Touring CT Technologist loves working in small communities
Joseph Duffy, Contributor
Registered CT Technologist Pam Buttke, RT(R)(CT), became a medical tourist in 2017 after working full-time in her field for nearly 17 years.
In 2001, she entered the X-ray technologist program at Midlands Complex College in South Carolina. Pam achieved an associate degree in wellness science with a specialization in radiology. It was during this system that Pam first learned about allied wellness travel. She was intrigued by the idea, but her cubs were small, so she chalked it up as a long-term goal.
Later, she was cross-trained in CAT check and passed the national registry exam and obtained the Computed Tomography (CT) Technologist subject. She spent her full-time experience working in hospitals, including Level 1 Trauma Hospital and Providence Heart Hospital, also in Columbia, South Carolina.
The best time to go on an allied trip
In 2017, Pam saw that her full-time position did not provide any opportunities for improvement. Therefore, she talked to her now-adult youngsters about the likelihood of becoming a related wellness traveler.
Choosing an allied wellness travel company was easy for Pam. She said Membership Staffing, an AMN Healthcare organization, was the first staffing firm she approached when she began her search.
“He’s fantastic. And without the help of my wife and the household, it would be really stressful. It’s not just hard for the tourist – it’s hard for the back of the house.”
And Stephen is just as happy to own Pam as one of his CT travelers.
“I inherited her from my mentor. She and I will hit it off hard. She usually goes the extra mile for AMN/club staff and services looking for her to come back.
Stephen may not be a homemaker, but he is in the business of supporting tour families to succeed. Pam’s daughter Stephanie is only a nuclear medicine technologist and a CT technologist. Later that month, she begins her first trip in Salem, Massachusetts with Stephen as her recruiter.
Touring with Membership Staffing
Pam’s first assignment with Membership Staffing was in Margaretville, New York, a quaint, vibrant community nestled in the beautiful Catskill Mountains. She enjoyed their beauty and down-to-earth people.
Of the 10 CT jobs she has completed with Membership Staffing, her current job at Ohio State University Stage I Trauma Center has been her most rewarding experience to date. She claimed that the engineering offered by the school was unmatched anywhere she had been.
She also enjoyed working at Trident Hospital in North Charleston, South Carolina, where she completed two assignments.
“I called Stephen to let him know and I ended up going there. It felt great to be remembered.”
When it comes to places to visit, Buffalo, New York makes her list. She had a mission there in the dead cold and was in awe of the snow-covered Niagara Falls.
Work on future journeys
Combined with the opportunity to experience her daughter to join her on the assignment, Pam said her partner Lisa is an x-ray technologist. It’s likely that Pam, Lisa and Stephanie will find themselves on the road together.
Pam wants to continue touring because she enjoys exploring new places in small towns and participating in local activities such as farm fields and festivals.
She also likes to learn various CT techniques on the go.
As a tourist, it’s important to remember that and respect how they do things. Certainly one of my guesses that I tell new tourists is, ‘When you’re in Rome, do it from the time of the Romans do.'”
Pam thinks she wins as an allied wellness tourist because she’s open to new methods of doing treatments. She found that if you show a need for understanding from co-workers on a new site, they will usually ask you how you would do something. And then you find out that you are a teacher.