Starting the Season of Gratitude With Rad Tech Week

November is here, and with it comes a season of gratitude and appreciation. I know I should feel this way year-round, but there’s just something about this time of year that makes me pause and appreciate all that I have to be thankful for.

For the medical imaging community, this starts with National Radiologic Technologist Week (November 2-8). I love this week. During this time, I hope you’ll take a moment to show some appreciation to your staff. At my facility, we use it to recognize our entire imaging team. Everyone joins in the food and fun. This year, in addition to our usual celebratory feast, we’ve planned a scavenger hunt, a paper airplane contest, and a bake off. Our team works incredibly hard all year long, and it’s so rewarding to set aside time to thank them for the care and dedication they show our patients every day.

To help you celebrate all week long, AHRA has made a number of resources available on our website. Take a moment to send your colleagues an eCard, download graphics to give your team a shout out on social media, attend a special webinar hosted by United Imaging, or take inspiration from a list of other activities to mark the occasion. A special thanks to Bayer, our Rad Tech Week 2025 sponsor. This celebration comes but once a year — I can’t wait to see how you spend it!

I’m also incredibly thankful for our AHRA community. We wrapped up last month with the AHRA Virtual Annual Business Meeting. During this session, we shared highlights from the past year, including welcoming over 800 new members to our community. We also recognized our award winners and celebrated the tremendous work done by our committees. There was so much great information shared, and I’m proud of all the work we’ve accomplished. This was something new we wanted to try; if you were able to attend, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Looking ahead, don’t miss the live webinar, “Optimizing Your CT Contrast Workflow,” presented by Dr. Ryan Lee on Thursday, November 6 at 12:00 PM EST. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn practical strategies to improve image quality and enhance the patient experience — and you can even earn 1 CEU! (Not able to attend or missed it live? Members can access the recording and other archived webinars for free in the Online Institute. Keep an eye out for future webinars on the AHRA Events Calendar.)

And finally, here’s your fun pineapple fact for the month 🍍:

Did you know that pineapples don’t grow on trees? As I’ve shared my passion for pineapples with others, I’ve discovered that many people assume they do. In reality, pineapples grow on a low-lying plant, and their leaves can be quite sharp!

As we celebrate Rad Tech Week, I encourage you to be curious and challenge your assumptions. How much do you know about your colleagues? What drives their passions and creativity? By being open to learning about others’ interests outside of work, we can create a stronger bond within our teams — and that’s something to be grateful for. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful November filled with gratitude, teamwork, and time well-spent with family, friends, and colleagues.