Taking Imaging Skills in New Directions: Meet CT Technologist, Carmen Arana

Meet Carmen Arana, CT technologist at Northwell Health Reichert Family Imaging in Huntington, NY. During her career journey as an imaging specialist, Carmen has had some unique opportunities to expand her skills in different ways.

She studied Radiologic Technology at Westchester Community College before joining Northwell Health in 2014, and with Northwell’s tuition reimbursement assistance, Carmen continued her education to achieve a Bachelor of Science in 2021 from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.

As a CT technologist, Carmen operates a computed tomography machine to create detailed images of internal organs, bones, soft tissue, and blood vessels. She helps prepare patients for various exams and ensures that the radiologist has all of the clear information needed to make an informed diagnosis. Her responsibilities also include managing the patient flow and assisting the x-ray department, when needed.

Carmen knows her role as an imaging specialist at Northwell is meaningful. “I am able to provide a safe and complete diagnostic exam using state-of-the-art technology,” she says. “This encounter alone can have a huge impact on how a patient’s treatment progresses. I enjoy helping patients have the best experience possible and appreciate the thanks I am given in return.”

When a patient sees an imaging specialist, it is often at the start of addressing a health concern. A CT technologist like Carmen will guide a patient through what may feel like an intimidating examination. From collecting and entering health history to analyzing the number of scans required, a CT technologist aims to make the process as smooth as possible for every patient. Careful attention to detail results in reduced time under scanning equipment and more efficient outcomes.

When asked what makes working as a CT technologist at Northwell unique, Carmen says that it’s the different opportunities that team members are given to use and grow their skills. “I had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work with The Nature Conservancy to scan samples of water from various marshes in our area. It was a project designed to help improve the quality of the water around Long Island. Having the ability to apply my knowledge in an area outside of my direct responsibilities gave me learning experiences I may not have otherwise been able to take advantage of.”

Carmen’s next step in expanding her knowledge is her intention to pursue a Master of Science in Health Informatics.

You too can discover a career well cared for with opportunities to expand in your role at Northwell Health. Apply to become an imaging specialist with us today.

Imaging Careers at Northwell Health, Raise Your Career Expectations

Imaging careers at Northwell Health allow you to learn, grow, and raise your career expectations in the field you love. Whether your career journey may be just starting now, moving into a more senior position, or you’ve begun to explore a new career direction within our greater imaging services department, Northwell has the resources to support and guide you on your path. Below, you will find just a few career progression opportunities for ultrasound, MRI, and radiology technologists. For the complete job profiles of each role, we invite you to visit NorthwellCareers.com or click on each link below to discover a career well cared for with our team.

For ultrasound technologist opportunities click here.

For MRI technologist opportunities click here.

For radiology technologist opportunities click here.

Why I’m Made for an ultrasound technologist career at Northwell

Written by: Gennifer Albaum

Working at the front desk for a radiologist at a young age, I quickly realized I had a passion for interacting with patients. With the encouragement of my team, I decided to became an ultrasound technologist and have worked at Northwell Health for nearly two years.

People assume radiology is just someone taking pictures and that’s all. It’s much more than that. It’s scanning a women who just had an abnormal mammogram and is getting a second look. It’s having a patient come in with stroke like symptoms who just a few hours ago could walk and talk but now has no motor function. It’s the parents of a child who is sick with a cold. It’s scanning a cancer survivor to see if their cancer has come back. It’s dealing with the patient’s pain, worry and sadness, and still providing care that helps make them forget about their fears for a moment. Because as an ultrasound technologist, we’re taking images that will help patients get the answers.

Knowing a visit to an Imaging Center can be a stressful time for patients, I try to ease their anxiety and keep them calm during their visit especially when they are looking to me for results and I have to politely explain that their images need to be interpreted by a radiologist. As a radiology professional I know that can be trying for the patient but we want to ensure we have reviewed all images thoroughly before providing results.

I was introduced to women’s imaging, especially breast imagining early in my career and quickly found that I had a passion for early diagnosis of breast cancer. Some of my fondest memories as an ultrasound technologist are when breast cancer survivors returned to visit us at the practice. To see her smile when she saw her face and knowing I was part of delivering her care was so rewarding. I know that what I do made a difference in not just her life but her kids and her family. It makes me feel so proud of my hard work and dedication.

Early detection saves lives and knowing that I can play a part in helping to save a life, is why I chose to become an ultrasound technologist. Working for Northwell has been a life-changing experience, I have met so many amazing technologists, radiologists and administrators. I truly feel like this is where I was meant to be.

Are you Made for a radiology career like Gennifer’s? Apply to an open position today!

Photo: Lindsey is on the right.

My experience as a Healthcare Management Program Summer Associate in the Imaging Service Line.

Written by: Lindsey Feuerzeig, Binghamton University, HMP Summer Assocaite 2019

Healthcare has been an industry that has peaked my interest for most of my life. When I was 10 years old, I went to Huntington Hospital with stomach pains. A few hours later I was transferred by ambulance to Cohen Children’s Medical Center and the next morning I had an emergency appendectomy.

Fast forward to college, I arrived freshman year as a Biomedical Engineering major with a dream to work in stem cell research. Chemistry did not go too well and I switched to my current major, Industrial, and Systems Engineering (ISE), focusing on the optimization of complex processes, systems, and organizations. This major is typically highly focused in manufacturing; however, there has been a recent focus in healthcare as well.

In January 2019, I accepted an internship offer in the Healthcare Management Program (HMP). I later found out that I was placed in the Imaging Service Line, and was interested to see what exactly that meant. The Imaging Service Line provides critical services such as X-Ray, MRI, CAT scan, Mammography, etc. During the course of the internship, I was enthralled with all activities regarding Northwell’s imaging services.

During my internship, I attended outpatient site visits, learned about the clinical aspect of imaging, and most importantly listened, and brought insight back to our leadership team. I worked on volume reports for each facility, as well as equipment reports. I also worked on a major inpatient project at North Shore University Hospital, The MRI Assessment Project. The project detailed data behind the outpatient volume of the hospital including procedure type, referring doctors, and patient demographics. The second part of the project included creating a detailed workflow of the inpatient process and identifying associated bottlenecks. After my completion of the assessment, I reported out at a final presentation to various hospital executives. My project will continue to be executed by my preceptors as my internship has now come to a close.

Reflecting back on my experience this summer, I could not have wished for a better program. The HMP has helped me grow both my technical and soft skills. I was encouraged to step outside my comfort zone throughout all my projects and meet with various stakeholders for their input. As a summer associate at Northwell Health, I was treated as a fellow employee and expected to deliver results to my assigned projects.

I’d like to say thank you to Northwell for offering a robust Healthcare Management Program and I look forward to applying all I’ve learned to my future career in healthcare management.

Update: Lindsey has been offered and accepted a full-time position in the Management Associate Program as an Associate at LIJ Medical Center once she graduates from Binghamton Unviersity May.

Submit your resume to become a Summer Associate in the 2020 Healthcare Management Program Internship!

What is Northwell Health’s Radiology Administrative Succession Program (RASP)?

The Radiology Administrative Succession Program is a one-year program that develops and enhances Northwell’s radiology leaders to enable them to take the next step in their career. During the program, leaders are provided with educational opportunities, knowledge sharing, hands-on learning and training with senior radiology leaders across the Imaging service line and hospital radiology departments.

“Succession planning is vitally important for ensuring the continued success of any business.  The radiology service line has an amazing pool of top talent who we have identified and developed in an effort to fill future roles.  Our goal is to focus on cultivating managers from within Northwell to ensure the leaders of the future are in place,” says Melone Pernice, Administrative Director, Radiology at Plainview Hospital.

Radiology team members are nominated by their leaders to participate in RASP and then the RASP Committee selects the final participates based on their nominations. This year, three team members were selected to participate in the inaugural class.

“RASP demonstrated to me that everyone is part of the same team and each person is fully invested in your success. All components of the program — from the subject matter classes, system level meetings and one-on-one mentoring — gave me the confidence I would need to handle any future obstacles. RASP is essential to ensure the future leaders are prepared for tomorrow, “says RASP participant Adrienne Wilson, radiology manager at Plainview Hospital.