May 2005 | Vol. 23, No. 5

SVU Board Director Profile

Kathleen M. Greene, MS RN RVT RDMS

Technical Director, Vascular Lab and Ultrasound Service
Connecticut Surgical Group
Hartford, CT

When did you become certified by ARDMS?

I became certified in Vascular in 1985 and in Abdomen in 1993.

How long have you been in the vascular technology profession?

27 years, but it seems like just yesterday.

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

It was by accident or should I say it was divine intervention? I was a starving medical assistant passing out résumé’s in Rochester, MI. One of the physicians, Dr. Moufid Mitri, called me, we talked and he hired me. He had just purchased a Life Science PVR and wanted to know if I could help him run the machine. Dr. Mitri ended up being a life long mentor for me.

The rest is history, literally. I am fortunate enough to have lived through so many changes in modalities. The first modality we used was a simple method of two paper cups connected by yarn, but seriously, we used to actually perform OPG's, CPA's, Echoflow Doppler mapping, and other archaic forms of testing. When Biosound came out with their “big bertha brick on a stick” transducer, I remember being overwhelmed and elated at the thought of actually seeing what I had been hearing for so long. By the way, thanks to years of wearing headphones I can now hear those high pitched dog frequencies, but I digress. Real time imaging and digital archiving have been the highlights of my career. Can you remember when we had boxes of videotapes to archive? As I get older, the excitement is still as palpable as it was when I was just starting out, thanks mainly to another mentor -- Dr. Robert Lowe at Connecticut Surgical Group. He has been propelling me into unseen territory on a monthly basis and that's a gas too.

What do you like best about your current position?

Change. Technology is changing everything and it's challenging. That, and the fact that people are living longer and have more pathology. It's a vascular technologist's dream to have all this pathology. I also enjoy working with my medical staff, my fellow tech Cassie Bolnick, and the Hartford Hospital crew, Jan Guica, et al. Connecticut Surgical Group provides an incredibly supportive environment with unlimited opportunities.

When did you join SVU?

Back in 1978 when it was called "SNIVT". I remember hanging my SNIVT membership certificate on the lab wall at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester, MI. We had sublet the linen closet on the 6th floor nursing station for our inpatient vascular testing. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not! That seems like just yesterday too! Of course, I was ten at the time!

Have you served on an SVU Committee, if so, which one(s) and when?

Yes, I served on the Education Committee in the past and have worked recently on the Abstracts Committee.

Are you a member of an SVU Affiliated Chapter?

Yes, I’m a member of the Greater Boston Area Vascular Technologists (GBVT), conveniently located near Fenway Park.

What positions have you served at that chapter and when?

I have been a GBVT member for the past two years and attend meetings whenever I can.

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

With the advent of the Chapters’ listserv via SVU, I think it's improved dramatically. At the present time, the SVU is doing a great job networking with the local chapters and their members.

Why did you decide to run for the SVU Board of Directors?

I have more time to devote to the Society then I had in the past and I wanted to help out as much as I could. Plus a little incentive from Nominations Committee Chair Melissa Vickery helped me decide to run for the SVU Board of Directors.

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

Liability issues. I sense we are moving in the direction of increased legal responsibility on a personal level for our preliminary interpretations. I predict that enhanced stratification of entry level through practioner level will accompany this increased legal responsibility, and we should encourage colleges to create advanced level degrees in conjunction with this change.

How can SVU better serve its members in the future?

Chocolate is always appreciated. That aside, the e-Spectrum newsletter available via the SVU website is a wonderful way to disseminate topics of interest, and the JVU is always interesting to read with timely topics. The annual meeting is a great place to learn, network and have fun. The SVU organization is continually challenging its members to contribute and, in doing so, promotes a strong society that can offer different services for different types of requests. One of the unique things about SVU is that its members are actively involved in the organization on so many levels, and it is so strongly supportive of student members. I'm not sure it could better serve its members any more than it is doing now. If the SVU charged a lot more for membership, then other services might be offered such as low cost legal services, or a type of “eBay” duplex auction site or something like that. I think as a whole, we really get a great deal for the price of our membership and the SVU is doing a good, solid job.

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

Harass my 2 daughters, Michelle and Cassie, throw the ball for our dog, read, take long walks, and sail with John Hannon, my fiancé. We are Boston Red Sox fans and try to attend as many games as we can. One of these days I'm going to learn how to cook a decent meal since I've given my family enough activated charcoal (via burned hamburgers on the grill) to denature all the toxic spills on both coasts.