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Camosun student Kasi Schnablegger directs her passion for health care and the human body towards training for a career as an x-ray technologist.

Camosun student Kasi Schnablegger became very comfortable with the human body during her seven years of working for Canadian Blood Services. When she was ready for a new career direction, Kasi signed up for Camosun’s Medical Radiography program, which trains people to become x-ray technologists. After drawing fluids from human bodies, she was ready to gain the skills to look inside them.

“I love my job, but I had attained all the accreditations I could get and I found myself with nowhere to go from there,” she says. “I was looking for something similar in health care. I enjoy working with people, so radiography seemed like a good fit for me.”

Her search for her next challenge and more opportunities brought her to Camosun. She also has a personal motivation for working as a health care professional.

“My dad has a heart condition. He’s spent a large portion of his life working with medical professionals and doing tests and treatments.”

Kasi knows her father was excited and proud of her for choosing the health field. This support carries her through the challenges of studying medical radiography.

“The program is intense,” says Kasi, who has already gone through the rigors of studying biology for her undergraduate degree at the University of Victoria. “But I really love it. The classes are small, so we get a lot of lab time and one-on-one time with our instructors. I think it’s so valuable. You’re not lost in a sea of people.”

In addition to the technical skills that are needed for a career as an x-ray technologist, Kasi is seizing every opportunity to develop her skills working with people from other health sectors. This interdisciplinary learning is at the heart of Camosun’s health programs.

“I was part of a group of medical radiography students who were invited to do a simulation with nursing students, which I thought was really awesome,” says Kasi. “The simulations recreate real scenarios that could take place in a hospital. We worked on dummies that have a pulse and heartbeat, and they can even talk to you. The medical radiography students x-rayed their chests. We talked about the process with the nursing students before and after the experience, just as we would in a hospital setting. It was definitely my most hands-on experience at Camosun.”

By all appearances, Kasi is on the right path and taking the steps she needs towards a fulfilling and dynamic career.

“I think the human body is amazing and health care is fascinating. Medical radiography resonates with me. It’s an active and creative job, and you have to think outside of the box a lot of the time.”