Q&A with Radiology Expert Brian Grovijohn

Summary

• Gain insights from a seasoned Aya recruiter and former radiology tech with over 20 years of experience, offering firsthand knowledge on the evolving field of Radiologic Technology.
• Learn how flexibility, adaptability, and a trusted agency like Aya can support travel radiology techs in navigating new assignments and excelling in diverse clinical environments.
• Explore the high demand for skilled travel radiology techs, the benefits of partnering with a reputable agency, and valuable career advice for those entering the field.

Throughout my career, both as a nurse and now as Aya’s nurse fellow, I’ve learned there is no substitute for listening to the experts. On the clinical side, the most qualified experts are clinicians who have committed years of time and energy to learning all they can so they can provide the best care possible. In the same sense, recruiters are experts in the current travel landscape and can offer a ton of knowledge and helpful career guidance. This is especially true in specialized fields like radiology, where experience and expertise are vital to understanding the nuance and demands of the profession.  

Recognizing this, I was thrilled to connect with Brian Grovijohn, Aya recruiter and former radiology tech. With over 20 years of experience, Brian has seen both sides of the healthcare equation, working as a clinician and a recruiter. He spent nearly two decades in direct patient care as a radiology tech before transitioning to his current recruiting role at Aya. Brian offers incredible insights into the evolving field of Radiologic Technology, with a journey is full of rich experience and firsthand knowledge.

Can you share a little bit about what led you to become a radiology tech?

Of course! In my case, it came down to a personal experience. When I first started school, I was considering my options when I remembered as a high schooler having an MRI and X-rays done for some injuries. I remember being fascinated by the analytical and technical side of that process, and ultimately that experience left a positive impression on me about the field and led me down the radiology tech path.

Academically speaking, the other thing that drew me to the radiology field was the anatomy and physiology aspect. I was always interested in how things worked, and the idea of learning about how the muscles, bones and body systems were connected and worked together was exciting to me!

In your time practicing as a clinician, what was your focus in radiology?

I started out in the X-ray department for the first six months of my career. At the time, facilities would cross train you into a different modality directly (additional schooling was an option then, but it was not always a requirement). So, I was approached to cross train into CT, and for the next 15 years I did a combination of both, depending on the setting I was working in. Eventually, I also cross trained into MRI and did all three of those specialties concurrently for four years before pivoting into recruiting.

That’s an expansive work experience resume! And it does pivot nicely into my next question which is, where do radiology techs typically work?

Most radiology techs work in inpatient hospital settings, but there are also outpatient facilities that employ radiology techs. And there are many roles radiology techs can fill in both of those settings.  

Within the inpatient hospital role, there are the more common roles like the work I did in CT and X-ray, but radiology techs can specialize in many different modalities, such as diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and more.  

Examples of outpatient settings that employ radiology techs include imaging companies, larger MD groups/clinic and standalone ER facilities, generally specializing in X-Ray, CT or MRIs.

In terms of workflow and pace, what’s it like being a radiology technician from a day-to-day standpoint?

It totally depends! Workflow and pace vary from tech to tech, facility to facility or even department to department. Some radiology tech roles are incredibly fast paced, like a level one trauma center — your workflow is “requisition prints off, shooting images, right into next case.” You might get some brief moments to connect with your coworkers in the radiology room, but then it’s right on to the next order. It’s fast paced and high intensity — to give you an idea, when I was working as a rad tech, I averaged about 10 miles per shift of walking in a 12-hour shift!

In other radiology environments, you’re going to have longer cases where the imaging series or cases can take a while (MRI, IR Lab, etc.) and you might be stationed in one area throughout your shift with patients coming to you via transport. Those settings can require a lot of technical knowledge, complex imaging and collaboration with radiologists.

Speaking of the clinical environment, what do you miss most about the clinical setting?

The patient care — I think back to the last clinical setting I was in; I was working in an outpatient setting and something I loved about that environment was that I got to see my patients repeatedly, which isn’t always the case on the inpatient side. My patients would come back in for their follow-up scans at one-month, three-month and six-month intervals, etc. I loved it because I had the opportunity to really get to know their stories. I got to see their progress and was able to be a part of their journey — I found that very rewarding.

Do rad techs collaborate with other clinicians in their work?

Definitely. For starters, there are your fellow radiology professionals — other rad techs and radiologists — as well as working closely with speech therapy for swallow studies. But some of my best friends are ICU and CCU nurses. I would see them every shift! We’d be in critical care units doing the daily chest X-rays, tube placements verifications, etc., and we had to coordinate together a lot. It’s vital in that environment to work together because there are lots of lines, important tubes and machines. Communication is everything in those situations, so we had to collaborate and learn how to work well with each other.

What piece of career advice would you give a rad tech who is entering the field today?

I would say my best advice is to be open-minded and ready to learn. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn from your fellow rad techs, nurses, radiologists, and other specialties.

I remember being told during radiology school: “When you get into your career, just wait and see — you’ll work with ten different techs, and they’ll likely do the same exam ten different ways.” And that’s proven to be true in my career — but all those different approaches helped me learn and develop my own way of doing the job. I took a little from one tech, something else from another one and then customized and found what worked best for me. That’s an approach that many clinicians use to become proficient in their field, but it’s especially true for radiology techs with so many technical aspects of the work.

That’s so true, nursing is very similar in that sense — everyone develops their own way to do the work. Speaking of work in the radiology field, in a “big picture” sense, do you believe that becoming a radiology tech is a good career today?”

I do, yes. First, the work is meaningful; you get to do good and help people. Secondly, there’s a great deal of need for skilled rad techs in every healthcare setting, which means you’ll always have lots of career options. And finally, with that increased need comes competitive compensation, which is always an important thing to consider in your career choice.

From a demand standpoint, is the need for travel radiology techs high currently?

Yes, 100 percent. Right now, travel radiology techs are in very high demand. There are a ton of jobs, and we need more radiology techs than ever. As a recruiter, it honestly feels like we can’t get enough.

In my research, I came across so much information about how hospitals are utilizing their radiology programs more than ever, particularly in areas like IR and CT. Have you observed that trend in your recruiting role?”

Yes, absolutely. High-functioning imaging departments are vital for healthcare organizations, and building out these programs requires clinically strong techs who know what they’re doing and have the trust of the radiologist.

In terms of selecting an agency as a traveler, why do you believe it’s important to establish a relationship with a reputable agency like Aya?

Support is everything. As a traveler, you need an agency that will advocate for you and have your back as you navigate through your journey. Especially for travelers today, there are lots of agencies out there and it can be hard to know which one to choose. No matter what you prioritize as a traveler, having an established relationship with an agency that will go to bat for you when support is needed is essential.

In that same sense, what do you tell prospective travel rad techs who may have concerns about transitioning to a new facility or starting travel for the first time? Do you have any advice or any tips that you’d like to share with your travel techs?

Yes. The fact is, no matter if you’ve been doing this work for one year or for ten years, every facility you walk into you, the more open-minded you are, the easier the transition’s going to be for you. Every facility is different, you’re going to have to add something new to your clinical practice to thrive there. This is especially important for new travelers — you have to adapt to what the radiologists want versus what you’re used to doing. In my opinion, that’s the most important part for their success: being flexible, adaptable and open-minded.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, how does Aya support and advocate for radiology techs who are on assignment with them?

First of all, as a recruiter, we are your advocate. Whatever the situation calls for, we’re there for you. As a traveler, I think it starts with accepting that there can be unknowns that arise in your journey. But if or when issues arise and we need to get in touch with payroll, a facility, HR, whomever we need to connect with to resolve this situation as your recruiter, we’re going to do it. And it doesn’t stop there — beyond the role your recruiter plays in your journey, Aya designates additional support staff for every part of your experience.

We recognize how much bandwidth traveling and clinical work can require from you, so we want to take care of as much of the other part as we can. You’ll be assigned support staff to help you with your licensing needs, credentialing process, your overall experience as a traveler and even staff members who are tasked with ensuring your specific clinical background matches a facility’s needs. From A to Z, we’ve got you covered.