Meet Your Fellow Members
This series celebrates the people behind the profession and offers an opportunity to learn from and connect with MRTs working in a wide range of settings from coast to coast! Every Monday, we’ll introduce you to a different medical radiation technologist from somewhere across Canada.
| Know someone we should highlight? Let us know at maiello@camrt.ca |
This week’s member spotlight is Sherri Priestly.
Can you describe your current role and area of practice within medical radiation technology?
I am currently the Associate Chair of the MRI and MRT programs at NAIT in Edmonton, Alberta.
Sherri in the NAIT lab during adaptive radiography labs. Student’s pretend to have injuries so that they can gain practice on people with limited mobility.
What originally led you to pursue a career as an MRT?
I like to think I got lucky to stumble into this profession. Wondering what I might do with my life as a 20 year old, I was attracted to the description of the X-ray program in the NAIT calendar. Who would have guessed this profession would fit me so well and offer so many interesting opportunities.
Sherri pretending to be an orthopedic surgeon while a student practices with the C-arm
What does a typical day look like for you in your department or clinic?
My day to day is teaching classes, then supervising and mentoring students in lab scenarios as they learn the basics of the profession. During school breaks I still pick up shifts at the University Hospital in Edmonton. I think this is a good mix. I’m grateful the hospital allows me to work and keep up my skills so that I can pass on the most current trends in industry to the next generation.
What advice would you give to new MRTs entering the profession today?
Get ready for many adventures! You never know where your career can take you; there are so many interesting corners of our diagnostic imaging world to explore. Go try them all out.
What aspects of your work do you find most rewarding?
The best moment for a teacher is being present for the light bulb moments that students experience when a challenging concept suddenly makes sense. I also get the privilege of seeing the excitement students have to press the exposure button for the first time and I then get to work alongside them, a short time later, as they start their new careers.
What is your favourite part about being an MRT?
My favourite part of being an MRT is that we are a bridge. People come into our rooms scared and uncertain; our work offers them concrete certainty which allows them to move along to the next step of the healing journey. We have front row seats, and this makes ours the best job in the hospital.