ROBERT PIERCE

   • Leader & Times

Originally from South Dakota, Kelly Denton moved to Liberal in 1996 and began working as an X-ray technician that same year at Southwest Medical Center.

Now the director of the hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging department, Denton still does X-rays, as well as CT scans and mammography.

Denton said she got into the field because of a friend.

“I had a babysitter whose daughter was a radiology tech, and she leaned me into the field,” she said.

About 15 to 20 years ago, Denton also became involved with the Kansas Society of Radiology Technologists (KSRT). The society is now in its 90th year, and she said over the years, the organization’s focus has gone from radiology technicians to radiology technologists.

“Technologists are trained and certified to do radiology technology,” she said.

KSRT, Denton said, represents all technologists in the state to help promote good education for people performing imaging procedures.

Denton began her time with the society serving as the director at large, later serving as secretary and treasurer, and after stepping away from KSRT for a few years to build her house in Liberal, she came back to the society as the representative for Western Kansas.

As the western rep, Denton takes part in Zoom calls with other radiology department managers in the region to talk about, among other things, issues being seen in the industry.

“We share policies,” she said. “We share education, opportunities and work together. Especially in the rural areas, it’s difficult to find technologists. We try to help each other out the best we can.”

More recently, Denton became president elect of KSRT, and after spending a year in that role, she became the society’s president. At the society’s most recent convention, she ended that presidency and currently serves as the immediate past president and bylaws chair, and next year, she will serve as the chair of the society’s board.

As part of her role as western area rep, Denton also tries to work with schools in the region.

“We had a meeting last summer with Newman University and Fort Hays State University,” she said. “We invited Hutchinson Community College. They chose not to come. We sat down with those program directors and discussed the needs of Western Kansas, specifically how can we help them grow the program and get students into our rural facilities.”

Denton said KSRT members have been working hard to fix issues with licensing for radiology technologists in the state.

“Currently, our Kansas license has a clause in it,” she said. “In 2005, Kansas licensing came into effect. Before that, it was just a national license. We didn’t have a Kansas license, but now, we have both. There was a clause placed into that statute where a person could work under the direct supervision and take X-rays and get 12 hours of education, but not have formal training.”

Denton said she has greatly benefitted from her time with KSRT, growing as an X-ray tech and leader.

“I’ve learned lots of new things,” she said. “I’ve learned how to advocate for my profession and how to advocate for the technologists around the state.”

Denton said she is proud to have been even just a small part of the society’s 90-year history.

“It’s an honor to be a part of that, to help grow and help educate, especially educating the patients on their care to make sure they are advocating for themselves, to make sure they’re asking the people who are doing their imaging procedures ‘Are you licensed, and have you been educated to do this?’” she said. “They know they’re getting good studies.”

As far as SWMC’s Diagnostic Imaging department, Denton said the department does not have any equipment at this time.

“We’re still doing breast exams and breast biopsies,” she said. “We currently don’t have a radiologist who travels to Liberal, but we do have the general surgeons, Dr. Phan and Dr. Barron. They have picked up all those cases the radiologist was doing as far as breast biopsies, so we definitely still have all that stuff available for our patients.”

Denton said she would like people to know Diagnostic Imaging does have radiology services available at all times of day, including weekends.

“This department is staffed with a radiology tech 24/7,” she said. “On the weekend, we have somebody in the building at all times. That person typically knows CT scan at all times. Once in a while, we do have somebody in the building in the evening who doesn’t do CT scan, but somebody is on call.”

Denton said this typically happens when someone is on vacation or calls in sick.

“We have to do a quick backfill, but there is always somebody on call also for the CT scan and for the ultrasound,” she said. “We have 24/7, 365 X-ray, CT and ultrasound. It has been put out publicly that we don’t, and we do.”

Denton said this even includes providing services in the middle of the night, though she did say those services would be limited.

“It needs to be determined to be an emergency,” she said. “Sometimes, we will say we’re going to address the pain, address what’s immediately going on, and sometimes, they will schedule the ultrasound to come in the next morning versus having somebody come out in the middle of the night.”

At SWMC, Denton said doctors serve as radiologists, interpreting images, with the techs taking the images.

“We send all of our imaging now to Wichita Radiology,” she said. “The change we made recently was at the end of January, we moved to Wichita Radiology interpreting all of our images. Those are sent to Wichita to the same doctors who read at Wesley Medical Center, and they are read within 30 to 45 minutes in the evening. If it’s a routine study, it’s usually read within less than two days.”

Another exciting part of SWMC’s partnership with Wichita Radiology, Denton said breast imaging is read by the same providers working at Cypress Breast Center in Wichita.

“It’s like going to the breast center in Wichita, but you’re now doing it close to your home, not having to travel three and a half hours,” she said. “You’re getting the same care and the same reporting you get just as if you were going to Cypress. If a woman is coming in here with a problem with their breasts, we will do their exam, and the radiologist will speak to them via the phone after viewing their images and tell them the outcome and get them their results that day.”

Denton said studies take a little longer, and being at the hospital takes a little longer as well, though.

“We do have to electronically transmit all those images for them to see, but they will have results when leaving here,” she said.

As images are being transmitted and calls are being made to let physicians know about a study, Denton said additional time may be needed due to those doctors working on other procedures.

“As soon as they’re finished with the procedure there, they’ll come out, look at it and give us a call,” she said.

Denton said she has immensely enjoyed her time with KSRT.

“I’ve met a lot of new friends, a lot of new educators in the field, and I’ve learned a lot from there,” she said. “I feel I’m a better technologist and a better manager because of it.”

Even after working in the industry for 30 years, Denton said she is still learning about her work, and through the quarterly phone calls and e-mails she sees as western area rep for the society, she comes to find solutions other area technologists have for problems.

“It’s just a great collaboration of managers and technologists helping other people,” she said.

Denton said she would highly recommend SWMC’s Diagnostic Imaging to those needing to examine potential issues.

“I would come here 100 percent,” she said. “I would bring my family from South Dakota to be treated in my department. I have confidence in my techs. We do a wonderful job.”