How One Radiologic Technologist Is Building the Future of Medical Imaging, One Storytime at a Time
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January 31, 2026 at 10:30 AM, something remarkable will happen at Thompson Public Library in Canada.
A group of elementary students will gather for storytime. They'll sit cross-legged on the floor, eyes wide with curiosity, ready to hear a story about healthcare careers for kids they've never considered.
But this isn't just any storytime.
Jenna, a medical imaging technologist, will read "Rachel the Radiographer" to those kids showing them what diagnostic imaging careers actually look like.
By the end of that session, those children will know about a career that's been invisible to them their entire lives.
And some of them, maybe just one or two will remember. They'll get curious. They'll ask questions. And years from now, they might become the radiologic technologists we desperately need.
The Career Education Gap No One Talks About
We're teaching kids about careers that haven't changed in 50 years while ignoring the third largest medical profession in the nation.
Most career education stops at doctors and nurses.
Children's books reinforce this narrow view. When kids see healthcare workers in stories, they see stethoscopes and scrubs. They see the same two professions over and over.
But healthcare has evolved. And we're leaving an entire generation in the dark about the possibilities within medical imaging careers.
As a medical imaging professional with over 20 years in the field, I've watched this gap my entire career. Kids don't know we exist. They can't dream about careers they've never seen.
When I was a kid, I didn't even know radiologic technologists (medical imaging and radiation therapy) was a career option. I stumbled into this profession by accident, not by design.
The radiology and imaging career path remains one of the best-kept secrets in healthcare. With opportunities in radiography careers, CT, MRI, mammography, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine and more, medical imaging offers diverse specializations and strong job security. Yet most students never hear about these options until college, if they hear about them at all.
How many potential medical imaging and radiation therapists are we losing because they never knew we existed?
Why Jenna's Work Matters
Jenna isn't just doing a cute library event tomorrow. She's doing strategic workforce development for healthcare careers.
Her goal is clear: teach young children about medical imaging and hopefully inspire future MRTs (Medical Radiation Technologists).
This is the long game. The work that actually moves the needle in radiologic technology education.
Career awareness at age 7 becomes career consideration at 17. When we introduce medical imaging careers early, we plant seeds that grow over time.
Libraries are the perfect space for this work. Kids show up curious. They're already learning. They're open to possibilities they've never considered.
When professionals like Jenna bring "Rachel the Radiographer" into these spaces, they're not just reading a story. They're opening doors to an entire field of diagnostic imaging careers that's been invisible.
The Ripple Effect of One Storytime
Tomorrow's event was promoted by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists. That means it has visibility. Parents will see it. Educators will notice. Other radiologic technologists will pay attention.
One storytime creates a ripple effect.
Some of those kids will go home and tell their parents what they learned about becoming a radiation therapist or radiologic technologist. Some will remember Rachel when they're choosing high school electives. Some will consider the radiology career path when they're exploring college programs.
And beyond the kids, the adults in the room matter too. Parents, librarians, educators they're learning that medical imaging careers exist. They're seeing radiography careers as viable options. They're adding diagnostic imaging to their mental database of healthcare careers for kids to explore.
This is how we change the narrative around STEM careers for children in healthcare.
Your Classroom. Your Library. Your Learning Center.
Jenna is doing this work in Canada at Thompson Public Library. But this could happen anywhere.
Every library has storytime. Every school has career days. Every learning center has opportunities to introduce kids to new possibilities in medical imaging careers.
Medical imaging is the third largest medical profession in the nation, yet it's invisible to children. We can change that.
If you're an educator, bring "Rachel the Radiographer" into your classroom. Use it during career week. It's one of the few children's books about healthcare careers that goes beyond doctors and nurses, introducing students to radiologic technology education and the exciting world of medical imaging.
If you're a librarian, add it to your collection. Feature it during STEM storytimes. Invite local radiologic technologists to be guest readers and talk about their radiology career path.
If you're a radiologic technologist, show up in your community. Read at your local library. Visit schools. Make yourself visible. Share what it's like to work in radiography careers or diagnostic imaging.
If you're a parent, introduce your kids to careers beyond the obvious. Show them the full picture of what's possible in healthcare and STEM, including opportunities as radiation therapist, nuclear medicine technologist, CT technologists, and MRI specialists.
Why Medical Imaging Needs Early Career Awareness
The demand for radiologic technologists and other imaging professionals continues to grow. As baby boomers age and technology advances, healthcare systems need more qualified medical imaging professionals.
But we can't recruit what kids don't know exists.
Early exposure to radiography careers through children's books about healthcare careers, school visits, and community events creates a pipeline of interested students who can pursue radiologic technology education with intention, not by accident.
When we introduce the radiology career path in elementary school, we give students years to explore their interest. They can take relevant science classes. They can shadow professionals. They can make informed decisions about their future.
Without early awareness, we lose potential talent to other fields simply because those careers were more visible.
This Is How We Build the Future
We can't solve the workforce shortage in medical imaging careers with recruitment campaigns alone. We need to start earlier.
We need to make diagnostic imaging careers visible to children before they've already decided what they want to be.
We need more professionals like Jenna who understand that advocacy for healthcare careers for kids starts in libraries, classrooms, and community spaces where kids are already learning.
Every storytime is a chance to expand their world. Every book placement is an investment in our profession's future. Every conversation about radiography careers plants a seed.
- What if more medical imaging technologists showed up in their local libraries to introduce the radiology career path?
- What if every children's hospital had "Rachel the Radiographer" in their waiting rooms?
- What if career education included the third largest medical profession in the nation?
- What if we made radiologic technology education as visible as nursing or medical school?
January 31, 2026, Jenna is making that happen for one group of kids in Canada.
The question is: who's next?
Take Action Today
The future of medical imaging careers starts with visibility. Start with making radiologic technologists visible to the children in your community.
Whether you're an educator looking for children's books about healthcare careers, a librarian planning STEM programming, a radiologic technologists (medical imaging adn radiation therapist) wanting to give back, or a parent exploring career options with your kids, "Rachel the Radiographer" is a tool for opening doors.
Because the future of our profession starts with making ourselves visible today.
And career awareness at age 7 becomes career consideration at 17.
Ready to bring Rachel to your community? Order your copy and start introducing kids to the world of medical imaging, radiography careers, and diagnostic imaging. Help the next generation discover the radiology career path they never knew existed.