Week 5 - Entry 1

 Covid-19 and Radiology

Entering the Field During Covid

    It is definitely a strange time to be considering a career in the medical field. A career in medicine has always been associated with the risk of being around some of the most sick individuals in any given community, but the Covid-19 pandemic has made these concerns much greater. I would be lying if I said that the pandemic has not made me question my choice in career, but I know that my passion for the field is much greater than my fear of the disease currently plaguing the world. If anything, it has made me more confident in my choice to become a radiographer, and has reignited my initial desire to help the most vulnerable members of my community. 

Education During Covid   

     Covid-19 has caused several other problems during my personal journey to become a radiographer besides causing mild anxiety. The disease has caused the entirety of my college education to take place on my laptop, preventing me from connecting to my peers who are also trying to enter the radiology field. This isolation did not help me get over my previous doubts. Increasingly strict policies regarding visitation to various healthcare facilities in the region also made it impossible to participate in any job shadows, information sessions, and other tours required for admission into the radiography internship that is a part of my degree. Although these requirement were waived once hiring managers were made aware of the situation, it still felt as though I had not done everything that was expected of me prior to application dates. These strict visitation policies also caused several of my interviews for the internship program to take place over video call. 

    Although all of these challenges and changes that have occurred because of the Covid-19 virus have made my journey to become a radiographer very untraditional, I know that I have chosen the right career and I could not be more excited to start my internship in the Fall.