Meet Cody Frank, MBA, RT(R), MR 
Cody is from West Burlington, Iowa. He graduated high school in 2011 and came to the University of Iowa for his BSRS degree. Cody chose the RT/MRI track and graduated in May 2016. He started working shortly after graduation as an MRI technologist at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Since graduation, Cody has become a Senior MRI Technologist at UIHC and will be graduating with his MBA from the University of Dubuque this December.
When asked why Cody chose RT/MRI as his career field, his response was “MRI/RT was interesting to me because you use the newest and most innovative equipment at the University of Iowa to obtain the best images possible. With UIHC being the largest hospital in the state, we see the largest diversity in exams which keeps me intrigued and challenges me in many technical perspectives. MRI deals with a lot of technical parameters that needs to be adjusted and changed based on patients history, patients abilities, and what protocol is ordered. This keeps me in a constant learning environment and engaged in the work I do. Plus, the pictures can be really interesting for the many different cases we are looking for."
Cody’s favorite exam is a Cardiac MRI. “Cardiac imaging is a very in depth scan that deals with many different parameters being selected to help achieve the best imaging possible. The biggest artifact in MRI is dealing with motion. In cardiac imaging you have motion in 3 different aspects. 1 patient moving. 2 breathing. 3 heart beating, to deal with each one you must image at a precise moment. Dealing with all 3 variables you must instruct the patient to hold still. They must hold their breath on exhale to prevent the diaphragm from moving and that will keep the heart in the same place. and finally you gate the heart rhythm to image between heart beats. This will help you acquire images when the heart is not beating and you can obtain very clear images. Other images include real time cine's which are "miniature movies" that show the actual heart beating. We can see the valves opening and closing and how the different flows and areas on the heart are effected. We also inject contrast that will be up taken by the heart which can help spot any other possible abnormalities to help with the reading out of the exam. Altogether, it is one of the most advanced exams we learn and each and every case is considerably different from the last.”
Cody’s advice for anyone wanting to go into the field: “Make sure you do your research and job shadow, job shadow, job shadow. I personally job shadowed on 5 different occasions to make sure i knew what didactic path I wanted to follow. Even though there are many different areas to choose, finding the one that interests you and that you enjoy will benefit your career choice exponentially. You will be going into a job field that has a lot of room for advancement if you take the initiative. Strive to keep learning each exam to maximize on your skills and eventually you will become a senior imaging technologist. Or you may choose to go on further as an educator or into an administrative path. Keep following your goals and reach your full potential.”