New Opportunities to Support the Patient Community

By Brandon Holt, BSRT(R)(CT)(ARRT)

I was genuinely honored to receive the call from Ms. Cathleen Story, letting me know that I had been one of the individuals chosen to attend the AHRA Annual Meeting in Orlando as an Osborn Scholarship recipient. As the director of a smaller department at a critical access hospital in rural Nebraska, one of the biggest challenges I face is being able to budget educational funding for my department staff. Continuing education is a mandated component of our profession, but it is also crucial in the delivery of care we provide to our patients each day.

As a leader, I frequently find myself torn between sending myself to a conference or sending my staff. The harsh reality is that leadership conferences tend to be quite costly. Often, I find I can send two or more of my technologists to a conference for the same cost I can send myself. It’s this haunting fact that drives me to be creative in how I scrape together the funding necessary to be in attendance at these events. Scholarships and grants are tremendous resources that provide the necessary funds needed for facilities like ours.

The Osborn Scholarship has allowed me the opportunity to gain tremendous knowledge that I can bring back to my facility and implement in a way that enhances the care we provide to our patients. While I am a radiology leader today, I will always be a patient advocate. Being able to attend this conference has provided me with new opportunities to support our patient community and enhance their healthcare experience.

Several of the lectures I was able to attend had topics that focused on the persistent shift to outpatient imaging and how hospital facilities can remain relevant in this paradigm shift. As an imaging leader at a hospital, these trends are often tough to tackle, and being able to sit with likeminded individuals and listen to an industry expert offer solutions to navigate these troubled waters is what AHRA is all about.

I was also able to attend three days of exhibitions while at the conference and connect with many of the leading vendors in the industry, as well as a few that I was new to. Learning about new and upcoming imaging solutions is an important factor in remaining competitive and in providing top-notch patient care.

Lastly, I learned how to be a hero and a connected leader from a few of the most incredible keynote speakers I can recall in my career. These individuals were able to show that customer service transcends many industries, including healthcare. They were able to touch a deep subject with great levity, something that I greatly appreciate.

I would like to thank the entire AHRA Education Foundation team for their continued efforts and understanding of the value of opportunities such as the Osborn Scholarship.  I greatly appreciate the opportunity I was afforded.

Brandon Holt, BSRT(R)(CT)(ARRT)  is the director of radiology services at Lexington Regional Health Center in Lexington, NE. He can be reached at bholt@lexrhc.org.