It doesn’t get any better than 100%. But perhaps, equally as gratifying as watching all of your students get hired is knowing they are entering a workforce in desperate need of their newly learned skills.
“We couldn’t be happier that 100% of our Echo graduates are embarking on their new career in healthcare, and we look forward to great things from them in the future of cardiac sonography,” said South Suburban College’s Echocardiography Program Coordinator, Zubeir A. Haroun, MPH, MBChB, RDCS, RCS. “The quality of our program and students just continues to grow and that is a direct benefit to our community and local healthcare providers.”
An echocardiographer runs echocardiograms, which uses sound waves to produce images of the heart. This common but critical test allows a physician to see your heart beating and pumping blood. Doctors use the images from an echocardiogram to identify heart disease –the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease and 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year.
Two of those talented Echo students who graduated in the South Suburban College class of 2020 will be providing their much-needed expertise through Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak lawn, Illinois, and Memorial Hospital in South Bend, Indiana.
For Anna Kasa, 45, of Orland Park, her journey to becoming a medical professional started by taking her friend to breast cancer chemotherapy. Every trip with her friend, she watched her receive an echocardiogram.
“The more times I went with her, the more something resonated with me how important this field is,” said Anna, who was admitted into the SSC Echo Program in 2019. “Now you add a virus like COVID-19 to the picture and truly understand just how essential these early diagnostic tests are to treating patients and saving lives.”
As a wife, mother of two, and returning adult student, Anna hopes to inspire others to pursue their dreams and careers. She said echocardiography married her love of helping others with her family’s financial needs for college funds, wedding day finances and life’s other special moments. She chose SSC because of its unique program, affordability and accommodating schedule.
“This is the best thing I have ever done for my family. This is a profession with incredible growth and I am so excited that I landed at Advocate Christ Hospital – one of the best places you can be for cardiac issues,” added Anna.
Sabrina Dudley, 25, of Harvey, began her journey to employment at Memorial Hospital in 2018. She considered several health-centric educational pathways at SSC before choosing echocardiography.
“There are so many people affected by heart conditions that you know you can make a difference,” said Sabrina. One of those people is her father, who suffers from heart disease.
“Being able to fully understand my dad’s condition allows me to help him and talk to him about it. I know the path to get him as heart healthy as possible. But if something were to happen, I would be able to see the warning signs of heart attack or a stroke,” said Dudley.
“This is a demanding but very interesting and rewarding career, and I am happy I chose it!”
Anna and Sabrina wish to credit professor Haroun for helping them in various ways to stay motivated and remain diligent in their pursuit of their newfound careers. Professor Haroun says 100% of the credit is theirs for choosing to become one of the future heroes in healthcare.