My journey to becoming an employee at Cincinnati Children’s began when my husband and I adopted our son, Milo, from China in May 2011. Our year-and-a-half journey to adopt Milo culminated in a two-week stay in China. Although we were ecstatic to finally have our son in our arms, we knew we still had work to do once we got home.
The International Adoption Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s was an incredible asset for our son and our family. Dr. Mary Staat’s team had helped us look over our son’s medical file when we first received his referral, and they were there for us once we got home as well. They helped us set up the battery of appointments needed to assess our son’s overall health. One of the many tests Milo required was an ultrasound of his kidneys. We had received information in Milo’s medical history from China indicating that he had something wrong with his right kidney. We opted to come to the Liberty campus for the tests. I was very impressed with the hospital and the staff. They took time to speak directly to Milo, trying to make him feel at ease. They did their best to calm my nerves as well. Thankfully, everything went well, and the results came back a couple days later stating Milo had two perfectly healthy kidneys.
About a year prior to our adoption, I had begun taking classes at Kettering College. Shortly after we had returned home with our new son, I received a letter stating I’d been accepted into their Sonography program. It was a very exciting, chaotic, and busy time in our lives. I had taken the summer off from college courses so I could stay home with our new son, and after our experiences with Milo at Cincinnati Children’s, I found myself thinking about how wonderful it would be to work there. At the time, though, it seemed like a dream. I still had to get through all my college courses, but I held that thought with me while I went through my classes. When the time came, I requested a clinical rotation at Cincinnati Children’s.
I graduated from Kettering College with my Bachelor’s Degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography in July 2014 and was hired at Cincinnati Children’s in September 2014. I was overjoyed to have finally reached my goal, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I was impressed with the facilities and care we received as the parent of a patient; now I have the opportunity to continue and add to their stellar reputation as an employee. Because I’ve been the nervous parent seeking answers for my child, I understand how important it is to treat each and every patient (and parent) as though they are the most important part of my day. One of my favorite aspects of my new career is being able to make a connection with each of my patients and their families, just as I experienced first-hand.
Milo has been home with us for four years now, and is doing wonderfully! He is a healthy, happy, ornery 6-year-old. We are once again in the process of adopting another child from China, and will of course utilize the incredible facilities of Cincinnati Children’s.
Contributed by Amy Wilcher, (RDMS) and edited by Paula Bennett, (RDMS).
Paula has been a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer at Cincinnati Children’s since 2003. She moved to Cincinnati after serving in the U.S. Army for six years as a Radiology Specialist and Sonographer. She has worked at several of the outpatient locations as well as the main campus. Paula enjoys working in pediatrics and takes pride in being part of one of the top pediatric hospitals in the nation. She lives in Loveland, OH with her husband and three sons.
