Travel CT Tech Finds Success in New England Roots
Meet Allied Achiever Award Winner Jeanne C.
The first full week of November, National Allied Health Professionals Week recognizes allied health professionals and their significant roles in the healthcare system.
This month, Med Travelers is proud to recognize all of our allied health travelers, including radiologic technologist Jeanne C., RT(R)(CT), who was recently chosen as our 2022 Allied Achiever Award winner. Jeanne was selected for this honor because of her reputation of truly going above and beyond while on her travel assignments.
A Second Career in Medical Imaging
In 2009, Jeanne was in her late 30s, working in e-commerce, when she was laid off from her job. Fortunately, she fell under an unemployment program that helped her return to school and finish her degree in radiologic technology at Southern Vermont College.
After college in 2011, Jeanne worked full-time at a university while doing X-rays part-time, every other weekend. When an opportunity opened up at a small, local critical access hospital in Vermont, it became her first full-time X-ray job. She was able to cross-train in computed tomography (CT) and received her certification in 2016.
Jeanne soon met some traveling CT techs and became interested in trying these short-term assignments. However, her children were still in high school, so the time wasn't right. She later headed to Brattleboro, Vermont, to work in an urgent care. Then, in 2018, with the kids now on their own, she decided to fulfill her desire to work on travel imaging assignments.
"I always loved traveling," Jeanne said. "I have lived in a few different places, and because my kids were graduating and didn't need me to be home full-time anymore, it felt like a good opportunity to start.”
“Learning new skills was a big part of wanting to travel because my job opportunities had only been in a small critical access hospital and urgent care,” she continued. “There weren't many learning opportunities in either of those places. With traveling, all that has changed. I've had assignments in Level I trauma centers and various places where I've picked up new skills. I've become a much better tech because of those opportunities."
Jeanne started traveling for Med Travelers in 2019 and said her current recruiter, Anna S., has been terrific.
"When you're a traveler, you don't have an HR office to go to," Jeanne said. "If you don't have somebody who knows you, you can feel very disconnected. That is how I felt at one time. With Anna, I feel like she knows me, and we have a personal relationship. She is very interested in making sure that she understands my needs. She knows when my contracts are up. She checks in with me regularly. If I have a question, I hear back from her generally within a day. She is my go-to person."
Enjoying the Healthcare Traveler Lifestyle
Jeanne's travel goals were to stay close to home and her family in Vermont. So, she got licenses in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, and her adventures highlight a New England lifestyle.
She worked at a small critical access hospital in Claremont, New Hampshire, only 90 minutes from home. Jeanne was able to increase her CAT scan skills while there. She then went to her first Level I trauma center in New Hampshire, which served a large region, including Southern Vermont. It was a great experience in a beautiful area.
During her travels, Jeanne lived in stunningly beautiful Quechee, Vermont, loaded with traditional New England charm. She spent a lot of time hiking and exploring the area.
She then headed to Newton Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts where she primarily performed CAT scans.
"I stayed there for a full year," she said. "I lived mainly in the Cambridge area. I enjoyed returning to Boston because I'd grown up outside the city. I became a real Boston tourist and got to know the area again. I like riding my bike, so I did a lot of bike riding around the Charles River."
Jeanne then went to what she called a quintessential New England city: Keene, New Hampshire. It's a wonderful college town where Jeanne did CAT scans and X-rays on the overnight shift. She also spent much of her off time riding a horse she leased in nearby Vermont.
Currently, Jeanne is on assignment in Martha's Vineyard, working at a critical access hospital on this small Massachusetts island. It is an assignment that Jeanne had always wanted.
"I have been busy every minute of this assignment," she said. "I love this island. I've been doing pottery and volunteering. Because I'm a horse person, I couldn't find a horse out here to lease, so I've been volunteering at an equine center that provides horsemanship for people with autism. That's been an amazing experience and a new way to enjoy horses. I've been doing a ton of kayaking and biking. I think I've biked every mile of the island except for the parts where the terrain is too dangerous."
Winning the Allied Achiever Award
Jeanne was a little stunned when she learned she won the Allied Achiever Award, and it means a lot to her to be recognized by Med Travelers.
"I work very hard and try to make a positive change wherever I go," she said. "It was very meaningful that my work has been appreciated, and it's great to feel that I've left a positive impression."
Jeanne's award points to her excellent relationship with patients, which is paramount for traveling success.
"I love patient care; obviously, it's essential to me," she said. "I love working with the elderly and with the very young. I think it's important that every person who we come in contact with has a good experience.”
“I remember one of my teachers in X-ray school saying, 'For you, it's just another day at work, but for this person, it could be the worst day of their lives.' That really struck me and became a mission of mine to make sure that when they interact with me, it's going to be positive and that I've done something to make their day a little brighter,” Jeanne noted.
Her Advice for Allied Travelers
Jeanne encourages potential travelers and those just starting out to go ahead and step out of their comfort zone.
"Travelers should be a little adventurous and go to different places," she said. "Traveling away from family and what you're used to can be a little scary and a little hard, but I have found that you build relationships wherever you go. The people you meet at your job and in your communities are generally very welcoming and appreciative of you being there. You create these little niches wherever you go, and it becomes a second home for you."
READY to start making lifelong memories as Jeanne has? Just apply online, and our recruitment team at Med Travelers will help get you on your way!
