The Value of an AHRA Membership as a Medical Imaging Professional

By Eric Kallstrom, MBA, FACVP, FASE

Becoming a member of the AHRA is the first step in dedicating oneself towards a well-rounded career in imaging and leadership. The many benefits of becoming a member of the AHRA was just one of the many reasons I joined this well-revered association. As manager of non-invasive cardiology within Baylor Scott&White Health, I aim to promote quality, education, standardization, and patient safety as a leader in my field. The mission and vision of the AHRA supports my own leadership initiatives. While healthcare related coursework in our chosen field of study has provided us with the knowledge and training to do what we love as healthcare professionals in providing quality patient care, balanced patient care is a multifaceted progression. I have found that program coursework, learning hard and soft skills on the job, and membership with the AHRA is a three-tiered approach to becoming the best healthcare providers and leaders that we can be.

With a background in sonography for over thirteen years, I have held roles as sonographer, technical director, manager/leader, and educator. With an undying passion for my field and career, I understand the necessity to promote and give back to the ultrasound field in capacities such as committee memberships, board of director service, article publishing, abstract presentations, manuscripts reviews, and attendance/speaking engagements at ultrasound conventions. The AHRA provides its membership with these tools of empowerment. The added benefits that are provided by the AHRA are unique in that all roads lead to an empowered professional, whether it be a physician, technologist, or imaging leader. This empowerment has a trickle-down effect on an imaging lab. I aim to motivate my technologists through my own personal association engagement, providing them with the tools necessary to do their job to the best of their ability. This in turn has positive, long lasting effects on patient care and the professional development of our technologists.

As a leader in our field, I understand the intrinsic nature for the need of continuing education for imaging technologists. Members of the AHRA are provided with ample opportunities to maintain registrations and certifications through free CE credits while listening to webinars, conference sessions, textbook chapters, and Quick Credit exams. While being a member of the AHRA, I have taken advantage of leadership literature in Radiology Management, AHRA’s peer reviewed journal that publishes research and best practices on healthcare management issues specific to medical imaging. The contents of this journal are indexed on PubMed and are published six times a year. It is a great resource for the established leader or a new leader who is hungry to learn new management concepts.

There is no better time to join the AHRA. My experiences in leading a non-invasive imaging lab have been supplemented with the valuable resources that the AHRA is proud to offer. Your professional advancement is waiting for you in the many opportunities that membership will provide.

Eric Kallstrom, MBA, FACVP, FASE is the Manager of non-invasive Cardiology at Baylor Scott & White Health in Plano, TX. He can be reached at ekallstrom44138@gmail.com.