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By Marnet Zimmer, BA, RT(R)(CT), CRA
On Tuesday, May 10, 58 imaging professionals gathered for the 3rd Annual Milwaukee Area AHRA Meeting. The meeting was sponsored by GE Healthcare and was held at the GE Healthcare Education Institute in Waukesha, WI. Attendees were eligible to earn 5 CEU while networking with friends and co-workers.
The meeting began at 8:30 AM with a presentation by Daniel Schaefer on MRI safety and the new recommendations for MRI safety directors, safety officers, and safety experts. Dan also reviewed some basic MRI safety information that MRI technologists are already very familiar with, but leaders without MRI experience would find helpful to navigate the new expectations for patient and employee safety.
Dan’s presentation was followed by a short break, and then I shared a brief presentation on the benefits of being an AHRA member, including reduced rates for the Annual Meeting and Spring and Fall Conferences, free webinars, other free educational opportunities such as this meeting, corporate rates for larger hospital organizations, and so much more. I also discussed the agenda for the Annual Meeting being held in Nashville, TN from July 31-August 3.
The second speaker of the day was Kari Pulfer. Kari is a medical imaging manager for the South Park campuses and outlying clinics of University of Wisconsin Health. She was a member of the leadership group that implemented ACR’s accreditation for the Diagnostic Center of Excellence (DICOE) at the South Park campus and the lung cancer screening program for UW Health. Kari spent an hour sharing her experience with organizing and implementing the Low Dose Lung Screening program within her organization. She certainly helped the audience appreciate what a large undertaking that was and how the process is ongoing as regulations and requirements change.
The third speaker of the morning was Frank Vermeiren, the director of strategic business development and the director of accreditation for the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. He discussed the value and importance of acquiring accreditation for each modality and how accreditation helps support quality and safety for the patients we serve.
GE provided a wonderful lunch for everyone, and then it was back to an afternoon of learning with Lisa Thomka, PhD, RN. Lisa provided an energetic and interactive two-hour workshop on the five accountabilities of managers. Lisa taught the participants that managers are responsible for human, fiscal, materials (supplies and equipment to do the job), resources (education, applications, knowledge about equipment and procedures), and environmental resources (safe, secure work space). Everyone participated in sharing ideas about what these five accountabilities look like and how to know when leaders are assuming either too much or not enough responsibility.
The event concluded at 3:00 PM. Attendees indicated that they were interested in attending another full day of education next year. The planning team wishes to express our sincere thanks to GE Healthcare for the support they provided throughout this event. We would also like to recognize Jillian Nanof for the support she provided through the AHRA office.
View the entire photo album from our event on AHRA’s Facebook page.
Marnet Zimmer, BA, RT(R)(CT), CRA is the radiology – specialty services manager at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare –All Saints in Racine, WI. She can be reached at marnet.zimmer@wfhc.org.
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