With October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, quickly approaching it’s good to know that Eastern Plumas Health Care upgraded nearly two years ago to state of the art digital mammography. It’s the Superwoman of mammography—faster, easier, more comfortable, offers less radiation (here the Superwoman analogy breaks down), and diagnosis is faster and more accurate.
Mischele Dillon and Meredith Eaton lead a dynamic team in the Radiology Department, and they are excited about the possibilities of digital mammography and the gold standard imaging offered at EPHC in general. Dillon is Radiology Supervisor at EPHC, and Eaton is Lead Mammography Technologist. Both have been at the hospital for a relatively short time—two and one year respectively—but they have much experience in large hospital Radiology Departments, and they are both committed to making EPHC’s Radiology Department every bit as good as what patients would experience in large city hospitals, if not better.
Eaton came from Reno, and is enjoying working at a small hospital. She said she loves the collaborative attitude she finds at EPHC. In a large hospital, she noted, everything is very compartmentalized, and if help is needed outside a staff member’s area, the attitude is, “It’s not my job.” She is proud of the fact that EPHC’s imaging equipment is “state of the art—better than the equipment in the hospital I worked at.”
Further, though Eaton was a diagnostic x-ray technician in Reno, when she came to EPHC, she trained for her certification in Mammography. In addition, she cross trained in CT scanning. That on the job training in two new areas has offered her “a huge growth opportunity,” Eaton said. Since taking over as Lead Mammographer, Eaton has created changes in the department that streamlined processes while making patient appointments more personal. Since she has worked in the Radiology field for quite awhile, she’s at ease with processes and can focus on making her patients feel comfortable and cared for.
Eaton walks each patient through the process, telling her what is happening at each step and what she will feel. In addition, she asks each one to let her know if she’s feeling uncomfortable. When Eaton came into the department, patients were identified only by patient number, she said. Eaton wrote their names in on all the paperwork, and she has a great memory for her patients, so that she can easily recall their information if they phone in, or when they make a return visit.
Further, she’s made things run more efficiently. Previously, paperwork was faxed overnight. Now, Eaton submits it electronically before she leaves for the evening, so Northstar Imaging, the group that reads the digital mammograms, has the accompanying patient information immediately.
Prior to becoming Radiology Supervisor, Dillon also worked in much larger hospitals in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys. “As a whim,” she said, she came up here two days a week as a traveler, working as emergency staff relief. But, when a full time position opened up, Lab Dept. Manager, Bill Carlson, recruited Dillon. That was back in January, and by July, Dillon took over the Radiology Supervisor duties. Dillon couldn’t be more enthusiastic about her position at EPHC. “I love the staff and the community. I relocated here from Sacramento. I have no reason to go anywhere else.” Dillon appreciates the mature staff she has now. “We’re a team. Coming from a big community–it’s like pulling teeth to get someone to help. Here, I have the entire hospital willing to help. And, it’s all genuine.”
In addition, Dillon feels that because her staff has experience in larger hospitals and communities, they’ve made a conscious choice to work at EPHC. “They realize how good this is, and we can build a strong team here. They feel about the city, ‘Been there, done that.’” Further, with the added experience of a more mature staff, Dillon reported, “We have a great combination of skills coming together [in the Radiology Dept.]. Because they have a lot of experience, we’re able to cross train them, which builds a much stronger team.”
Dillon and Eaton are both out of the box thinkers who are continually devising better ways to do things in the department. They make notes on how they can make procedures more efficient and patient friendly. They compare notes and come up with the best plan. “We do work well together…thank God!” said Eaton.
Dillon said she, Eaton, and Darlene Aikey, Ultrasound Technologist, really enjoyed the recent Health Fair at PSREC’s Annual Meeting and the ability to talk to community members about the benefits of digital mammography and EPHC’s other top quality imaging services. “You can look forward to seeing us at many more community events,” she said.