Meet Hannah Keyser BS, RT(R), CT

To kick off National Radiologic Technology Week, our first outstanding RT is Hannah Keyser!

Hannah went to the University of Iowa for her Radiation Sciences degree and was lucky enough to get a full time diagnostic x-ray position at UIHC just a couple months after graduating.  She spent 2 1/2 years in x-ray before transferring over to CT.  She has been working in CT now for 5 years.

When asked why Hannah picked RT/CT as her career field, Hannah’s response was “Growing up I always knew I wanted to help people.  I started my college career studying psychology with the hopes of becoming a family counselor.  During my junior year of college I had my first exposure with radiology. A mass was felt in my neck and I was sent for an ultrasound.  I was impressed with the sonographer's seemingly ambidextrous ability to scan with one hand and type with the other.  The mass turned out to be a tumor and I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.  After a PET and CT scan I remember reviewing images with my oncologist and was intrigued by how the inside of the body looked and I wanted to know how those images were produced.  That moment changed my life's path.  I completed my psychology degree but instead of pursuing a masters, I went back for a second bachelor's degree in radiation sciences.”

Hannah’s favorite exam in CT is an IAC (internal auditory canal). “I like looking at the cochlea curled up like a snail.”

Hannah’s advice for anyone wanting to go into the field: “spend lots of time job shadowing.  The multiple modalities of Radiology are very different and you want to make sure the area you're interested in fits your personality.  Volunteering in Radiology is also a great way to spend a little bit more time in the clinical area to get even more exposure.”