August 18, 2020
The graduates of MCLA's Radiologic Technology cohort have almost all found work since
graduating in May, and the program earned a 91% pass rate on its board exams this
year. “This is fantastic, considering we had to go remote in March,” said Julie Walsh,
assistant professor of radiology.
Madison Frost ’20 is enjoying her new job as a radiologic technologist in Connecticut—along with most of her radiologic technology cohort, almost all of whom have secured work since graduating in May.
MCLA’s first radiologic technology graduates have worked hard to get to this point, facing the closure of Southern Vermont College, which originally housed their program before MCLA became the school’s official teach-out partner, and then a pandemic that caused MCLA’s spring semester to move to a remote format. Still, the program earned a 91% pass rate on its board exams this year. “This is fantastic, considering we had to go remote in March,” said Julie Walsh, assistant professor of radiology.
“It’s definitely different than when I first started—I never thought I’d be having
my first interview with a mask on. But it’s still welcoming,” Frost (left) said of
her job at Connecticut Orthopedics, where she floats to different offices to do radiology
work.
Earlier this year, Frost was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT), which recognizes one graduating student from each accredited program in radiologic sciences. It’s given to less than 5 percent of national radiology students. “The criteria for this award are academic excellence, clinical proficiency, teamwork and professional ethics,” said Linda Lippacher, program director of radiologic sciences at MCLA. “Many of our graduates this year fit the criteria, so selecting just one was not an easy task.”
Frost, who led the College’s radiology club and helped coordinate a fundraiser for each graduate to receive their own lead thyroid shield, an important tool in radiology work, said she appreciated the radiologic technology program’s clinical work as a way to get hands-on experience. The program has classroom and laboratory space at the Berkshire Medical Center’s North Adams Campus.
In addition to her work at BMC North, Frost was posted at two different hospitals for her clinical work—Southern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt., and Albany Medical Center in Albany, N.Y. “You can read a textbook and see how they do it, but until you’re doing it hands-on yourself, you’re not going to get a full understanding of what it’s like,” she said.
Frost said she appreciated the classes she took and the faculty who taught them. “All the classes really prepared me,” she said. “All the professors and all the classes I took really helped me with the job I’m in now.”
Read more about MCLA’s Radiologic Technology program at
https://www.mcla.edu/academics/academic-departments/health-sciences/radiologic-tech.php
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