HEATHER BERKEY

I attribute my success to having a good work ethic, self-respect, and respect for others. These core values have guided me throughout my 37-year career in healthcare and have been fundamental to my ability to maintain high standards in my work, even as the industry has faced significant challenges.

The best career advice I've ever received is to really investigate what you're planning to do before you jump into it. Know what you're getting into. This is especially important in healthcare, where things are changing so much. Too many people go into this field because they think it looks fun or they saw it on TV, but there's a lot more to it than that. You need to understand the full scope of what the work entails and what the background requirements are before making that commitment.

My advice to young women entering this field is to know that it's not easy money. A lot of people go into it because they think it looks fun or they saw it on TV, but there's a lot more to it than that. You need to really investigate what you're planning to do before you jump into it and know what you're getting into. People often have no idea what goes into this work or what the background requirements are. They think we just hold a probe and it scans itself, but the reality is far more complex. Healthcare is changing so much right now, so it's critical to understand the full picture before committing to this career path.

The biggest challenges in my field right now are numerous and serious. First, it's mainly getting a full-time job because nobody wants to hire full-time since they don't want to pay benefits. Pretty much everything you see advertised is part-time or per diem. Second, there's the encroaching AI technology that will be taking away jobs. Third, there's corporate greed. A lot of the hospitals are being bought out, and they're able to pay their CEOs 5, 6, 7, 8 million dollars, but they won't give their employees cost of living raises. They're doing away with pensions, cutting pay, cutting hours, and they get away with all of it. It's not nearly as secure as it used to be. I thought I would have this job forever, and now I'm not so sure about that. The on-call demands are brutal - we're on call 48 hours straight from 7am Saturday to 8am Monday, and then you have to be back at work on Monday. It's a hard lifestyle where you don't have a lot of say in anything. It didn't used to be like this until it became corporate and everything became for profit. It's a global sickness with healthcare right now, and people aren't going to go into medicine at all. They want to bring in these kids straight from college that don't know anything and pay them half of what they were paying experienced professionals.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are attention to detail, being dependable, and doing what you say you're gonna do. These principles have guided me throughout my career and in my personal endeavors, whether I'm performing ultrasounds or working to get a dog park built for my community. Following through on commitments and maintaining high standards in everything I do are fundamental to who I am.