Meet Allison Rose!
Allison Rose standing in front of an ultrasound machine, holding a sign from Sonography Canada that says, “We aren’t picture-takers,’ we’re INVESTIGATORS.”
Tiny HeartsCan is proud to welcome Allison Rose to our team, joining our board in the role of Secretary! We asked Allison;
What made you decide to get involved with Tiny HeartsCan?
”I started my sonography journey in 2013 at NAIT. During my practicum year rotating in the hospitals and clinics, I did not immediately fall in love with obstetrical scanning. Building fetal imaging skills was tough! Suddenly I was expected to image a rolling, kicking, moving target – very different from interrogating the stationary organs I was used to.
Near the end of that year and into my first year of work, obstetrics became my passion. It is unlike any other scan that we do, and its challenges drove my ambitions. After attending a fetal imaging conference that educated sonographers on fetal cardiac scanning, my mind was opened to the depths and intricacies of fetal cardiac scanning. I became eager to enhance my learning beyond the knowledge I gained in school, and to then pass these teachings onto the students I worked with.
When I was shown Amy’s [son’s] case [at my place of work], I began utilizing it as a teaching tool for students. It is an excellent example of why fetal screeners must have a thorough understanding of fetal cardiac imaging in order to do their jobs well. In 2022, Amy presented her talk at the Sonography Canada national conference. Before the conference, I wasn’t aware that Amy was an advocate for fetal heart screening so I was eager to connect with her. I felt that we were fighting the same fight.
In June 2023 I attended the WeCan Fetal Imaging conference [funded] by Tiny Hearts Can and met Amy in person. The conference was a huge success! Seeing what a difference she had made in less than a year of forming the organization, I realized that I wanted to get involved in this cause. The 18-22 week scan is the one of the first most important medical exams for a growing baby. There are a lot of misconceptions about this exam, and I think that what Amy has started is a much-needed step in the right direction!
I strive to hone my skills as a fetal cardiac screener, and I wish to help other sonographers achieve this goal as well. Being a part of the Tiny Hearts Can team is an honour, and I am excited to see what we can achieve in the coming years.”
The WeCAN Fetal Heart Screen symposium recordings and CME credits are free and available to rewatch.
