Sister Mary Anna Francis Salesia Geiger, OSF was born about 1900 in Cologne, Germany, a short distance in time and space from the discovery of x-rays. I first met her when I visited Saint Elizabeth Hospital as a senior in high school exploring a career possibility in Radiologic Technology. I had found a simple brochure on a table in the classroom of my high school guidance counselor. At that time, Sister assisted Dr. JT McGreer, Radiologist, in the administration of the School of Radiologic Technology. This school was different than the majority of such schools in that it did NOT pay a monthly stipend and required a prerequisite year of college level courses. Tuition books and uniforms for the 24-month program was approximately $250.00. Sister was a gracious hostess on that visit and gave me a clear picture of the field and the school. I was interested in pursuing a vocation in health care and the fact that this was not specifically nursing appealed to me. Also the small class and mentoring environment seemed desirable. I made my decision and applied to the University of Nebraska to take courses in physics, chemistry, scientific Greek and Latin, anatomy and physiology, etc. This was a significant decision for me since the only high school science I had taken was biology. Doing well in a physics class taught by Pakistani Professor Zadii who had significant difficulty with English and taught in a huge lecture hall with creaky wooden floors and seats was a sign to me to proceed with my career choice. It also impressed upon me the value of the lab and the lab instructor. I had two teachers who tried to discourage me from pursuing this vocation. One was my high school American history teacher and the other was my college Chemistry professor. They both implied this was no career choice … a waste of a “good” mind. I’m happy to say this field has provided me with as much challenge and purpose as I could have handled especially considering my higher priorities of home and family. Even though we did not get a stipend and therefore we were formally students, it was clear from the first day that we were not there to be served but to be part of the team that served patients and doctors. In other words, the new student was low on the totem pole of importance. Keep your eyes open, your mouth closed, and do well the task to which you are assigned. This meant figuring out how not to be bored when it was your turn to staff the darkroom or type reports for the department file. Respect was outwardly demonstrated in the environment by our language and our attire. We referred to one another as Miss Villiers or Mrs. Slattery or Mr. Parker. The female students wore white dress uniforms with white nylons and shoes and at 6 months, we received our caps (and began taking night call.) “The cap” was both a blessing and a curse. It was quite large and was frequently knocked off after an encounter with the x-ray tube while positioning a patient for an exam. But it was a symbol of accomplishment. When we graduated, we got a royal blue stripe to affix to the back of the cap and our pins with an “RT” guard. When the cap was later discarded for convenience, I was relieved and saddened. Wearing “the uniform” affected one’s attitude and behavior. You were perceived as a professional and were more likely to act like one. Although I am not in favor of returning to such formality, I wish there was a way to “put on” that kind of demeanor when we perform our duties. Sister was different than many others in her position as Director of a school because she insisted we have class when it was scheduled. That meant patients and doctors would have to be served by the paid staff during those hours. There was an occasional but rare day when she would dismiss class in order to accommodate the work. Sister’s primary objectives for her students included providing excellent patient care, using radiation safely, and producing a quality image. These same objectives provide the basis for training anyone who may operate x-ray equipment. She pursued her own knowledge of the subject by attending state and national meetings and would always return so excited she just had to present everything she learned to those in her school and department. Her greatest shared experience was a trip to her home in Germany and a visit to the Roentgen museum. She taught patient care by example. It was caught from her rather than taught. Any patient lying on a cart in the corridor while waiting his/her turn in the x-ray room would get her attention. She would tuck the blanket around the toes or double the pillow so the head wasn’t in a negative incline or speak to them with assurance regarding the exam that would soon be beginning. She taught concern for others by being concerned for others. She was always providing food for staff and students. In the morning, she would send someone to Wendelin’s bakery in the next block for donuts and rolls. It was a definite encouragement when doing several barium enema exams in a morning to look forward to your break and the possibility of a chocolate-covered fried cinnamon roll. (If Joe Barry hadn’t gotten it first.) The student on call could be sure there was something special in the nearby hospital kitchen just for him/her. Since the students were usually unmarried and female, Sister was concerned for their safety when they were on call. So she provided a room in the hospital in a non-patient wing. I didn’t know until years later, that the guys didn’t have to stay. She knew her positioning, but delegated teaching of that subject to Joe Barry at the time. One of the radiologists taught physics using Selman’s text, but she reserved the teaching of technique for herself. She used John Cahoon’s book and as was true with several of the leaders in the field, she knew him personally. She was a believer in optimum kVp technique charts and insisted we measure the patient and use them. Something that is still a good idea if one needs to manual time. She insisted on operators wearing lead aprons and was particular frustrated with a male employee that refused to do so even when assisting during fluoroscopy. This employee later died from lung cancer, but he was also a heavy smoker. Sister was still an active part of the department during the time I was in school. However, generally the staff and students did not prefer her to be the one directing the workflow. She tended to panic under stress especially if either of 2 doctors were scheduled to do exams. Both these doctors had last names beginning with G. (Getscher & Gogela) Perhaps that helps explain her magnitude of respect as though they were only slightly less important than God Himself. One was an orthopedic surgeon and the other a neurosurgeon. If a myelogram was scheduled for one of these 2 and she got word they were on the way, she literally ran down the hall towards room 3 with her nun’s habit blowing in the breeze created with her movement. It made you wonder if she inspired the later TV series, The Flying Nun. Remember this was a Catholic hospital and spirituality was integrated into the fabric of the environment. Every day at 7 AM, we all convened in the office for morning devotions. Sister passed out printed prayers protected with cleared x-ray film. Someone read a brief devotion and we all were expected to read this prayer together. This was difficult for a good little Baptist girl who wasn’t sure she should be praying with the Catholics. But in retrospect, the integration of spirituality with service to others is something that I have come to value greatly. In fact, acknowledgement of and commitment to God is the root of all timeless values. There is no reason for an individual to value the things I’m about to mention unless there is a Creator to whom I am accountable and Who became the Redeemer so I can live in accord with the things I value. Now I want to itemize some of those timeless values that I saw embodied in Sister. No matter how technical our technology becomes, we need to respect ourselves, each other, the patient, the doctors, in fact all human life. Humankind is NOT a product of time and chance anymore than is the complex technology with which we work every day. Try telling Roentgen, Edison, Potter or Bucky, Coolidge or Hounsfeld that their inventions could have happened by chance if all the ingredients were put in a room and enough time elapsed. And even if it were possible no matter how improbable, where did the ingredients come from? Individuals are created in the image of God. The bodies we examine with our technologies are much more complex than any of the brilliantly designed technologies used to examine them. No matter how much pressure there is to learn more or to do more with fewer resources, we need to cherish our integrity. Be honest with yourself and with each other. It is better to NOT be first, best, biggest, or richest if it means cheating or lying to get there. Being best is a hollow accomplishment if not achieved honestly. Resist the temptation to let these external measures of success cause you to compromise your core values. No matter how fast we can do exams, we need to maintain compassion as more valuable than efficiency, which may mean slowing down to fold a pillow or a tuck a blanket. Please make the time to explain to the patient about their exam or the sequence of events to come or when they might expect the results. And use words they understand. Be professional but be kind. Do for your patients, as you would want to be treated if you were the patient. We need to value character more than accomplishment. We need to believe that morality matters … some things are right and some things are wrong. Although it’s not always easy to determine the right thing to do, if you are committed to doing the right thing, it will be much easier to determine what is the right thing. When I do QC testing on x-ray equipment, I must apply an external criteria to determine if equipment is in compliance with the radiation safety regulations as established by federal and state agencies, e.g. the light field must agree with the radiation field to within +/- 2% of the SID. If it exceeds the criteria, the collimator is wrong. A facility must bring the collimator into compliance with the standard. It won’t work to say, “Oh, this is right for us.” Moral right and wrong requires an external standard something like the safe use of ionizing radiation being defined by regulatory standards. And although regulatory standards may be inconvenient, expensive or otherwise annoying, those standards are in place for the good of our patients and us. One’s commitment to do the right thing does not permit us to judge or persecute individuals that indulge in what we believe is wrong. It does permit us to live rightly and vote for those who express commitment, conviction and confidence that living rightly is better … even if it may mean losing. When we stand before Him to whom we are accountable, living rightly will be its own reward. And a nation that is willing to be unpopular in order to do right is blessed. We need to value hard work. In a recent poll, 80% of the wealthy explained the road to success as working hard while a majority of the poor attributed success to having more education. These 2 roads need not be mutually exclusive, but there is no magic ladder to success. And if there were, when you got to the top, most likely you would just find another ladder. With whatever level of education you have had opportunity to receive, you can give respect, be honest and compassionate, live rightly and work hard to serve those around you. You will be successful, no matter what your resume looks like. And lastly, we need to have faith. But more importantly, since we all have faith in something, we need to examine the object of our faith. It does matter what you believe, but more importantly Who you believe. Recall the images of “Baghdad Bob,” the Information Minister for Saddam Hussein’s regime. During the fall of Baghdad, “Bob” was on Iraqi TV stating that coalition forces were not winning the war, they were being soundly defeated by the Iraqi forces, and were definitely not in Baghdad. This was while coalition troops were actually across the street from where Bob was broadcasting. We cannot know everything personally. We must receive information from outside sources. Examine the character of those you choose to believe and the results of the belief system in which you choose to have faith. Don’t be afraid of faith just be sure your faith is well placed; the Creator is not shocked by your questions and doubts. He has answers. And He gave evidence of His trustworthy character by providing the gift of His Son. By the way, Sister and the Baptist girl got along okay. In fact, she invited my Baptist pastor to give the message at the graduation of our class. But in this she was sorely tested. My pastor had not come to understand the nuances of difference in the titles given to health care professionals and referred to the graduating classes as nurses. I’m not sure Sister ever forgave him for that. About 1970, I wrote an article for the Focal Spot to commemorate Sister’s Golden Jubilee … 50 years as a member of the Order of Saint Francis. She was already living at the Order’s house in Colorado and so some time elapsed before she got a copy of the piece. She took the time to write me a note in response to that piece. This is what she had to say. November 7, 1979 God love you! My dear Connie Such a surprise in that Focal Spot… 1970 … I never learnt of such a paper. You and Marge (God help her in her illness) – must have studied my history. Your keen observances as a student so many years ago really astonished me and reading … I at times laughed to myself. I shall have some copies made for my English-speaking relatives, so they know I did my duties in America. Just now I received this lovely stationery as thanksgiving from Beth and “Dr. ____” Such in the article made me chuckle. My sister, a widow, two nieces and a nephew spent 16 days here, celebrating and touring with me. God be praised! I am enjoying my retirement. Every season here has the wonderful God’s nature. And now much of my time is pleasantly devoted to prayer, singing and meditation. All my “dear friends” I close then and ask God’s blessings for. Still a FASRT and Member Emeritus, I receive all notices and journals. We have two in the novitiate who are RT’s and they enjoy recreation with me. Dear Connie, I hope your family is well, and I know you enjoy your professional duties. May our dear Lord be always at your side and in your mind. With hearty greetings and thanks I remain, Your friend Sr. M Francis Salesia, OSF PS Greetings and love to all techs in Nebraska – specially in Lincoln