Skip to main content

Who Am I?

A brief introduction to who I am:

I'm Nicole Owens. I'm a radiology and mammo tech. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job. I work full time, plus usually overtime if available. I am married and have five children.

Yes.

Five. That's not a typo. Four boys and one girl. My husband and I are busy, to say the least. There are days where I question just about every decision I've ever made (including the decision to go back to school!). And other days where I wouldn't change a thing. In addition to the chaos that is five kids, we also have two dogs and a cat and a fish. If there was any question as to whether or not I'm sane, there's your answer. I'm not. Would any sane full time working mother of five, with two dogs and cat go back to school to finish her bachelors??

No. Only crazy people do that kind of thing!

I have a very deep and profound love of learning. And 10 years into my career as a rad/mammo tech I found myself yearning for something more. I look into my future and, while I love my career, I see myself doing more. And that "more" requires a bachelors degree. So, here I am.

I chose UW-Milwaukee because it's FLEXible. Flexibility is something that is a top priority for me. I loved that they offered "all you can learn" and that we are allowed to go at our own pace. As I researched programs it became glaringly aware that this was a good fit for me.

One of the reasons I love my job so much is that I get to support and aid women in their health. I think women's health is so important and often overlooked so I feel honored that these women allow me a snippet of their day to teach them and make them aware of how important breast health is. Part of working with this population of people means that I also get plenty of exposure to all kinds of women. Namely, transgender women or women who are about to start the process of gender reassignment surgery.

LGBTQ rights is something that I am passionate about and I am always looking for ways that I can aid them in a more positive and productive way.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Take Away

If you ever want to know where you lack in cultural competency, I highly recommend taking the Providers Guide to Quality and Culture Quiz.  Here I thought I was on the right track but it turns out I have a lot of room to grow. Which is a good thing. Because it only means I'll be more of an asset and an ally to those who need it most.  Based on my results of the quiz, and upon reviewing the course competencies I have set three learning goals for myself.  1. Keep the patient cultural views in mind FIRST . * Often I approach a difference on my terms first (dominant culture), and then adjust from there. I think an approach that takes into an account of the patients cultural terms first, would be more beneficial. Once I know more about their cultural outlook on the exam, I can do a better job of changing my techniques to serve them. 2. Do more independent study and observing of other cultures. *I am a white suburban mom. I know very little about other cultures, unfortunately. I

How Do My Beliefs Affect My Job

Providing patient care is the most complicated for me when I know the patient is non-compliant, or when the illness is self inflicted due to negligence. It is hard to do my job and do it well, when I know that the patient is either unappreciative or suspicious about what I'm doing anyway. As I've been in health care for longer and longer I've gotten more proficient at not letting this bother me.  I do my job to the best of my ability regardless of who I'm taking care of. That is not always easy - and in some instances it's downright frustrating. Some examples are: I often x-ray diabetic patient's feet post amputation. Often these patients are over weight and have knows for an extended length of time that they need to get their glucose levels in check. It's hard for me show a lot of compassion for these patients. I absolutely have compassion for them, but it doesn't come as easily - knowing that their health problems are often a byprodu