Early in 2015, the HFC Radiography (RAD) program received a technology upgrade for its Imaging Lab.
Funded through a Perkins Grant, the RAD program recently installed upgraded technology – a digital flat panel detector – in its Imaging Lab. This device captures the x-ray image, converts it to a digital signal and sends it immediately to a computer monitor. Ionizing radiation creates images of tissues, organs, bones and vessels that comprise the human body.
Established in 1997, the RAD program spans 22 months with students learning in both classroom and clinical settings concurrently. HFC RAD Program graduates are instructors both in the classroom and at the clinical sites.
“Because of the solid structure and strong curriculum of the Radiographer program, not only was I hired right away as a radiographer but I was also able to take my career to the highest level I could. ”
– Wendy Chang, 2013 HFC RAD program alumna
Wendy Chang
“The beauty of our field is the opportunity for graduates once working in the field to cross-train in other imaging modalities, such as CT, MRI and mammography. Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS) administration is another area of specialization, which involves medical imaging informatics. There are many different career paths our graduates can take,” said Sharon Wu, HFC RAD program director.
The five-year graduation rate of students in the HFC RAD program is 87 percent. In the past five years, there has been a 97 percent pass rate on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) national certification examination at the first attempt and 100 percent with second attempts.
Wu stated that employers in southeast Michigan value and hire graduates of the HFC RAD program. The odds are very high that if you have an imaging procedure done in the Metro Detroit area, an HFC RAD graduate performed it.
“When I started my journey at HFC, I did not know what doors would open for me in my future. All I could think of was how I would finish my degree. But because of the solid structure and strong curriculum of the Radiographer program, not only was I hired right away as a radiographer but I was also able to take my career to the highest level I could. Because of my solid foundation that I have received at HFC, I am one of the best in my current role. Without an education at HFC, I would not be where I am today,” said Wendy Chang, a 2013 HFC RAD program alumna, who is a registered radiologic technologist for Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit.
– Kurt Anthony Krug
