A funny thing happened just a couple weeks prior to ending my Louisville assignment. I got a phone call completely out of the blue from a facility I had asked my recruiter to submit my profile to, which was done prior to submitting my profile to the Louisville job. Nearly 6 weeks later, I fully expected that job was long gone, but lo and behold, they were still in need and I was so grateful to hear from them! Covid was in full swing and I did not want to suffer another 3 month employment drought, as I had prior to the Kentucky job. It was a bit of a curve ball in my plans, however after careful consideration, it sounded like a great move to accept the job offer and head further west, to work for a very reputable MFM department / hospital. So I made my way out there in early September that year, making sure to stop overnight in St. Louis (and see the arch, symbolizing the “gateway to the midwest’) and vacation at Lake Ozark along the way, before starting a new work assignment with a team that was top notch! This group of sonographers taught me so much in my 14 short weeks with them and I am forever grateful for that, as well as their kindness. They were some of the nicest, most down to earth people I have ever had the pleasure to work with, and so very talented. Each of them is registered not only in OB/GYN, but carries their fetal echocardiogram credentials as well. I was so humbled to work with them, since I unfortunately do not have that credential. Obtaining your fetal echo credential is a huge accomplishment to anyone who has ever passed that board exam. Ultrasound registry exams each take hours to sit through and every sonographer has to take at least 2 (one for ultrasound physics and the other for your specialty exam) to earn the credential of RDMS (registered diagnostic medical sonographer) after your name. I have my RDMS in OB/GYN and in AB (abdominal imaging which is looking at the kidneys, gallbladder, spleen, aorta, liver, etc). The fetal echo exam however, is an entire 3 hours of just the heart, which requires the ability to not only scan all the structural views of the heart (made even more challenging by the moving target, of course) and know how to image all the major blood vessels within, but also know a lot about a number of cardiac abnormalities and how to differentiate between them on such a complex organ in the body. Preparing and gaining the proper level of experience for this test alone can take months, if not years for some sonographers (esp someone like me who is not typically in one place for long). So needless to say, I was thrilled to be in an environment with such quality sonographers who were not afraid to teach me some of what they know. This experience built upon my prior assignment and cardiac exposure in Louisville, KY and was just another step leading me to today and my increased knowledge of the fetal heart. A HUGE thanks to those sonographers (some of which I still keep in touch with today)!
My first impression of Kansas City was a bit intimidating. I tend to prefer and gravitate to smaller cities, so this was a bit outside my comfort zone, wondering if I would ever get comfortable with the highways that ran through the city, but as usual, I quickly acclimated to my new environment and grew to really love Kansas City. Many people who are far removed from this central part of the country, may be unaware that Kansas City is a city that straddles two states, Kansas and Missouri. In fact, I was informed by a tour guide from that area, that Kansas City, Missouri existed decades before Kansas City, Kansas. Nowadays, the whole metropolitan area encompassing both states, is simply known as Kansas City. In fact, I worked in Kansas and lived over the river in Missouri, while on this assignment. Kansas City is known as the “City of Fountains” for its number of fountains throughout the city (upwards of 200 in fact, which aside from Rome, Italy is more than any other city).
The other thing that you can find in abundance in this beautiful midwestern city are BBQ restaurants, boasting over a hundred, some of which are known throughout the country. One in particular, is none other than Arthur Bryant’s BBQ, which has been in business for over a hundred years and has been visited by a number of famous actors, directors, athletes, and politicians, including several past U.S. Presidents, including Barack Obama in 2014. This restaurant has long specialized in their “burnt ends” which are the end pieces of their smoked brisket. Unlike a lot of BBQ restaurants in Kansas City who serve more of a molasses based sauce, Arthur Bryant’s sauce resembled more of a southern BBQ style made with vinegar and spices.
But Kansas City is so much more than just fountains and BBQ, and in subsequent blog posts, I will give you a taste of what made this great city just so special to me…stay tuned!