Member Profile - Victoria Myers, BSRT(R), CIIP - SIIM News Spring 2009

Victoria Myers is the IS PACS Project Manager at Scottsdale Healthcare, a three-campus, 800-bed, community hospital system in Scottsdale, AZ. Scottsdale went live on an enterprise PACS in 2000. She is also the interim co-chair of the SIIM-affiliated Excite User Group, and a presenter at the SIIM IIP Bootcamp and SIIM 2009 Annual Meeting.

SIIM News (SN): How did you become interested in imaging informatics?

Victoria Myers (VM): My background is clinical. I started as an RT and then registered in ultrasound; however, after moving into radiology administration I retired my RDMS. While working as radiology manager, I was interested in PACS but we were skeptical about installing in a community hospital environment. In 1997, I heard Katherine Andriole speak at a conference and knew the time was right. I became so immersed in the go-live for PACS that my VP asked if I would like to move into PACS full time. It was to be a one-year commitment and I jumped at the chance. That was 10 years ago.

SN:What career would you have chosen if you hadn't gone into health care?

VM: Something completely different! While I love the health care/IT profession, I would have been an artist! But, I'll keep my day job.

SN:Describe your day-to-day duties.

VM: Pretty much anything related to PACS management: project tracking, testing, budgets, asset management, training, and running interference for the great PACS team I work with.

SN:What advice do you have for someone entering this field?

VM: Network with your peers. Reach out to others who do what you do, and learn from them.

SN:What is the most challenging thing about your job?

VM: Juggling the needs of users and their expectations! At first, people were just in awe of the technology. Now, expectations for functionality and availability have gone up dramatically. Technology - and what users want - do not always align.

SN:What are the most important benefits of SIIM membership to you?

VM: The opportunity to network; the Annual Meeting is a perfect venue for both education and networking.

SN:You and a co-chair recently launched a new SIIM-affiliated user group; Excite (Exchange for Centricity Imaging Technology End-users). What is the benefit of a SIIM-affiliated user group?

VM: The SIIM affiliation adds credibility and support - SIIM has been instrumental in helping us get Excite off the ground. The SIIM structure permits a group driven by the users, not the vendor. We have also learned from the other SIIM-affiliated user groups.

SN:What is the value of the CIIP accreditation for you?

VM: It provides professional recognition and a foundation for all practitioners. I took the first CIIP exam and I am excited to see the continued enthusiasm toward credentialing.

SN:What do you do for relaxation?

VM: I have a passion for travel and love to paint - watercolor and acrylics. I also volunteer at a local hospice, which I find very rewarding.

SN:What is the most interesting place you’ve ever been?

VM: My husband and I are always looking for some new place to visit. In 2007, we spent 3 1/2 weeks in Southeast Asia and had a very heartfelt experience in Burma. They are terribly oppressed, but the Burmese crave a connection to the outside world. I look forward to returning someday.