Healthwire
January/February 2012

Feature Story
Making a Difference Every Day

Healthcare professionals know that sometimes you have to go the extra mile to make a difference in the lives of patients.

AFT Healthcare represents thousands of health professionals in various fields. Here are a few profiles of members who, like you, are making a difference every day.

Darcy Cowles
NEW TO UNION LIFE
Darcy Cowles has a philosophy: Go for what you want. That belief led Cowles to become a nuclear medicine technologist. It also helped her become president of the newly formed LPN and tech local at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut.

After serving in the military, Cowles decided to go into healthcare, first looking into becoming an ultrasound technician. Then she ran into a friend who worked in nuclear medicine and after shadowing a few nuclear medicine techs, Cowles decided it was the path she wanted to take. She’s been in the field for the last four years.

Each year, more than 16 million Americans undergo nuclear medicine procedures for a variety of conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions and other physiological problems. Cowles performs cardiac stress tests most days, but she also works with the emergency department, testing for bone breaks, blood clots and internal bleeding.

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