Written by Tricia Trammell, CRA, FAHRA

I have been an active member of the AHRA since 2011, the same year I became a CRA. One of the first volunteer opportunities I participated in was a Member Category Task Force. Next I served on an Annual Appeal Committee for two years. I also had an amazing opportunity to serve on Spring Design Teams and Annual Design Teams. While being on these design teams are amazingly fun, they also require lots of planning and tons of hard work. I have been on a Membership Campaign Committee and written for LINK and Daily Convention. While much of my volunteerism was part in effort to achieve my Fellow status with AHRA, the truth is that I love giving my time and energy to an organization that gives so much to its members.

One of the most enjoyable volunteer opportunities I have had was being on the CRA Exam Committee in 2016. While on this committee, I had the opportunity to review CRA questions, write questions and improve the test for those taking the CRA exam in the future. That is why when a seat opened up on the Radiology Administrators Certification Commission (RACC), I was eager to serve. I have been on the RACC for almost three years and my term is nearing its completion. As I reflect on my term, my contributions to the RACC and the changes that have occurred during my time on the RACC, both to the healthcare industry as a whole and to the RACC and AHRA, my resounding thought is resilience.

I began my term on the RACC in January of 2020. We were in the midst of Covid. It felt like the whole world was different. In some ways, it always will be. Our conference in 2020 was virtual. That was different! There was no doubt that we all missed seeing each other in person. AHRA has always been a family reunion in the best sense! It’s our opportunity to see our friends, our indoctrinated family! But we had to wait a little bit longer. At the end of 2020, I was on the elections committee for the 2021 RACC open seats.

When 2021 rolled around, we were ready to serve at the annual meeting in person! Nashville was amazing! We were able to connect face to face! I was so happy to be with my AHRA family! Unfortunately, I got Covid, probably in the crowded streets of Nashville, and brought it home to my family! Covid turned to pneumonia for me and my son so we had a pretty rough go for a while, but we recovered. I know I am not the only one who got Covid, nor am I the only one who lost family and friends to Covid.

At the end of 2021, I served again on the elections committee for the open seats in our RACC. We also had an open chair seat, for which Curt Bush was elected. Curt was a fantastic chair. He was very forward thinking and executed many tasks in short order. We experienced heartbreak earlier this year and lost Curt. This is a loss I am not sure our AHRA family will ever fully understand or completely recover from. We honored Curt at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Phoenix. Now Sandy Phillips carries the baton of chair. The RACC will continue to honor Curt’s memory by paying it forward in serving the CRA credential by maintaining its integrity and standards. I will pay it forward by continuing to serve the AHRA and mentor future radiology leaders. If you are considering volunteering for the AHRA, I strongly encourage you to do it! If you will give your time and your energy to this organization, you will find so much more than just the opportunity to volunteer. You will find colleagues, mentors and lifelong friends.

Tricia Trammell is the Breast Care Manager at UT Southwestern University Hospitals/Clements University Hospital. She can be reached at Tricia.Trammell@utsouthwestern.edu