By Barry Wise Smith
Karen Knight, the diagnostic imaging manager at Children’s of Alabama, found her career path early on. While Knight was attending UAB after high school, she was not sure what she wanted to. “My sister worked in Radiology at Bessemer Carraway Hospital, and I would visit her at work,” Knight remembers. “It just seemed interesting to me.”
Having completed her prerequisites, Knight enrolled in the radiology program at UAB. Upon graduation, Knight accepted a position at Children’s Hospital now 37 years ago. “I did my clinical rotations at the VA, Children’s and Princeton,” Knight says. “I got to see several hospitals in the Birmingham area and how each operated. Children’s Imaging Department was the one that I fell in love with.”
Knight still takes immense pleasure in working with the pediatric patients. “I just love the children’s attitudes; they are so resilient,” she says. “Even when they are having a difficult day, you can usually get a smile out of them. It really is very fulfilling.”
The Children’s Hospital Imaging Department is devoted exclusively to the needs of children—patients range from zero to eighteen. All the imaging equipment is specifically chosen with children in mind—children receive the lowest possible dose of radiation for their age and body type. Children can watch movies during MRIs or play games on an iPad during an Ultrasound. Most team members—technologists, nurses, and doctors—have years of experience working with children.
When Knight is asked what they do to make imaging a more pleasant experience for their young patients, she says, “Sometimes kids are scared, so if possible, we let the parents stay with them because this can be a huge comfort for them.” Also, we have CT and X-Ray rooms that offer the ambient experience. Patients can choose different scenes—an ocean view, animals at the zoo or an underwater scene—it helps keep them distracted. “It also helps them to feel in charge because they get to pick the scene they want to watch while they’re getting their X-ray or CT,” Knight says. “They can also take their little stuffies with them and hold them during a procedure—anything that makes them feel comfortable.”
And when pediatric patients cannot come to the X-Ray department, if possible, X-Ray goes to them. “We take the X-Ray machine to the patient and do whatever X-rays they need while they’re in the operating room, ICU or emergency department,” Knight says. And while calming pediatric patients is important, sometimes that extends to making the parents comfortable as well. “The parents are nervous because their child is sick,” Knight says. “So, we try to do as much as we can to make the parents comfortable also.”
Over Knight’s 37 years in imaging at Children’s, technology has evolved. “Everything is digital and instant, whereas in the past, it was analog, and you had to develop the film,” Knight says. Imaging encompasses MRI, Ultrasound, Nuclear medicine, CT and X-Ray.
While Knight hates to see children in pain, she loves the rewarding aspects of her job. “The most rewarding thing is seeing a child discharged from Children’s,” Knight says. “Some have been hospitalized for a while, and it is exciting to see them go home. The joy on their family’s faces is everything. Seeing all the success stories that come out of Children’s makes everything worth it.”
