Her Story
About Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn Olson is a travel CT technologist with six years of experience in the healthcare industry. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, she attended Armstrong State University before graduating from Georgia Southern University. Olson began her career after developing an interest in radiology during high school and securing a position at a local hospital in Savannah, where she met her husband, who is also a CT technologist. For the past four years, she has been traveling. During that time, she has worked at nine different hospitals, in a variety of different patient settings and on different shifts, all over the country. This travel experience has allowed her to expand her knowledge of different software and equipment and to adapt to various situations and personalities, which she considers to be her biggest professional achievement. Olson values being compassionate in healthcare and approaching each day with a positive attitude despite challenges such as burnout and the emotional toll of caring for patients who are ill. She also stresses the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Before traveling, Olson experienced burnout, but the freedom and new experiences traveling has provided her have reinvigorated her love for the career. She attributes her success to God, her own hard work and discipline, and the incredible influences in her life. She advises being open-minded, learning from others, and avoiding the mindset that there is only one correct way to do something, noting that there are “a thousand ways to scan a cat.” She encourages young women entering the field to always work hard, be confident, and not let anyone undermine your value or success.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kaitlyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success first and foremost to God but also to my own hard work and discipline and to the people I've met and worked with throughout the years who have taught me so much. I've had supervisors, coworkers, and mentors who have served as incredible influences in my life, so I would attribute a great deal of my success to their guidance and leadership.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is to avoid the mindset that there is only one way to do something. A tech once told me “there's a thousand ways to scan a cat.” It sounds silly, but it’s so true. Working in CAT scan, there are several different approaches you can take to achieve the same successful outcome. I’ve worked with many technologists over the years, and every one of them does things a little differently. Being open-minded and willing to learn from other people has helped me to grow so much as a technologist.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
No matter who you are, I think it’s important to always work hard and do your best despite your circumstances. Be confident. Never let anybody discourage you or try to undermine your value or success.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one obvious challenge of working in healthcare is the emotional toll that comes along with caring for sick and dying patients. It can be tough at times, but it is important to stay resilient and approach each patient with the same level of compassion and professionalism.
Another challenge that I think healthcare workers everywhere are dealing with currently is the ongoing staff shortage. Oftentimes, healthcare workers deal with burnout because of this. I can say I have dealt with burnout in the past, but traveling has definitely provided me the opportunity of freedom, more work-life balance, and new experiences, which has renewed my love for what I do.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value being compassionate, in my personal life and in healthcare. I’m definitely not always at my best, and I think the same is true for everyone at some point in time. In healthcare, I often see people at their worst, and I’ve seen firsthand how showing someone a little compassion can go a long way. So I value that and try to always treat others with compassion and a positive attitude. I also strongly believe in the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I think having this balance is not only vital to my own personal health and well-being, but I believe it in turn benefits myself and others in the workplace too.
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