Brittany Check

Clinical Practicum III

November 30, 2015
Professional Service Project
The American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) is a society supporting
education and professional involvement for medical dosimetrists across the country. This
organization coordinates national meetings, tracks continuing education credits, aids in
communication and networking, and provides information regarding professional development
opportunities. Within the last year, I have volunteered my time joining the AAMD Career
Services Committee. This committee is dedicated to giving AAMD members access to the best
resources for job searching and professional development. Currently through the Career Services
Committee, career information is available, jobs are posted, and interviews relating to
dosimetrists can be recorded by members for evaluation by the committee. The services are used
by student members to experienced dosimetrists and are a valuable part of the AAMD.
As a member of the AAMD Career Services Committee committee, I have participated in
meetings and projects to help AAMD members. For example, I have attended conference calls to
discuss how the committee can better serve its members. Recently, I have played a major role in
the committees project which is focused on completely renovating the landing page on the
AAMD website. For this project, I helped brainstorm improvement ideas by contacting my
classmates from the medical dosimetry program at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and
design a landing page layout. An example of a layout I provided is shown below.
Communication and generation of ideas is an important part of serving on the committee, as well
as providing useful content and resources for members.
Along with the aesthetic redesign of the landing page, the committee has been
concentrating on providing useful information and resources regarding career services for
AAMD members. As a part of this project I have selected several topics about which to research
and share information through web pages. More specifically, links that I am creating include EPortfolio, Standing Out as a New Graduate, and Salary Survey/Calculator. In the e-portfolio
section I am discussing why an e-portfolio is useful in medical dosimetry and how an e-portfolio
can be used in the field. In the section regarding new graduates I am discussing difficulties new
graduates face and how to increase the likelihood of being noticed and hired. In the salary survey

section I am sharing the AAMD salary and workforce surveys. As a part of this page, I hope to
include a salary calculator that allows member to get a salary range based off of their specific
background. The data is based off of the 25th and 75th percentile of the 2013 AAMD salary
survey. Users input their MDCB certification status, experience level, employment venue, and
more to receive an average of the 25th and 75th percentile salaries for respondents within those
categories. I am using Visual Basic to design the calculator and hope that it can be shared on the
website with the landing page update or begin with the new 2016 salary data. My working draft
of the salary calculator is included in a link below.
Volunteering for the Career Services Committee has been beneficial in many ways. It has
been educational to learn how the AAMD functions and how and why changes are made.
Additionally, providing content for the landing page has encouraged me to do research, connect
with others, and improve my computer skills. For my web page topics of E-Portfolio, Standing
Out as a New Graduate, and Salary Survey/Calculator, I have invested time to learn more about
these topics to help myself and others. Furthermore, working with other dosimetrists through
committees or meetings is also great way to network. As a new dosimetrist, this helps give me an
awareness of how dosimetrists interact, what is important to them, and provides me with people
to contact with professional inquiries. In the same manner, my name is known to other
professionals who may have questions or requests. For example, the Career Services Committee
members were contacted to provide input for the 2016 salary survey. Through participating in
one professional activity, I have chosen to participate in another and have the opportunity to gain
additional skills and professional acquaintances.
Overall, participating in the activities of the AAMD Career Services Committee has been
a very positive experience. Although I am currently a student member, I hope to continue my
membership after graduation as the AAMD Career Services landing page is rolled out. A link to
the current web page is included below. As mentioned previously, I am also continuing my
professional service by assisting with the 2016 salary survey. Through these activities, I have
gained experience with topics related to career services, professional societies, and the
importance of networking.

American Association of Medical Dosimetrists - Career Services

SalaryCalculator.xls
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