Personal Narrative: My Interview With James Griffin

For my interview, I interviewed James Griffin, who has had much experience in the medical field concerning radiology.
Regarding technology, he said there have been many advancements since he started his career. When he started his career exams were mainly done manually. In addition to them being done manually, they were also done primarily as X-rays but now have grown to include more MRIs, PET scans, and Ultrasounds. He then when on to say that technology won’t just change in the next five years but “probably ever 12 months.”
The skills needed for this job are mental and technological. Mental skills are required so that you can notice any error that may occur. Besides knowing how to operate the machines and recognizing errors you also need

to have compassion and be prepared for anything. A typical day includes setting up the work area, making sure the instruments work properly, preparing for whatever you may be presented with and having a flexible schedule because many times work hours deviate from normal business hours. One of the biggest challenges of not knowing what you will be presented with is the possibility of losing a patient but “ the faster we get our job done the quicker the patient is saved,” he stated.
When asked how he knew the job was for him he said,”Because I love it!.” In his chosen career field he stated that the medical field is something you have to love to do and not just go into for the money, which often is the biggest challenge for young job seekers to overcome. His advice to overcome this is to “do what you love”. For a career in this field, he also advised, “ you have to have compassion and love for people.”
I enjoyed my interview with Mr.Griffin and learned a lot from him. When talking about how this career will change in the future he told me that there are “a lot of changes for the better...it’s always getting better.” This quote inspired me, even more, to be apart of the next generation in the medical field and work towards advances in this career through my compassion for people and hard work to make things better.