Heroes on MedSocks Gallery

Who are you?

My name is Jacqueline and I have been working as a radiodiagnostic lab technician at the Gelre Hospital Apeldoorn for 28 years now.

What does your job entail?

I am an all-round radiodiagnostic technician with a specialization in CT scan. In principle, I can be deployed almost anywhere, but I work most on the CT scan. During weekend shifts or night shifts you go through the whole house, so it is also important to be all-round employable. My specialization is the CT scanner, because I found the CT room a very nice room during my training. I especially like the hectic pace and variety in the CT room. For example, all accidents and acute bleedings pass through the CT room. You have to be able to switch quickly, anticipate and improvise. Everyone in my field has their own specialty, such as ultrasound, mammography, angio or MRI.
In addition, we work with many disciplines, which also makes the work very diverse. For example, as a radiologist, we screen in the operating room when fractures are operated on, but we are also on site together with the interventional radiologist when there is a leaking aneurysm of the aorta that needs to be treated.
At the start of your day you never know how your day will turn out.

When did you know you wanted to become a radiographer?

I kind of stumbled into this profession quite unexpectedly. After my final exams I wanted to study medicine, but unfortunately I was not selected. My girlfriend's mother was already working as a radiodiagnostic lab assistant and it was through her that I came into contact with the profession. I really liked the combination of patient contact and the technical aspects of imaging. That is why I started the in-service training to become a radiological laboratory assistant. So I unexpectedly ended up in radiology, but I have never regretted it!

Have you noticed many changes in the profession since you started?

Yes, huge! I learned the trade when old-fashioned photos were still taken that had to be developed. You then had to think carefully about the exposure and the settings of the photo before you took it. Nowadays everything goes digital and that requires a different way of working, but I am glad that I learned the basics of the profession in this way. For example, a lot is now possible with software to improve photos if they didn't turn out completely well, we didn't have that in the past. A failed photo was a failed photo. It is also important that you are aware of the most recent developments. In the past, if something didn't work, it was often a mechanical problem. Now that is usually a software problem.

The CT scan has also taken off enormously. It used to take much longer to make a scan and patients had to hold their breath all the time, but that is no longer necessary. In a few seconds, patients now shoot through the CT scan and you can image very fine structures. Developments are also accelerating. I really like the developments in my field, that's how you keep learning. Moreover, in my opinion, for every profession, you should never have the arrogance to think that you already know and have seen everything. It's always nice to learn from colleagues and in this field you never stop learning.

Are there certain special moments that have stayed with you during your work?

The thing that has stayed with me the most is the disaster on Queen's Day in 2009. I helped with the image of the victims on that day and that made a big impression. You then experience up close what impact that disaster has had on people.

In addition, this time of the corona virus is of course a strange and difficult time for us, but more people will suffer from it. We have to make many CT scans of corona patients, where we also see many serious abnormalities in the lungs. That's also hard to watch.

Suppose you had not become a radiological lab technician, what would you have done?

I have been in the voluntary fire brigade for ten years, I come from a real fire brigade family. I probably would have chosen a career in the fire service. I get the most satisfaction from helping people, that's what I love about working at the fire brigade and in the hospital. An office job is not for me! From my time with the voluntary fire brigade I learned a lot about emergency services, which I sometimes still benefit from during my work as a lab assistant. This is especially how you should deal with calamities in general.

When you've had a busy day, how do you relax when you get home?

I have a beautiful family that I enjoy. I do a lot of walking, reading and sports. I always have something to do and don't sit still very often.

Which MedSocks are your favourite?

The radiology socks of course! I really enjoy wearing these in the different rooms while working. When I walk through the hospital, everyone can see that I am from the Radiology Department!

Who are you and?

My name is Phyline and I have been a midwife for 12 years. Since May 2019 I have been working as an independent caseload midwife. As a caseload midwife, I assist clients in the early stages of pregnancy during childbirth and in the maternity week.

Why did you become a midwife?

I used to always say: I would like four children. I used to say this because I love babies. In the end it remained with two children, but as a midwife I can now bring many children into the world!

What do you like most about your job?

That is a bit cliché, but I think supervising a birth is the best. This is especially nice when the clients I have known from the start. For example, they don't even have to say much during the delivery itself, because then I know very well what my client wants, which is what I like best about my job. By building this bond, you also see a lot of joy in the client. I also have clients where I have delivered multiple deliveries of sometimes three or four children. For example, I have a client who didn't want any more children after her last child, so I had to say goodbye. That was an emotional moment for her because this client was very sorry that we would not see each other again after the special moments we experienced together.

What is the most special thing that has happened to you at work?

Every birth is actually special, no matter how often you do it. I especially like births where the parents don't know the gender yet. Every birth is slightly different and everyone has slightly different wishes. For example, one person wants to give birth in a bath and another does not. This is how it sometimes happens that I accompany deliveries where there is a standing birth. In addition, I keep track of all the births I have had in a booklet, I now count 259!

Do you ever experience deliveries that require urgent action?

Indeed, there have been. For example, babies who need extra oxygen quickly, but also mothers who still have a lot of blood loss after giving birth. For example, a few weeks ago I had a woman who had a lot of blood loss an hour after giving birth. We ended up having to rush her to the hospital. Fortunately, everything turned out okay in the end. Fortunately, such situations do not occur very often, but you should always be prepared for such situations. That is why I regularly follow training and refresher courses to be well prepared for situations like this.

Those kinds of situations seem very stressful to me…

Actually, the stress only comes later for me, I am completely focused at the moment itself to act as quickly and well as possible for the child or the mother. After the situation I then think: so, what happened to me here! It is also important in such situations to keep a good overview and to remain calm, also for the mother and partner. Of course they get scared when something like this happens.

Do you notice much difference in how the partners of the mothers deal with childbirth?

That is indeed very different. One partner is very caring and supportive while the other is not so sure how to help the mother. In addition, one partner can help me well during childbirth, while I have to keep a close eye on the other partner because they are white or even in danger of fainting. A number of times I have experienced that the partner had fainted, while the child was just born. It is then sad that the partner was not able to experience the birth itself.

How do you prefer to relax after a hard day's work?

It's actually really bad, but I prefer to just watch Netflix! Just in a house suit on the couch. I really like detectives, especially Swedish and Norwegian detectives.

If you hadn't become a midwife, what would you have become?

I considered many different things. I also once applied for a job with the police, but they thought I was too nice for the job. What would also always seem great to me is to be a truck driver. I really like driving and I always think it's so clever how they can maneuver such a big truck.

Which MedSocks are your favourite?

I like the maternity care MedSocks best, they suit me best. I also prefer to wear them during childbirth. A colleague of mine also has maternity care MedSocks, it's great to put them on at the same time when we work together!

Who are you?

My name is Jelle and I am in the last phase of my training as a surgeon. I now differentiate myself in Trauma and Lung Surgery. I am now at the end of my ^5th year of training, so I have a little longer than 1 year left. Then I'm a surgeon.

When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?

That realization came relatively late to me. In my senior year of high school, I found out that I wanted to become a doctor, but based on my grades, I was strongly discouraged from studying Medicine. So you could say that I'm a bit stubborn, but I think that's what brought me to where I am now!

When did you know you wanted to be a surgeon?

I found out during my internships. When I came into contact with the profession, I was completely convinced. I really thought it was a very nice profession and felt at home in the group. It's nice that I'm now working again at the place where I did internships back then. Some colleagues still recognized me from my internships in Surgery. In my opinion, it really is a profession where you solve the problem 'to the point'. You see the patient before the operation to see what the problem is, you solve the problem during the operation. Then you see the patient again to see how the patient is doing. The fact that you as a team have a plan for a patient in advance and that the plan also succeeds in practice, that gives me great satisfaction. You immediately see the result of your work. It also sometimes happens that the plan does not turn out quite as you had hoped. It is then important that you can improvise well and be creative.

What do you like most about your job?

I think the best thing is that at the start of your day you never really know how the day will go. In addition, it is real teamwork, together you make a plan and solve the problems. Because it really is a team effort, it is also important that the atmosphere in the team is good and that you can have a nice day together in the operating room, emergency room, ward or outpatient department.

What are the skills of a good surgeon?

I think the modern surgeon should have a palette of different skills. For example, it's not just stress resistance. Of course you have to be a bit handy, but it is also really important that you are a team player and can communicate well. Furthermore, I think you should always keep studying to further expand your knowledge.

Are there certain special moments that have stayed with you during your work?

There are actually too many to mention, I experience many special moments during my work. For example, there was a prisoner who lay with his neck on the edge of his bathroom threshold in his cell and started screaming that he could no longer feel his legs. He pretended to break his neck. He then came to us in the trauma room with a lot of security, but the moment his neck was x-rayed, his handcuffs were taken off. At that moment he fled and that man had disappeared afterwards. In the end, even the police helicopter was called in to search, but without success. At night he was found in a cupboard in the room of an old confused woman. The night nurse then overpowered him by lying on top of him and so he was eventually taken back to prison. That's what I mean by saying: no day is the same!

If you hadn't become a doctor, what would you have done?

Furniture maker I think. That would have looked really nice! Enjoy working with your hands and expressing your creativity. Very practical! Working in a practical way and being able to use your creativity, I also find in surgery.

When you've had a busy day, how do you relax when you get home?

On the football field I don't think about my work anymore. I play football twice a week in a team of friends that also includes a few former classmates of mine. It's nice to see them again! If I really want to relax and I have a little longer off, I prefer to go on a surfing holiday. I try to do that once a year with my surf buddies.

Which MedSocks are your favourite?

The Traumatology socks! I prefer to wear them in the operating room and I think it's absolutely beautiful when I have them on. The instruments I use then also resemble the instruments of the socks! I have already received many nice reactions from colleagues and in the corridors of the operating complex it is immediately clear that I am from Trauma Surgery!

---

New Heroes on MedSocks coming soon!