some of the more memorable moments are the conversations and interactions that I have had with my students. Sometimes they are hard conversations with constructive feedback. I have often had students reach out later in appreciation of the impactful lessons I provided. I also feel pride when people in the field reach out to compliment Penn College students and their skills and work ethic. I am filled with gratitude knowing that I was a part of their educational journey.