How ASRT Helps Medical Imaging Professionals Stay Ahead in Imaging

Welcome back to a couple of rad text podcasts.

I am Sean, your host, and today we are stepping into the future.

Yes, not the future like you're probably thinking, but the future of medical imaging.

That's what we're talking about today.

Artificial intelligence, evolving modalities, new demands in patient care, and most importantly, the powerful role the ASRT plays in helping us navigate these changes in our profession.

So whether you're an radiologic diagnostic technologist, MRI, CT, mammography, nuclear medicine, technologist, radiation therapy, radiation therapist, radiologist assistant, medical dosimetrist, whatever it is you do in medical imaging, this podcast is for you.

We are talking the future of medical imaging as a whole and how the ASRTs role in and innovation plays a part.

So the reality of change in medical imaging, y' all, is here.

We can't go back, we can't undo it.

Imagine imaging is changing fast, like faster than most of us have time to process.

I don't know if you would agree, but it is changing and it's not slowing up for any of us.

And I'm not talking about the new machines or some fancy upgrade that we don't have yet.

I mean real change in how we scan, how.

How we care for our patients, and what we're expected to do.

So let's start with Captain Obvious.

AI You've probably seen all the headlines.

AI is revolutionizing medical imaging.

MRI is going to take over every job from the radiologist.

They won't need you button pushers anymore.

I mean, we see it all.

We hear it all on social media.

We see it in the content that comes across.

We see it in our smart coils, automated protocols, five minute scans.

I remember the days that.

That just a dream.

We see it innovating into different modalities, crossing over.

A radiologist reads.

Meanwhile, you're still scanning on a 1.5 Tesla that needs a reboot every time you run a knee protocol and an abdomen back to back.

Right?

Not because it's broken, it's just old.

Your facility didn't upgrade, and it's probably not going to upgrade anytime soon.

We all have been there.

We've worked on scanners that didn't even have respiratory gating, while articles that we read from the ASRT and other medical journals were talking about motion correction and auto positioning.

Like that was a dream.

We hadn't seen that in some of these facilities out there.

And the wild thing, our scan times didn't get shorter.

Our patient load just got heavier.

So you're not crazy if you feel like you're falling behind in medical imaging because to be honest, sometimes it feels like the industry's moving ahead and nobody left the directions for the rest of us.

And let's not even get started on modalities evolving.

I mean, just, let's start with diagnostic radiology.

The evolution of that has really just blown my mind.

Look at the, the technology, look at the type of imaging in the or.

I mean, things are just changing.

You hear people talk about theranostics.

I had nuclear medicine technologists on my podcast years ago and they brought this up and they were so excited about it.

Now you have pet slash mri.

When I started, there was no, I didn't, I didn't hear about, we didn't work with pets.

I remember getting our first pet trailer.

Oh my goodness.

It was a huge deal at this big hospital and all they had was a trailer.

I think they still have a trailer to this day.

But now PET and MRI are crossing over.

You have mri dash li n a c multiple modalities, radiation therapy and MRI are crossing over.

Meanwhile, many technologists are out there still doing routine head CTs and the occasional stone protocol, wondering how, how you're supposed to compete in a job market full of hybrid imaging AI integrated scanners that you have never ever been able to touch or scan on.

So how do you get the experience?

How do you stay in front of the curve?

It's overwhelming.

And that's pressure.

It's real.

You maybe start thinking, will I even sound like I know what I'm doing in an interview at a bigger facility?

Am I going to get passed up for cross training spots because I've never used 3D reconstruction software?

I get it.

But here's what I've learned after working at multiple facilities, from tiny clinics to trauma centers.

Your value isn't about what scanner you're using.

It's about whether or not you understand what you're doing and whether you're willing to keep learning.

Let me say that again.

Your value isn't about what scanner you're using.

It's about whether or not you understand what you're doing and whether you're willing to keep learning.

They, they know what they're doing.

But here's the other side of the coin.

Those same technologists and therapists, as amazing as they are and skilled sometimes do get passed over or are fearful of making a change and are behind the curve.

Not because they're not good, because they didn't know how to speak the language of where imaging is going.

They couldn't explain AI workflows.

They didn't know how to describe dose optimization in a way that leadership could understand.

They scanned beautifully, but they couldn't advocate for themselves where it mattered.

And that's why I bring up the ASRT so much.

Because, look, if we're just using our memberships to get CE credits and call it a day, missing the point.

We're treating a full course meal like a vending machine snack.

Directed readings and webinars, question mark.

What?

What are they?

They're not there to just check a box.

They're there to help you grow.

Even if your scanner never gets upgraded.

They're how you build confidence so when change does show up, you're not panicking.

You're prepared.

You're not left behind.

You're prepared, and they're already part of your membership.

As an ASRT member, you don't have to spend more money or get on Facebook groups and ask, where can I find this helpful information about radiation therapy?

Connecticut nuclear medicine?

This is your move.

Become a member.

Pick one.

Directed reading.

Watch one Webinar replay.

Webinars are powerful.

Choose something that matches where you want to go next, not where you are right now, because that does not help with growth and staying above the curve when it comes to our medical imaging careers.

Guys, let's.

Let's choose something that matches where you want to go next.

Because the truth is, change is coming.

AI is not going away.

Modalities are getting smarter.

Patient care is evolving.

And if we're not learning how to grow with it, we're going to get left behind.

But the good news is you don't have to figure it all out alone.

The tools are there.

The education is there.

Good, quality education that's been tested, tried, and proven to work.

And ASRT, they're already thinking five, 10 steps ahead of us.

All you gotta do is start where you are with what you've got and take one step.

All right, on this next segment, the question isn't whether change is coming.

It's whether we're going to build a foundation to adapt to it, even from where we are right now.

So you may ask, what is the ASRT really doing for us?

I see it in Facebook groups.

I see it all the time in my DMs, and it's a good question.

I love when people ask questions because I had ASRT members on my podcast early on because I asked the same question.

I wanted to know what did the membership do for me?

And I got an answer that I was able to then go do some research with.

I didn't make my decision right then.

I got the information, went and did the research, and I've been a member ever since.

And not just a member.

I've been taking advantage of my membership and it really has made a change within me is giving me tools that I really was missing all of those years and it's not a quick, quick fix.

Again, I took the information and I put it to use by doing the research for myself and figuring out how this was going to work for where I want it to go.

So the ASRT isn't again, someplace where you go to knock out your CE credits and move on.

You're actually leading, they're actually leading the charge to make sure we don't get left behind in medical imaging, making sure our profession advances and we advance with it.

Because these manufacturers, they are going, y' all, it's changing.

You don't want to find out about a change by watching social media and saying, wow, that's happening.

I would hate for you, it's like that is a bad way to find out that your career is changing for the better by looking at, looking at the social media and seeing that something has changed and you knew nothing about it.

So, number one, cutting edge education is actually useful.

They're not just throwing courses together to check off a box and say, who can we charge for this?

They're building leading paths around things that are actually happening, happening in imaging right now, right?

You want education tools of things that are pertinent to you now and things that are going to be pertinent to you in the future.

Just because it's good now doesn't mean it's going to be beneficial to you in the Future.

Things like AI 3D, post processing, hybrid modalities, even fusion tech that combines PET with mri, radiation therapy or mri, you know, all of those cross modalities.

And here, here's where I'll be real with y' all.

If you're only logging into the SRT to collect CEUs, you're sitting in the back of the class.

You're, you'll still get credit, right?

But you'll miss the good stuff.

Let me give you an example.

Directed readings and webinars.

They're like having that front row access to the professor, the one who doesn't just teach the content, but knows how it applies in real world imaging.

They break it down in those direct readings and webinars, not just with what, but with the why and the how.

We need both.

The nuance, the insight.

That's the part that gets you ahead.

That's the kind of knowledge that makes you valuable.

When you're asked to train a new hire or lead a modality switch.

When you listen to a webinar and hear how another technologist across the country is dealing with the changes and innovations like AI burnout, CT, dual energy, other modalities, it's like getting an inside scoop you didn't even know you needed.

So, again, yes, the CEUs matter, you better believe I make sure my CEUs are tracked and I use their CE courses.

But if you use these tools strategically, you're not just maintaining your license.

And I think some of us got into that, just maintaining our licenses.

There's no growth in doing that.

Doing it this way, you're building your voice, you're staying sharp, you're preparing for what's next.

Number two, another thing we don't realize that the ASRT is doing is they're in the room.

They're sitting at the table with policymakers, equipment manufacturers, healthcare executives, and, yes, researchers and more who are making the next wave of imaging technology.

I'm not sitting in the room.

Are y' all sitting in the room?

I'm telling you, this is how you get ahead of the curve.

You get with people who are there and beyond, and they're there to make sure that technologists and therapists have a voice, their scope of practice, that our scope of practice is protected, that when new innovations roll out, they consider the ones who actually work with the patients and the machines.

Right?

We're in the front lines, but because if we're not part of these conversations, decisions get made without us.

And we've seen how that works.

That's when jobs get redefined in ways that do not support us.

Technologists and therapists, number three, career paths that are rooted in real trends.

We all hear the radio.

I'm thinking about going to radiology school.

There's this thing on social media where radiology technology is trending.

Everybody now is, I think I'm going to go to school for radiologic technology.

You don't see anything on their pages about it, but we're going to talk about the real trends when it comes to our career.

This is where you need to be hearing it.

Now let's talk about careers.

Because a lot of us are either feeling stuck or Wondering what is next, whether you want to get into informatics, whether you want to get into clinical education, whether you want to get into imaging leadership roles or maybe even something like quality and safety or whatever else.

The SRT is tracking workforce workforce trends to show you where the profession is going that is so important.

I get comments all the time is, should I be a radiologist assistant?

I don't see jobs in IT in my area.

Now some of those people asking me that question have an associate's degree.

That is a master level program.

If you think about the time it's going to take you to get your bachelor's get that year to experience that, you need to even apply to the program in radiologic technology.

Then by the time you finish all that, that's at least two more years, maybe three.

You never know what things are going to be at that point.

So keeping track of the real trends, using ASRT is, is the smart thing to do.

They run national surveys.

Some of you may have gotten surveys through your years of being a member of the srt.

Maybe you didn't know that well, now you know.

They run national surveys.

They ask us members real life questions to give real data.

No more needing to go to TikTok or social media Ask or Facebook groups.

You get real data.

They break down where the shortages are, what roles are opening up and what kind of training technologists and therapists need in order to pivot into these new spaces.

That's how curriculums are changed.

That's how courses are made that actually benefits you.

Some of these courses are made because they see a trend on social media that everybody wants to be an MRI tech.

So you see all of these courses selling how to become an MRI technologist.

It doesn't mean that that is the best guide for you or training for you.

That doesn't mean that is the truth of where the profession is going with the srt.

They're doing these national surveys.

They're polling everyone whether you're retired, whether you're active, whether your license just is on hold, whether you're administrative, whether, whether you're in the technology world.

They poll every member.

They get real statistics, y' all.

And if you don't just.

And they just don't hand you a report, they build toolkits, guides, roadmaps to help you get there.

So if you're listening to this and thinking, I love scanning, but I don't want to be in the same exact spot ten years from now, I just did a presentation in Dallas and I'm going to Tell you without a doubt, everyone in that room has been in the profession for 20 plus years.

The majority of the people in that room have been in there 20 plus years.

And they said this exact same thing.

They came up to me afterwards and said, my kids are leaving the house.

I no longer need to work this staff technologist position.

I love what I do, I love where I work.

How do I pivot?

I need a plan for the next.

My kids are graduating in three to five years.

I need to start planning now.

Is that you?

I encourage you start using the tools as an ASRT member that are already built for, for you, proven and tested to work again.

They're not just prepping you for the present, they're mapping out your future.

How many of us have gone on a trip?

I got a story where my sister and I drove cross country.

She was moving from west coast to east coast and I said, yeah, I'm going to ride with you.

We're going to do a cross country trip, y' all.

I think she and I need to do a YouTube video on how funny and scary that trip was.

Map out.

Map out your plan because we didn't map it out very well.

Like we ran out of money.

I'm not going to bore you with it here, but.

And make sure you stay tuned.

I'm going to tell that story one day, but she's got to come on and tell it with me because it is absolutely hilarious.

So again, the SRT membership maps out your future.

So we're going to recap that quick because that was a lot to digest.

I know it was a lot for me to say, but that's a lot.

So quick recap, directed readings and webinars gives you a front row learning that helps you grow in your current role and prep for future ones.

We're always thinking about strategy, you guys.

This is not just what's good for now.

That is the beauty of being an ASRT member.

You are around like minded people that encourage you to do things for not just the present, but for the future.

The second recap is thought leadership.

ASRT is speaking up for us so we're not just left outta conversations that affect our careers.

And this is everyone.

Thirdly, career pathing.

They're giving you actual data, real data, real trending data and tools to move forward, not just to stay in place.

So the ASRT isn't perfect, but they're showing up.

We do that every day in our own lives, right?

How does it feel when someone just shows up for you even in their Most imperfect state.

They're trying.

Right.

We can all relate to that.

They're trying to make sure that technologists and therapists don't just survive in this profession.

We grow, we lead and we stay respected.

And all we have to do is use what's available to us.

They want to make it easy.

So here's some real world examples of innovation.

We're going to talk about an actual innovation shift.

AI and MRI is already here.

Whatever your modality is, I challenge you to go and research, sit with your radiologist, talk to your leaders, find out from your mri, your medical safety officer, your radiation safety officer.

How is AI affecting my job?

How am I using AI?

If you're working in medical imaging, AI is most likely been in your department and maybe you don't know is there.

I challenge you.

That would be the first step and I know radiologists will welcome you in to ask that question.

They are so excited to talk about that.

That's one of the things I'm going to tell you.

If you want to get on a good side of a radio radiologist and get a conversation going, talk about AI and their job.

They get so passionate about their job and how AI.

AI is assisting.

It's not taking over and they want to share it so they can give you insights.

You all.

That's just a tip of real world innovation when it comes to the SRT and the innovations of AI.

They've released resources on how AI is being ethically implemented.

That's very important for you to not only answer others, but to answer for yourself.

You may have fear that AI is taking over your job.

You don't really understand how it's working.

They've got resources for you at the asrt.

They're even educating lawmakers to make sure regulations don't leave technologists and therapists behind.

Same goes for radiation therapy, adaptive planning, motion tracking, precision dosing.

These are kind.

These are the kinds of things that ASRT builds into their continuing education and policy work.

So what does it mean for you and I if we want to thrive in this profession for the next 5, 10, 20 years, we must do our part.

You need to be part of a professional association that evolves with technology.

No more standing still.

No more planning for the right now.

We're planning for the future, y' all.

SRT is making that possible.

You get access to educational tools that prepare you for new roles.

You stay informed through research and industry updates and you become part of a collective voice that ensures we don't get left behind.

We don't just work in imaging.

We are the future of imaging and only if we stay engaged.

So here's what I want from you today.

Thank you for being a listener.

I want you to go to asrt.org beseem learn what the ASRT is doing to advance our profession.

To advance our profession Join if you haven't engage if you have already been a member, here's the how and why it matters.

Number one I want you to go to the asrt.org be seen today not tomorrow.

Today.

Why?

Every day you wait is a day your peers are building advantages you don't have.

Step 2 Choose the membership level that fits your career stage.

Why Basic membership pays for itself and your first salary negotiation.

Advanced credentials can add $5,000 plus annually to your earning potential.

Step 3 Complete one learning path in the next 30 days why you need quick wins to build momentum.

Pick something adjacent to what you've already what you're already doing.

If you're in ct, learn about cardiac applications.

If you're in general radiography, explore advanced positioning techniques.

Step 4 Engage with the community within 60 days why knowledge without networking is just expensive hobby learning.

The real value comes from professional relationships.

Here's why this matters right now for new text, you're building the foundation of your 30 year career.

Plus the habits you establish in your first five years determine your trajectory for the next 25.

For experienced technologists and therapists, the industry is changing faster than ever.

Your 10 to 15 years of experience are valuable, but only if you can apply them to new technologies and workflows.

For those veteran technologists and therapists, you have knowledge that new techs that new technologists need, but you need their fresh perspective on emerging technology.

SRT creates that bridge.

Bottom line, in five years there will be two types of medical imaging professionals those who adapt and those who get left behind.

ASRT membership is how you ensure you're in that first group.

Your career is too important to lead to chance.

Your patients deserve a technologist and therapist who are current.

Your profession needs leaders who are engaged.

So Again, go to asrt.org besene Join today.

Your future self will thank you.

Until next time.

This is Sean reminding you that professional development isn't about getting better, it's about staying relevant, staying sharp, staying current and staying connected.