Examine | Teleradiology: A Job You Love

When Kelcey D. Elsass, MD,  first started her career in radiology, she thought teleradiology might be a possibility someday. But at that time, the term “teleradiology” was more of a term thrown about in the industry, and not the staple that it is today. So, Elsass knew that she would have to be patient.

In 1990, she enrolled in the Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Md., to pursue a medical education through the military. The USUHS School of Medicine has a year-round, four-year curriculum that is nearly 700 hours longer than that of other U.S. medical schools. The additional hours focus on subjects relating to the unique requirements of career-oriented military and public health physicians.

“Our classes included a history of how medicine has evolved in the military, as well as mock training exercises, in which we simulated medical situations that might occur if we were deployed in a war zone, such as Iraq. So, early on in medical school, we set up tents and received field training regarding mass casualty and other medical emergencies,” Elsass says.

After her first day in radiology class, Elsass knew she had found her career. “I loved it because radiologists seem to know a little bit about everything in medicine, and I was attracted to the opportunity of spanning my work across many specialties.”

After graduating from USUHS and completing her internship and residency in diagnostic imaging, Elsass had to fulfill a seven-year commitment (or “payback,” as she puts it) to the military in exchange for her medical school training.

A year assignment at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio as a staff radiologist was followed by a three-year stint in Germany.
Elsass says that the three years she spent in Germany were the most intense years of her professional life.

“I was stationed there when the tragedy of 9/11 occurred, and fighting began in Afghanistan and Iraq,” she says. “On a daily basis, the medical center where I worked would get planeloads of injured soldiers fighting in the war. We were one of the first places that took these soldiers after they left the battlefield. We would stabilize them and treat them if we could.”

The medical center had a full imaging department, with a full range of reads performed, including MR, CT, ultrasound and fluoroscopy. Interventional radiology was the only area the center was not equipped to handle.

“My three years in Germany were when I felt most involved in the military aspect of my job, as we were close to the fighting soldiers,” she adds.

Patience Is a Virtual

As fate would have it, when Elsass’ time in the military came to a close, teleradiology was now “up and running,” as she says. "If I had gotten out of the military much earlier, it probably wouldn’t have been feasible to become a teleradiologist.”

Elsass always liked the idea of working from home, giving her a chance to spend more time with her family and choose where they could live. After researching the many teleradiology companies in the industry, she found a good fit in Minneapolis-based Virtual Radiologic.

“They have a good reputation, and I liked how they promoted themselves as a virtual radiology practice. I didn’t want to feel isolated without connections to other radiologists, and Virtual Radiologic is a true radiology group practice that just happens to be virtual. I am able to consult with my fellow radiologists on a regular basis, and we have a great communications system that shows me who else is working when I am,” Elsass says.

Elsass’ switch to teleradiology has turned out well for both her and her family (her husband William, whom she met at USUHS, and their two children). She now works part-time shifts from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. – seven days on and then seven days off. Her job also affords her the opportunity to take extended vacations.

“Overall, I have a more balanced life and a job I absolutely love,” Elsass says. “I have more time than I previously had to spend with my family. I have more time for myself to exercise and focus on personal hobbies.”

She says that teleradiology has helped her to fulfill another dream, when she and her family moved to Breckenridge, Colo.

“My husband and I always wanted to move to the mountains, but we thought we’d have to retire to do that because there are no radiology groups where we live now,” she says. “But, with an Internet connection, we were able to move up to Breckenridge, and I was able to maintain a job in radiology. I took my job with me, which I couldn’t have done otherwise.”

— Tom Schaffner