January 2005 | Vol. 23, No. 1

SVU Member Profile

Katie Vollrath, BSN RN RVT FSVU

Clinical Education Coordinator, Clinical Instructor
Viasys Healthcare, Nicolet Vascular, Madison, Wisconsin

What degrees and credentials do you have, and when did you get them?

I received my Associates Degree in Nursing in 1978 from Milwaukee Area Technical College. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1985 from the Medical College of Wisconsin. I received my RVT in 1985. I became a SVU fellow in 1998.

How long have you been in the vascular technology profession?

I have been in the vascular technology profession since 1979.

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

I was working as a RN in a cardiac ICU. I read an ad in the local newspaper for a "vascular nurse technologist" at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I answered the ad because I thought it sounded interesting. I really had no concept of what I was getting into. I had many wonderful mentors at the Medical College of Wisconsin including Sergio Salles-Cunha, PhD, Dr. Victor Bernhard, Dr. Jonathan Towne, and Dr. Dennis Bandyk. These gentlemen passed along a dedication to vascular technology excellence that was contagious. I knew after working one week in the vascular laboratory that vascular ultrasound was where I wanted to spend the rest of my career.

What do you like best about your current position?

My primary responsibilities are to teach transcranial Doppler Ultrasound and physiologic vascular testing to our customers at our corporate headquarters in Madison, WI. I enjoy teaching more than any other position I have ever held. It is such a joy to mentor people in the art of vascular technology and to watch them grow in their vascular hemodynamics knowledge and skills. I also recruit and train RVTs to teach these same courses to our customers at their institutions.

When did you join SNIVT, SVT, SVU?

I joined SNIVT, now SVU, in May of 1979.

Have you served on the SVU Board of Directors or on an SVU Committee, and if so, which one(s)?

I have served on the Board of Directors and the following SVU Committees:

• Board of Directors: 1982-84
• Treasurer: 1982-83
• President: 1983-84
• SVU Representative to CAHEA: 1985-86
• Publications Committee: 1988-90
• Nominations Committee: 1993-present
• Awards Committee: 1996-2002
• Recipient of Fellow Membership Category: 1998
• Invited Speaker at SVU National Conferences: 1996, 1997, 1998 & 1999

How do you think SVU and its Affiliated Chapters can work better together in the future?

I believe that SVU could help its Affiliated Chapters by encouraging more participation. We could help by contacting vascular equipment companies and making them aware of Affiliated Chapters in their areas so that they could help to support the local chapters. Local Chapters often lack funding or ideas for speakers. The vascular ultrasound companies might be able to be helpful.

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

Ongoing education seems to be a difficult issue. Many hospitals will no longer fund continuing education efforts and technologists are always in need of ways to earn their CMEs for re-accreditation. I find in industry that so many technologists are taught on the job in today’s hospital environment because they cannot afford to attend structured vascular courses. Another issue is the demand by today's hospital’s administration for technologists to be cross-trained. Again, there is a need for training in vascular ultrasound from Affiliated Chapters, publications and on-line education.

How can SVU better serve its members in the future?

I believe that SVU should develop strategies that will continue to stimulate growth and expansion of vascular ultrasound as a profession. We need to assume a more assertive role in the development of vascular ultrasound education programs of excellence. Currently, many community-based general ultrasound programs include a brief exposure to vascular ultrasound. SVU should aid this process by helping to develop programs, and making them accessible to these schools. We should offer our services as guest lecturers and clinical sites. We can make a difference in developing excellent vascular education programs to ensure the continued growth of our specialized profession.

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

My passion is serving in the choir of my church.