A Thank You Letter

By Daunell Barnes,  RT(R)(CT)

First and foremost, I want to thank the AHRA Education Foundation in selecting me for the 2022 Broadley Scholarship. Pursuing further education in management has always been my plan, but it was not until a couple of years ago when my manager encouraged me to do so. Robin Johnson has been nothing but supportive with my decision to obtain my bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. She is a great leader and good example of what a mentor should be, and for that I would like to say thank you to her.

Throughout the pandemic and working full-time as a CT Lead at Summit Pacific Medical Center, going back to school full-time seemed next to impossible, especially when attending an actual school was out of the question. My next best option was to find an online school that provided me with a valuable education and Southern New Hampshire University had just what I needed to accomplish my goals. These classes have helped me to understand project management, organizational behavior and strategic planning, while further enhancing my skill in leadership over the past year and a half.

Growing up I played every sport that was available to me, because I enjoyed the competition, comradery and the critical thinking it entailed. Every day when school ended, I knew I would have some type of practice to go to and after a few years I started noticing myself getting better and better. Eventually, during high school I worked hard enough and was considered a leader in soccer, basketball and softball. During that time, I had the privilege of receiving an athletic scholarship to Central Washington University to play softball. I realized to become great at something it takes years of practice and even then, there is always something more to work on. I use this everyday whether it relates to my home-life or work environment. Leadership is role that will always continue to be evolving, so practicing and creating more opportunities to learn different ideas will always be a passion of mine.

Receiving this scholarship has been a huge honor personally and professionally because of whom it represents. Louise Broadley was a long-time leader in the AHRA and was passionate about sharing her leadership skills with others. In the future I plan on using this degree to further grow my leadership skills into a managerial role, starting with the supervisory level and working my way up and learning as much as I can on the way. I was able to attend the conference this summer in Phoenix and was astonished at how welcoming the members were and how much information I was able to take back with me and apply to my always developing leadership style. One day I hope I can use the skills and knowledge I have learned from my career to help mentor the next person.

Thank you again,

Daunell Barnes, RT(R)(CT)

Daunell Barnes is the Diagnostic Imaging Lead at the Summint Pacific Medical Center in WA, and can be reached at daunell.barnes@sp-mc.org