Alumni Spotlight:
Essential Workers Brianna Zender '18 & James Rogers '18
They met in the x-ray program at Bucks, now both are essential workers on the Covid-19 front lines.
Brianna is a proud CT technologist at Grand View Hospital, as well as an X-ray technologist at Physician's Care Surgical Hospital. James is a radiologic technologist at Patient First and a CT technologist at St. Mary Medical Center.
What is it like working in this field during the pandemic? "CT is one of the main imaging modalities used in imaging patients with the Coronavirus," explained Brianna. "Taking one chest scan of a possible COVID-19 patient involves draping the whole room in sheets, having one clean and one dirty technician, both dressed in PPE, and a thorough cleaning process afterwards." The hospital has a specific room devoted for taking x-rays of COVID-19 patients, and just one patient can cause that room to be occupied for up to two hours because of the necessary steps to protect the staff involved in the scanning process.
At the surgical hospital, Brianna is taking x-rays of patients after surgery. She is in the operating room during surgeries with a "C-arm" x-ray machine.
Both Brianna and James had great experiences as students at Bucks, and not just because they fell in love in the classroom! Both completed the X-ray, CT, and MRI programs, taking three board exams, becoming triple-certified technologists.
"The imaging programs at Bucks make sure we are well-prepared for situations like this pandemic, said Brianna. "They teach us how to gown up and properly reduce risks of contamination from the very beginning of x-ray school. I am very grateful to have been in the Bucks program as it properly prepared me for each of the imaging modalities I pursued."
Thank you Brianna and James, for helping our community during the pandemic. Best wishes for a long life, filled with happiness and good health!