Yvette Van Wyk, Online Bachelor’s in Radiologic Sciences Graduate
Yvette Van Wyk was working as a hospital-based MRI technologist when she decided it was time to earn her bachelor’s in radiology. At the time, she served with 10 other techs on her team. Many already held their degrees, and that number only seemed to be increasing. She had her associate degree and 20 years of experience, but she was worried her skills might be overlooked in her industry. Her plan was to keep up and move up. She saw the opportunity to succeed at both at ADU.
“The reason I chose to earn my bachelor’s in radiology — as opposed to having a bachelor’s in business management or business administration — is that I was excited that ADU’s degree pertained directly to my field,” Yvette said. “These were classes that could actually help me, as opposed to taking classes just to get a degree. I was excited at the opportunity to get a degree in my field. These classes can actually help me advance my career.”
Learning online is liberating
Yvette did not know what to expect when she enrolled at ADU as it had been 20 years since her last degree. However, she overcame her doubts quickly once classes began.
“I just decided finally it was time, and I took the plunge and went back to school,” Yvette said. “It’s very liberating. It’s very exciting.”
It helped that Yvette found the support she needed while earning her radiology degree. She credits her online student manager Darlene Pittman for helping her stay motivated and focused.
“She was pretty much my mentor,” she said. “Any time I had a question, no matter how small or big it was, she was always available, whether it was by phone or email. It kind of felt like she was my godmother. She just walked me through the program.”
Advancing as a technologist and caregiver
That caring mentorship extended to Yvette’s experience with ADU faculty and additional support staff.
“I definitely felt that the faculty was very accessible,” she said. “Any time that I needed to get in touch with them, whether it was the IT department, my student advisor, or my financial aid advisor, they were always available. ADU definitely made me feel like a person, like I was important.”
The faith-based courses also helped her advance her skills, both as a technologist and caregiver.
“It just broadened my horizons a little bit and made me understand why people are the way they are,” Yvette said. “It has helped day-to-day work.” She added, “It definitely helped me deal with my co-workers and patients as well.”
Qualifying for multiple job opportunities
Yvette used her online bachelor’s in radiology to improve in her current imaging work. It also helped remove some of her doubts about the future.
“When I first joined, I hadn’t been to college in 20 years,” she said. “I was scared to death. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know about financial aid. I didn’t know about how I was going to pay for it. ADU explained every step of the way and took away that fear and hesitancy.”
Now she aspires to advanced roles that her radiology degree newly qualifies her to fill.
“I definitely feel that the degree has helped with my career aspirations,” Yvette said. “In order to move up with the company that I work with, they require a degree to get into any kind of supervisor/management or director role.” She continued, “I’ve had three interviews with a major medical technology company, and they require a bachelor’s degree. They previously would not have even looked at me, but I’ve already had three interviews.”
