As soon as Anne Marie Terry listed her IU Online BS in Medical Imaging Technology on her LinkedIn profile, she was contacted by such recruiters as Boston Scientific and Shimadzu Medical Systems.
Terry started out with an associate degree in radiologic technology and found work in a hospital as a diagnostic radiographer. Although she loved patient care, she also took an interest in the fields of medical imaging applications and medical equipment devices/sales. During her six years in the clinical world, she applied for work in these fields, but the results were always the same. Without a bachelor’s in medical imaging technology, invitations for interviews didn’t come her way.
Terry enrolled in IU Online’s BS MIT program through IU South Bend. She was working full time and found the program to be an ideal match—since she had her associate degree, the path to the bachelor’s was quick. Through program partnerships with area hospitals, students got the experience they needed for clinical certification. After an initial focus on x-ray, Terry learned other modalities like CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine.
She especially appreciates the personal support that helped her reach her targeted goals. “My program director, Maryanne Oake, was fantastic in encouraging me in the direction I wanted to go,” she says. “She understood that although I loved patient care, advancing clinically into CT or MRI was not my goal. I wanted a solid background in additional modalities.”
With her BS MIT, she had plenty of career options. “My degree opened up a lot of doors in the healthcare field,” she says. Among those, she found a position that allows her to have a work-life balance and that consistently challenges her to learn new skills and technology. Working with a local independent distributor of radiologic technology suits her to a T. For her employer, sales is all about forming relationships. Terry’s becoming good at sales, but what she especially enjoys is teaching clients how to use a range of imaging technology.
“With my baseline knowledge of products that span multiple modalities, I can explain and demo all kinds of equipment to potential customers," says Terry. "That greatly enhances my value as an employee. I get the best of both worlds: sales commissions and the teaching side of demonstrating equipment.”
