#MyBestMoments Campaign - Debbie DiLella, PACS Administrator, Diagnostic Imaging

In our #MyBestMoments campaign staff and physicians from across our hospitals and community sites share the moments that have mattered most to them in their careers at Lakeridge Health. Read Debbie's story below. 

My first years at Lakeridge Health included working midnights as a Medical Radiation Technologist. In addition to x-raying patients, one of my tasks was to check the schedule of patients for the next day and pull previous films from the rows of ceiling to floor imaging files stored in the film library. Today, that job is automated by a pre-fetching task that retrieves local and third-party imaging files directly into our Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS) where images can be visualized almost instantaneously across all the hospitals. From dark rooms to digital imaging, x-ray film to PACS, my role now consists of assisting clinicians across all Lakeridge Health sites to ensure imaging is available when and where it’s required for patient care.

A few of my most memorable highlights while working at Lakeridge Health include operating a mobile CT scanner parked outside the hospital loading docks, contributing to Cancer Care Ontario’s Lung Cancer Screening Program, implementing the Hospital Diagnostic Imaging Repository Services (HDIRS) Foreign Exam Manager, and attending many educational conferences. Team involvement with professional practice, controlled documents, peer review and the implementation of Epic have also allowed me to interact with and learn from other health-care professionals across Lakeridge Health.

Constant collaboration with others and advancements in medical imaging will continue to make my career at Lakeridge Health exciting for years to come. My advice to others would be to explore and welcome new opportunities, you never know what might be waiting for you just around the corner!