I have always wondered how I would feel about being stuck working for the same company that I trained, which played a great part in what I am today. I got employed at Rose Hospital as a locum, with the hopes of gaining permanent employment with the company at the end of my locum term. My job description back then was to assist the Sonologist in any ultrasound imaging process and procedure, create and type results, and make our patients comfortable.
Image credit is mine.
I remember resuming at Rose with hope and energy. I needed to be at the top of my game and show them that they wouldn’t want to lose me as a potential staff member. I was overwhelmed on the first day. Most things that were taught just a little bit in school were things I began to see on scan. Ultrasound was new and exciting, and it was indeed intriguing to actually see all the organs, blood vessels, and muscles we struggled so hard to learn in school.
Within a week of working at Rose, I was interested in ultrasound. I followed my chief, Dr. Gregory; wherever he went, I was also there, observing, asking questions, learning, and reading. In a month's time, I was able to carry out a basic obstetrics scan, and in three months, I was carrying out other kinds of scans under his supervision.
Image credit is mine.
Alas! My locum term came to an end, and I still didn’t get a letter of employment. I was worried. I have always wanted to become a medical doctor, but I was unable to get admitted into the program. I also stayed home for over a year after graduation before I actually found something I liked and believed I could enjoy practicing for a long time, and it looked like it would be taken away from me. I kept going back to Rose to work for free and without pay, and I was given a permanent employment letter in less than a month. I felt alive, and my hope was renewed. Maybe I'll still be of use in the health sector after all. I may not be a medical doctor, but I still get to help people who are patients. I made a promise to myself to learn all I possibly could and keep seeking knowledge so I could give the best care to whoever lay down on my couch to be scanned.
Dr. Gregory influenced me greatly. He is a brilliant doctor who is kind and amazing. He is also a friend and a mentor. There were days I wished to know what he knew, but I couldn’t, not at that time. I found myself trying to emulate him by maintaining professionalism and being polite and kind to patients. He pushed me to read and encouraged me to do ultrasound examinations that I didn’t believe I could do, most especially breast and scrotal sonograms.
The first three months under his tutelage as a permanent employee were wholesome, and I learned a lot. However, I was transferred to another branch to assist another Sonologist, Dr. Popoola. I was sad to leave the friends I had just made and was also worried if I would get along with her, Dr. Popoola, but she turned out to be the big sister I never had. We would have conversations about everything from family to church to social lifestyle, even though we aren’t in the same social circle. I learned a lot from her as well. She never carried out a scan without my being there. She teaches, explains, and answers my questions patiently.
Dr. Gregory had built a solid foundation in me in the first six months of my exposure to ultrasound, but Dr. P (as I fondly call her) raised me to the next level. I grew in knowledge and skills while I was with her, and months later, I needed no supervision, and they trusted me to always report confusing findings to them when filing an ultrasound report.
Dr. Gregory and Dr. Popoola were my teachers, and I am grateful, to date, that I had such amazing instructors and mentors. Over three years later, I no longer work with Rose, and I work alone with the informal training I had gotten from them.
I remember my boss, Dr. Gregory, telling me over the phone on a particular day, “Sarah, I am proud of you”.
I remember laughing and feeling all sorts of shyness at the lack of words to respond to that statement.
“No, really. I am proud of you. You have done well, and you are still doing well”, he said.
“Ah, thank you, Chief”, I replied.
“I have noticed you no longer call me much for consultations. I believe you are learning", he added.
“I just need to find my feet and stand alone as an independent Sonographer”.
“Great! Just great! You would do absolutely wonderful in your field. Remember to try and grow as much as you can, and keep me in the loop, too. I will always be here for you, whatever you may need”, he told me.
“Thank you, Chief. I am grateful”. I said this before dropping the call. I am sure he didn’t know how elated I felt to hear him say how proud of me he was.
Image credit is mine.
I believe I am doing well, although there is still room for improvement. I am sure that without them and their guidance, I wouldn’t have been the kind of Sonographer that I am today. I have to finish the house my teachers were trying to build. I have the frame of the roof fixed already, and the roof will soon be fixed.