WSRT President Kristy Nystrom Resigns

Laurie Weaver Assumes Reigns as President

       Well, the theme of the last conference was “Shake Up Your Profession!” and that’s exactly what’s happened with the WSRT since then. On December 2, 2002, Kristy advised the WSRT Board that she and her husband Dan were moving to Iowa by the first of the year. Dan was offered and accepted a great position as a dosimetrist, and Kristy has decided to pursue further education and a career as a Radiologic Physician’s Assistant. There is a radiologist in Iowa that has agreed to sponsor Kristy and as she said, the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Kristy expressed that she will miss everyone dearly and hopes everyone will understand.
       With her leaving there were actually two openings that impact the technologists of Wyoming. First, Kristy was the chairman of the Wyoming Board of Radiologic Technologist Examiners as well as the technologist representative, so the new Governor, Mr. Freudenthal, will be seeking to appoint someone new. The WSRT Board will be submitting names to the Governor for his consideration. If you are interested, please let a board member know right away.
       In accordance with WSRT bylaws, Laurie Weaver has stepped up from Vice President to the position of President of the WSRT, effective immediately. Of course, this left the position of Vice President open and the Board has appointed Kelly Hartigan to fill this position.
       We wish Kristy and Dan the best of luck in their new adventures and of course, we wish Laurie the best of luck and our support in her new role. Laurie is an experienced WSRT Board member and we’re sure she’ll do well.
       The change also necessitated some changes for the ASRT delegates as well. Laurie has asked to remain as the regional delegate for the Education Chapter which would normally leave the Vice-President as the other Affiliate Delegate. However Kelly is already the regional delegate for Ultrasound soothe board has appointed Vera Trimble to be the second Affiliate Delegate for Wyoming and Glen will serve as the alternate. Mike will remain as the other Affiliate Delegate. 

Legislative News

       There are actually two bills before the Wyoming State Legislature that can impact the technologists of Wyoming. The first is HB 0102 and the WSRT is generally opposed to this bill. I have include the text f it here for your consideration in the next column

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0102

Patient Safety in Radiological Imaging.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Gilmore and Senator(s)Scott

       A BILL for AN ACT relating to health care; requiring certification of medical imaging facilities as specified; creating a registry for medical imaging; providing for radiation worker safety; specifying requirements for medical imaging; requiring notice of the consequences of radiation; granting rulemaking authority; providing definitions; providing penalties; providing an exception; and providing for an effective date.

       Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1. W.S. 35-4-304 through 35-4-309 are created to read:

35-4-304. Definitions.

(a) As used in this article:

(i) "ALARA" means "as low as reasonably achievable," the European basic safety standards that have been progressively introduced into European national regulations as the cornerstone of the radiological protection system;

(ii) "Department" means the Wyoming department of health;

(iii) "Radiation" means as defined in W.S. 33-37-101(a)(v);

(iv) "Radiological medical imaging" means the visual presentation of all or any part of the human body for the purpose of medical diagnosis or data collection using radiation emitting equipment.

35-4-305. Department of health, radiological medical imaging facility certification.

       The department of health shall annually certify all facilities in the state performing radiological medical imaging through the use of radiation emitting equipment. After July 1, 2005 the department shall deny certification to any facility not meeting "ALARA" standards, except that it can provide, by rule and regulation, an alternate standard, if it finds that the "ALARA" standard is unreasonably expensive in relation to its benefits. The department may charge a fee for certification adequate to recover the cost of the certifications.

35-4-306. Department of health; radiological medical imaging registry; report.

       The department shall report no later than October 1, 2003, to the joint labor, health and social services interim committee on cost, feasibility and benefits of maintaining a registry for radiological medical imaging conducted in the state.

35-4-307. Radiological medical imaging requirements.

(a) No radiological medical imaging shall be performed within the state unless prescribed by a physician, dentist, podiatrist or chiropractor licensed to practice in the state.

(b) Any person or facility conducting radiological medical imaging on an individual shall, prior to performing the radiological medical imaging, explain to the individual undergoing the radiological medical imaging the risks associated with the process, including, explicitly, any risk of developing a fatal cancer from the process.

35-4-308. Penalties.

       Any person or facility violating the provisions of W.S. 35-4-307 is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), or both. A second or subsequent conviction of a violation of W.S. 35-4-307 shall be punishable for each offense by imprisonment for not more than one (1) year, a fine of not more than one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00), or both.

35-4-309. Medical imaging; exception.

       The provisions of W.S. 35-4-304 through 35-4-308 shall not apply to radiological imaging performed in accordance with W.S. 33-15-129.

Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2003.

It is our belief that this bill is unnecessary in the state of Wyoming given the current statutes governing radiologic technology and unfairly and unnecessarily ties the hands of health care facilities in Wyoming. It is poorly worded and those proposing it have done no groundwork in consulting with experts in Wyoming concerning radiologic technology. We encourage you to contact your legislator to defeat this bill.

The second bill is basically the same bill that the WSRT introduced last year improving the function of the WBRTE to allow for disciplinary actions to be taken instead of simply and permanently suspending licenses of persons in violation. It also strengthens the educational requirements for non-RT’s. We are quite fortunate to have several people as co-sponsors such as Dr. Harry Tipton, who’s bill we opposed two years ago, Layton Morgan and Becket Hinckley. We encourage you to contact your legislator in support of these changes to the current statutes. You can view it at http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2003/introduced/hb0220.pdf.  

Nominations

The following people have been nominated for office next year:

President Elect  Kelly Hartigan 

Vice-President  LeeAnn Kurtz
                         Devon Honea-Matthis
                         Vera Trimble 

Secretary  Melody Pierson
                 Angela Foy
                 Alicia Jordan
                 Kaylea Massengill

Casper College News

       The Casper College Student Radiography Association has been extra busy this fall with both fund raising and community service. In August the group raised over $1400 in the American Cancer Association's Relay For Life. Way to Go!!!!!
       We are busy planning our Halloween activities which include x-raying candy. This event is designed to educate children about having x-rays taken. They have an opportunity to watch as their candy is x-rayed and their favorite part is getting to go into the dark- room to see how x-rays are developed. Our x-ray lab at the college is decorated with a Halloween theme and the students always wear great costumes. 
       The SRA is also planning a health fair for first graders so they can learn more about health related areas, including radiology.
       For National Radiologic Technology week, we will be hosting our annual open house which is open to the public. Students will give tours and answer questions related to diagnostic imaging. it is a great time to educate the public about our profession. We have fun with a guess the x-rays competition. Students x-ray all kinds of items and the public tries to identifying what they are. A prize is given to the person who guesses the most.
       Casper Medical Imaging has established two scholarships for radiography students at Casper College. They are awarded each year and include full tuition. This year’s recipients are Viki Vick and Dianna Herden. We whole heatedly thank our radiologists here in Casper for their continued support.

Notes from the Editor

       It seems that the world of Radiologic Technology is fairly fluid these days and no less so for the board members of the WSRT. I think that out of the six current board members, only two remain in the same jobs that they had just two years ago. Changes in positions have brought about new responsibility for several of us, and while our loyalty and dedication to the WSRT remains as strong as ever, we find ourselves struggling a bit to keep up in our responsibilities to you, the members of the WSRT.
       Therefore, I’d like each of you that read this to consider what the WSRT has represented to you in the past and how hard the board has worked for you, not only in providing educational opportunities, but in being an advocate for the radiologic technologists of Wyoming not only here but nationally as well, and representing the best interests of you, for you in fighting for or against laws that protect you as a technologist.
       We honestly need your help. We need people to step up and offer a hand in accomplishing our goals for this year. First and foremost, I know that Peggy could use and would sincerely appreciate as much help as she can get to organize this year’s conference in Deadwood. Most of all, she needs speakers. The actual mechanics of putting on the conference are completely outlined in the WSRT manual, we just need some people to step to the plate to help out.
       Laurie is taking on an awesome task of taking over as President as with no preparation, she needs help as well. Give her a call. I, of course, can always use whatever help I can get with articles and information for the Cathode. Thanks

WSRT Conference Report 

       All of the 58 returned conference surveys have been tallied, and the results are in!  Thank you for your feedback–this is roughly a 50% response rate! For the most part, it appears that everyone enjoyed and got a lot out of the conference this year. I want to thank everyone for their outstanding efforts helping to make this one of our most successful conferences (we actually made a slight profit–and I was only hoping to break even!)  A summary of the responses are given below:

(NOTE: Not all response totals will total 58, because some items were left blank on some surveys.)

Ratings Legend

5 = Very Satisfied   4 = Satisfied   3 = Undecided    2 = Dissatisfied   1 = Very Dissatisfied

 9.  How did you find out about the 2002 WSRT Meeting?

WSRT Website: 3 
Conference program mailed to me: 19
Friend: 4 
Conference program mailed to my employer: 4
Periodical (Scanner, etc): 3
Other: 11 (Included word-of-mouth, WSRT, instructors)

  10.  Have you ever attended a WSRT Annual Meeting prior to this one? 

                Yes: 42     No: 14

  11.  When did you last attend a WSRT Meeting?

1-2 years ago: 19 
5 or more years ago: 5
3-4 years ago: 6 
More than 10 years ago: 1

  12.  Are you a WSRT member?   Yes: 33  No: 5

       When asked what they liked best about the conference, the items most-often listed were: the variety and quality of the speakers (13 responses), the variety of topics (8), the opportunity to visit with other technologists (6), and the overall format and organization of the meetings (6).
       When asked what they liked least about the conference, the most frequent response (4 responses) was that smoking was allowed by the food service, no case studies/interesting pathologies/NM presentations were made (3), and that it would have been nice to have coffee available in the conference rooms and on Sunday morning (2).
       Thank you to Cheryl Peterson for her many hours at the registration desk and selling raffle tickets, Mike Lewis for his expertise in program design and website updating, Linda Holden for lending us her great blend of humor and expertise as both a Match Game emcee and as a speaker (and an ASRT representative), Jim and Linda Larsen for their volunteer spirit and willingness to help man the desk and haul boxes and registration packets from storage to table and back, Paul Trowbridge for his usual outstanding support of our efforts (both donation and manpower-wise), Lori, Leeann, and Sharon for their great job of collecting door prizes and donations, and Leigh Copeland for her invaluable assistance getting speakers, AV equipment, and the support of St. John’s Medical Center and the city of Jackson Hole for our conference.  I also want to thank EACH and EVERY single moderator–with three speakers going at once, we relied on you to assist all of the speakers, deal with AV problems, and keep all of the paperwork straight, and I know it went as smoothly as it did because everyone pitched in and helped when we needed it.  I hope I haven’t missed anyone--everyone’s contribution made the difference!   And finally, I need to thank my husband, Tom, who “gave” me the time to oversee this massive project, served as my primary transportation and moving service, helped as a courier, assisted with my information technology and AV questions and problems, and helped with various other odd jobs on an as-needed basis.  (In my mind, he is now an honorary WSRT member!) :-)

LCCC News:

       Although she’s been with us for a semester, already, we welcome Kelly Hartigan as our new Clinical Coordinator/Instructor.  Kelly is a 1992 alumnus of the program, returning to LCCC after working full-time at the VA Hospital as a radiographer/sonographer there.  Kelly is finishing up her Bachelor’s degree from the Oregon Institute of Technology and should graduate in May.  She is doing a fantastic job, and the students love her. (Kelly is also proud to be known as “Kaela’s Mom,” because Kaela Hartigan, the Wyoming State Swim Champion from Central High School, is her daughter!  Like mother, like daughter....)
       Although it’s been a long haul (with lawsuits even being filed!) we finally have our R & F room up and running and ready for full use this semester.  All of the site surveys are done, and we’re ready to roll!
       Congratulations to all of our 2002 grads: Teri Bedwell, Pat Fitzgerald, Jenny Kolnik, Shelley Malone, MiChelle McGee, Shelly O’Leary, Cathy Reichert-Boone, Nikki Schieferstein, Christy Steen, Traci Stowe, Debby Taylor, and Dottie Whalen.  All of these grads passed their ARRT, and are employed as technologists in Wyoming and Colorado!
       Thank you to Cheyenne Radiology and MRI for their donation of another ultrasound unit.  We now have three fully operational units, along with a MedSim Unit and Phantom, making four stations available for student use and simulations in our lab.  This type of support is invaluable for our ultrasound program and our students.

WSRT Student Awards:

Student papers:

1st: Teri Bedwell- LCCC

2nd: Kermit Haman- CC

3rd: pat Fitzgerald- LCCC

Runnerups:

Jessie Graham: CC

Shelley Malone: LCCC

Student Project:

1st: Mark LeGrande- CC

Student Bowl

1st: SWAG

Jessie Ferrell- CC

Matt Mathis- LCCC

Mike Burgess- CC

Angela Weiss- LCCC

2nd: Electrons

Fred Kuck- CC

Andrea Bengs- LCCC

Amy Nehl- CC

Michelle Epler- LCCC

3rd: Phosphers

Dianna Herden- CC

Kermit Haman- CC

Amy Epler- LCCC

David Post- LCCC

WSRT Annual Conference A Success!

       The 2002 Annual Conference was held at the Snow King Resort in Jackson, Wyoming, September 5 - 8 and was both a lot of fun and quite educational. Starla Mason, WSRT Conference Chair recruited a total of 33 speakers discussing 42 separate topics for an equivalent of 42 category A CE credits available for attendees, 12 of which were mammography credits and 5 for SDMS.
      Elections were held during the conference with Mike Lewis becoming President Elect, Laurie Weaver as Vice President, Vera Trimble as Secretary and Glen Janezich as Treasurer.
       In bylaws, the position of Secretary was changed to a two year term with election in alternating years from the Treasurer. Also, a person is not allowed to concurrently serve as a member of the WSRT board of directors and the Wyoming Board of Radiologic Technologist Examiners.
       The following committee assignments were made - Mike Lewis will chair the Bylaws, Cowboy Cathode and Credentials committees, Kaylea Massengill is the Education committee chair, Vera Trimble as the Membership committee chair, Glen Janezich will chair the Finance committee, Kelly Hartigan will head up the Legislative committee, Laurie Weaver will chair the Nominations committee, Melanie Pierson will chair the Public Relations committee and LeeAnn Kurtz was selected to head up Ways and Means. Of course, with the change in board members since the conference, Kelly Hartigan is now chairing the Nominations committee.
       Awards - Mike Lewis was presented a Lifetime Membership for his years of service to the WSRT and Kelly Hartigan was awarded the Escobedo Award of Excellence for her commitment and service to the WSRT. Peggy Jereb presented Starla Mason, Ruby Self, Cheryl Peterson and Dottie Whalen with plaques honoring their service to the WSRT as Board members the previous year. Awards of Outstanding Service were presented to Jim Larson of GE Medical and Craig Spain of Merry X-Ray, as well as Paul Trowbridge of Colorado, each of whom continues to be great supporters of our organization. Each will receive a one year free membership to the WSRT.
       Linda Holden, Vice Speaker of the ASRT and Life Member of the WSRT, conducted the installation of officers, after which Peggy Jereb was presented with a gold gavel pin in honor of being Past President.
       Peggy announced that the next Annual Conference will be in Deadwood, South Dakota, September 18 - 21, 2003 at Cadillac Jacks. Rooms will be $55 per night. Look for more information on the WSRT web site as it becomes available.

If you have any contributions to the Cowboy Cathode
please send them to cowboycathode@wsrt.org
or mail them to 2615 East 18th Street, Cheyenne, WY., 82001