Carissa Rivinius

Fall Semester

Service Project

Professional Service Project

I had the opportunity to attend and help at the North Dakota Society of Radiologic
Technologists (NDSRT) conference this year. The day started with registration and a light
breakfast followed by a list of speakers, a lunch break, and a few more speakers. I was helping
with setup and tear down of the rooms throughout the day to get ready for the next speaker as
well as serving lunch.
 This conference had a nice variety of information that was presented both on the personal
and professional level. Dr. Roller MD Radiologist talked about contrast CT scans and how they
are beneficial in not only x-ray but radiation oncology too. He spoke about the advancements
that have been made to diagnose cancer and other diseases earlier due to contrast CT scans.
Another speaker was one of our radiation oncologists Dr. Kreofsky, discussing the importance of
motion management in radiotherapy and how far modern technology has come over the years.
Having the ability to monitor patients in real time is extremely beneficial in making sure the
patients are receiving the most accurate treatment possible while minimizing potential misses to
the target volume due to motion. There were also a couple speakers who discussed Interventional
Radiology and their role with radiation as well as spinal cord stimulators. I found these topics to
be very intriguing and educational as I did not know a lot about these topics prior to this
conference.

My favorite part of the conference was being able to mingle and talk to physicians,
nurses, radiation therapists, and other dosimetrists who attended throughout the day. We got to
discuss what one another’s workplaces use for motion management in radiation therapy and
bounce ideas off one another. It was an enlightening experience that I plan to participate in again.