Hospital manager applies skills learned at Midland CollegeAugust 25, 2020

“Sixteen years ago, I traded in my calculator and desk chair for a pair of scrubs and comfortable shoes in order to begin my new career as a radiological technologist,” Jennifer Greer said.  “Now I’m back to a desk, but I still get to practice my radiology skills.  I have the best of both worlds!”

Greer is Radiology Operations manager at Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH).  As such, she oversees all in-patient, emergency room and some outpatient radiology services.  She is responsible for ensuring accurate billing information, managing the department budget, staffing and quality control. 

“I like to say that my job is to manage the best experience for our patients,” Greer said.  “That includes providing a safe environment so that MMH can have the best hospital and community radiological services.  I also very much value the relationship with my team. 

“I’m happy to help with ultrasound and CT scans whenever the need arises.  During an ice storm last winter, I found myself helping with portable x-rays.  I hadn’t done that in a while, but it was fun to be back on the patient floors.  I also get to start a lot of IVs for ultrasound.  I try to stay out in the mix.  It’s important for me to know what the radiology techs deal with on a daily basis.  Every morning, I look over the workflow from the prior night.  It’s important to know and appreciate the work our team does.  I want to make sure they have the tools they need to do their jobs, and enjoy being here. 

“The hospital promotes a culture of ownership.  I encourage communication and always remind our teams to take ownership of their department.  If they have an idea to improve a process, then it’s worth every effort to try it—a small test of change to see if the idea is a success.  There are no bad ideas.  Some work and some don’t, but it’s the concept that everyone knows they have this opportunity. 

Greer said that she was a little late in life finding her calling in radiology.  She is a 1995 graduate of Greenwood High School.  Greer received the Abell-Hanger Foundation Scholarship (now called the Legacy Scholarship) to attend Midland College, and she enrolled in business courses. 

“I took several business courses, especially accounting courses but never completed a degree,” Greer explained.  “I guess I lacked focus and didn’t have a good plan.”

As a college student, Greer worked at HEB.  Eventually, she went to work in the file room at Wagner & Brown.  Even though Greer didn’t have a plan for her education, she was a self-starter and hard worker.  She worked her way up to various positions in the Accounting department and was employed at Wagner & Brown for eight years.

In 1998, Jennifer married her husband Greg.  The couple have two daughters—Briley, age 14, and Jolie, age 9.

“I loved working for Wagner & Brown, but I wanted to get away from the booms and busts of the oil & gas industry, so I started thinking about careers in the medical profession,” Greer explained.  “At that time, Midland College had a Radiology Technologist program.  I applied and was accepted.  I guess the rest is history.”

In 2004, Greer graduated from Midland College with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Radiology Technology.  She passed the state licensure exam and started her radiology career at Midland Memorial Hospital.

In 2016, MMH promoted Jennifer Greer to her current position as Radiology Operations manager with the caveat that she would go back to school to earn a bachelor’s degree.  So, she registered for classes once again at Midland College, this time in the college’s Organizational Management bachelor degree program.  In May 2019, she graduated from Midland College with a Bachelor of Applied Technology degree. 

“I highly recommend the Organizational Management program to anyone who has an associate degree and wants to advance to a management-level position.” Greer said.  “I took a combination of online and face-to-face classes.  The instructors were very knowledgeable, and all had career experiences that they shared during class discussions.  I’ve applied a lot of what I learned to my current job, especially in the area of critical thinking and problem solving.  A big part of my job is solving problems, and I like finding solutions to problems—even if they are little problems.”

Greer is especially proud of the fact that all techs in MMH’s Radiology department are cross trained.  All technologists are licensed and all have passed individual registry sections of the American College of Radiology.  In other words, MMH technologists can work in all diagnostic imaging areas—CT Scan, MRI, Interventional Radiography, Ultrasound and Mammography.  Greer said that not all hospitals have staff who are registered in all areas. 

“MMH expects continual lifelong learning,” Greer stated.  “We also believe in ‘growing your own people.’  I think that’s one reason that I was given the chance to advance in my career.  My supervisors encouraged professional growth.

“Radiography techs are the link between the patient and the radiologist.  It is rare for a radiologist to see a patient.  So, it’s up to the techs to give accurate information to the radiologist.  We are the patient’s advocate.  Radiology touches every patient at some point.  We are part of the diagnostic team, and I am committed to doing what is necessary in order for everyone on the team to be proud of the job we do.”