Life as a RACC Commissioner

By Brenda DeBastiani, CRA, FAHRA, BA, RT(R)

While serving my 3-year term on the Radiology Administration Certification Commission (RACC), I have had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people. The RACC is made up of 6 commissioners (who are CRAs), a public commissioner, and an AHRA liaison. This group must work closely as a team to meet the established goals and deadlines. I would like to share my journey with you and shed some light on my life as a commissioner.

During my first year on the RACC, I felt like a baby just learning to walk. I honestly had no idea what the RACC really did, why we had monthly meetings on the phone, or the definitions of the strange nomenclature that they discussed on the calls. I watched/listened in awe as I saw the experienced commissioners carry the new commissioners on the team. During year one, I was on the nominations committee and the finance committee, and focused on learning how everything worked. The first year at the AHRA Annual Meeting RACC booth in the Exhibit Hall was educational for me since I was still learning the “rules of engagement.”

By year two, I was the chair of the nominations committee, chair of the finance committee, as well as the chair of the item writing committee. Are you seeing a pattern here? (See one, do one, teach one!) Why me? Because if not me, then who? As the item writing chair, it was my responsibility to line up question writers for the CRA examination. I was overwhelmed by the number of CRA volunteers who responded to my plea for item writers. (You all made my job so easy! All I had to do was make sure that the questions were in the proper format, using the proper identifiers, and that the citations were correct.) The AHRA Annual Meeting RACC booth was busy and fun that year. I met so many people and was impressed by the number of people who told me that they were signing up to take the CRA exam.

During year three (2017), I saw history repeating itself with the 2^nd year commissioners stepping up to the plate to chair the various committees that they were members of during their first year. As a third year, experienced commissioner, it was my duty to offer my support or help where needed. This year’s RACC booth at the AHRA Annual Meeting was so much fun since it was the 15 year CRA anniversary. I met so many amazing people at the booth and at the conference!

Being a RACC commissioner has been such an honor and a learning experience. I have a greater understanding of the work done behind the scenes to keep our CRA credential strong and meaningful. I have a greater appreciation for structure and strong leadership. It was my job as an elected commissioner to share my opinions during discussions. (That held true for all commissioners in our roles since we all represented different perspectives and experiences.) Everyone was so respectful and open-minded in this group of professionals during all three years. It was refreshing to see!

I owe a lot of chocolate to Kathryn Keeler! She was always on top of things and such a great AHRA staff resource to us all, no matter what project we were working on. I would like to extend a special thank you to Jillian Nanof for being such a great resource to the RACC. I am sure that you will do great things in your new role!

My favorite motivational quote (by Dwayne Johnson) is “Be humble; be hungry; and always be the hardest worker in the room.” That quote represents what I saw out of many RACC commissioners and words that I try to live by. I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the wonderful RACC commissioners I have had the pleasure of working with over the past three years. I was exposed to invaluable experiences that will continue to shape who I am and who I become. Thank you fellow CRAs for believing in me, trusting in me, and allowing me to represent you as your RACC commissioner for the last three years.

Brenda DeBastiani, CRA, FAHRA, BA, RT(R) is the director of imaging at Monongalia General Hospital in Morgantown, WV. She can be reached at DebastianiB@monhealthsys.org.