Teamwork ... the nurses, patient services representatives, the doctors ... Together we provide the best care anywhere.

I was exposed to the medical field when I was only 3 years old. I had a heart condition that needed to be surgically repaired. Doctors had to cut my aorta and stretch it. Dr. Francisco Puga was my surgeon and now I get to see him at Saint Marys Hospital when I am working in surgery. I have had an interest in the medical field ever since then. I work as a radiology technologist in a very busy environment. On any given Monday or Tuesday, I see up to 30 to 40 patients a day. The department develops about 4,000 films a day on Monday and Tuesday, which drops to about 2,000 films a day by Friday. At Mayo, the system is very organized to perform the vast number of X-rays that we do. Teamwork is the key. Patients are greeted up front, taken to their dressing room and notified when they are ready. We take the patient from the dressing room to the X-ray room. We then shoot their X-rays, look at their film and let the admissions staff know when the patient can go.

It is fun to talk with the patients because they are from all over. It is interesting to hear stories about how they went to other hospitals and nobody could find what was wrong, but Mayo was able to make a diagnosis in two days. It is nice to hear that we could help them. You hear a lot of these positive stories from patients. You have to be outgoing to work in patient care. Many patients don't want to be in the hospital so you have to be upbeat and make them feel comfortable.

A patient may break down and say, "I am 40 years old and have never had a problem in my life and I developed a pain in my leg. Now they tell me it is cancer." You just have to be understanding, caring and professional.