Clifford T. Araki, PhD RVT RVS

Associate Professor, Department of Medical Imaging Sciences
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
School of Health Related Professions
Newark, NY

What is your current title and employer?

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Imaging Sciences at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in the School of Health Related Professions, and I serve as the Director of the Vascular Technology Program. Our program has been in existence since 1995 and we graduate 10–12 students each year.

What degrees and credentials do you have?

I earned my Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Hawaii and my RVT in 1991. In 2007, I also credentialed myself as an RVS, principally to seek that out as a substitute credential for our students. I think it’s become a credible alternative to the RVT. It could be especially important with the CARE bill looming on the horizon.

How long have you been in the vascular technology profession?

I have been in the vascular technology profession since 1985.

What made you decide to enter vascular technology as a career?

I made the transition through the Veterans Administration system, hired as a clinical physiologist at the East Orange Veterans Administration in New Jersey, where I had research and clinical responsibilities. I was expected to learn the technical aspects of the vascular lab there and I really came to enjoy working with patients. That was my first exposure to patient care and the use of high tech clinical equipment. In 1985, that was the Biosound club and Medasonics VascLab, which now doesn’t seem so high tech.

I found out I really enjoyed working with patients, especially the VA patient. They are a unique group. I moved on to the Boston University Medical Center in 1986 with the same mix of research and clinical responsibilities. It was there that I decided to move full-time into the vascular lab. I moved back to New Jersey in the early 1990s and to UMDNJ to the University Hospital Vascular Lab. Most of my experience has been in the inner city type of hospital setting. I have managed a number of laboratories. I think the inner city setting is most rewarding because of the patients. They can be so very appreciative. I’ve got many good memories.

My mentor through the entire process was Dr. Robert W. Hobson. I spent my life in the vascular arena chasing him around from New Jersey, to Boston, then back to New Jersey. Dr. Hobson recently passed away. For me it was a big loss. He stands alone as the single most influential person in my professional life. I will always be grateful for his push and his guidance.

What do you like best about your current position?

I’ve been involved in both the vascular lab and teaching for quite awhile, but now I teach full-time. Teaching has its own rewards. I receive my best joy from my current position by knowing that my efforts have radically affected the lives of many students. I’ve talked to a number of educators and most if not all mention a similar satisfaction.

Most of our students are adult learners ranging from 24 to 55 years of age. Many had earned bachelor’s degrees. Others were in limbo with an incomplete college education. Many of the people in our field are second career adults who were at one time searching for a dramatic change in lifestyle. Our students fit that mold. They may be driven by better pay, but in almost all cases, they want something that will give their lives more meaning.

I feel blessed because I give our students access to a field that is truly unique in healthcare: working with patients in need of care, using state of the art equipment that continually improves their own analytical skills, and being directly in the loop of diagnosis and therapy. Technologists in other clinical fields don’t gain this type of satisfaction.

Once, the director of another vascular program in Washington State told me of a graduate who came back to him for a visit just to thank him for changing his life and giving him opportunities he never would think possible. Each year, I have similar experiences with our own graduates. In December, we had a graduation dinner for our students. Many already have jobs and the others are eagerly looking. It’s hard to not be overwhelmed by the feeling of appreciation I receive and I believe it’s only because our field offers great opportunities for entry-level workers.

When did you join SVU?

I joined SVU, then SVT, in 1988.

What motivated you to run for the Board of Directors? (NOTE: Cliff was elected in June 2007 to a three–year term on the SVU Board of Directors: 2008-2010)

Education! The SVU directs its educational emphasis toward continuing education for its members. It is taking more of an interest in entry level academic education and scholarships and memberships for students, but I think that academicians are a lost voice in the organization. The society should seek more ways of bringing educators into the fold.

What do you hope to accomplish while being on the SVU Board of Directors?

I hope that I can increase the participation of educators in the SVU annual conference. I would also like to see if the Board could have the annual meeting more participatory, include the membership more directly in steering the profession into the future.

What do you feel are the biggest issues facing the vascular profession today?

We have the perpetual problem of being a small profession sandwiched between two heavyweights - cardiology and general ultrasound. The challenges this brings need to be addressed proactively. It’s a difficult position to be in and the Board needs input from many sources to determine how to step through the minefield.

From an educational perspective, the CARE bill will add complexities when it passes. Where will we get the educated, registered, entry level vascular techs that will be needed to fill the open laboratory positions? The current number of training programs is way too few and unevenly scattered.

What tips would you give to today’s ultrasound students about their career in the vascular ultrasound profession?

Listen to your instructors!!! Students approach their clinicals with the attitude of a student – to observe, study, and practice. The laboratories are looking at the students in terms of their potential as workers. We tell our students that they are not in the clinical lab to observe and practice. They are there to learn what it takes to be a good technologist. Some don’t see what we see - how their actions in the lab will hurt them when they look for work or start working. The hardest part of teaching is molding the attitude of students.

How can SVU better serve its members in the future?

The SVU should open up the process more to its members and be more aggressive in developing protocol techniques among its membership for what it sees on the horizon. The SVS push for entry into catheter-based intervention is an example to emulate for pushing vascular technologists into a larger, expanding realm.

Name of wife and any children and their ages? Any pets, and their names?

I have a wife, Linda, and two grown children, Chad and Kellie, one in California and the other in Hawaii with two grandkids.

What do you do for fun and relaxation when not working?

I dabble a little in learning how to play Hawaiian slack key guitar.