Brittni McKane

Clinical Practicum II
8/2/2022
Professional Service Project:
Volunteer with AAMD Career Services Committee
The American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) has several committees in
which medical dosimetrists and medical dosimetry student members can volunteer. I had the
opportunity to volunteer for the Career Services Committee. This committee is charged with
developing new strategic planning initiatives, promoting committee-developed member tools,
collaborating with corporate members or other professionals to provide webinars on resume
writing and interview skills, recruit professionals to write articles on professional development,
and lastly work with AAMD headquarters to reach out to corporate partners who can help with
career-related information. I was one of two student members on the committee. I joined in May
2022 and began attending monthly meetings. Monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of
each month to discuss current project status, upcoming deadlines, and brainstorming new topics
or projects to benefit AAMD members. The committee includes two Co-Chairs, seven other
medical dosimetrist members, one board liaison, and one staff liaison.
Participation in professional committees such as this are important. They provide benefits
to fellow members of the association and profession but provide personal opportunities as well.
Individuals have the opportunity to network with other committee members as well as make
other professional contacts. This is especially beneficial for students. It can be somewhat
intimidating to join a committee of senior members of ones future profession and feel that they
have anything beneficial to offer. This provides an opportunity for personal growth to participate
in such a committee, venture outside ones comfort zone, and provide insight as a student
member.
The committee had several projects already in progress when I joined. Many of which
have required additional review and work during the monthly conference call. This has been one
of my main tasks with the committee thus far by providing feedback on these current projects.
Some of these projects include the review of questions for an upcoming salary survey, question
review for a panel discussion on medical dosimetry and education, and reviewing an article
discussing a recent graduate’s interview experience. The previous chair of the committee
stepping down in June coupled with the annual AAMD conference, resulted in a slight slowdown
into the starting of new projects. However, as many of the current projects are nearing
completion, I am hoping to be able to provide more than just feedback and take on a larger role
in an upcoming initiative.
This is my first experience volunteering for a professional organization. I honestly did not
know what to expect and did not realize how much goes on behind the scenes. It has been
enlightening to see the work that goes into providing articles and services to members of a
national association. I could not help but think of the black box processes discussed in the
computers and networking course. Many of the benefits available to members of a national
association could fall into a black box process; we may not know how they are done, but we
appreciate the result as members. With the shift form a single chair to co-chairs, there have been
discussions each meeting taking a closer look at the purpose of this committee and what goals it
is looking to accomplish. Many of these go beyond what the AAMD board of directors have
charged the committee. There have been many insightful discussions looking at how we can help
advance the profession, what can we provide so that individuals can reach their goals (whatever
those may be), and the overall future of the profession. It is groups like these and those volunteer
members being willing to sacrifice their time that are bettering the profession for all. I look
forward to being able to continue to volunteer with this committee as it will not only help the
profession but will also benefit me personally through networking with other professionals and
providing opportunities for new experiences.
Image of welcome email to the Career Services Committee
Image from virtual July monthly meeting and portion of agenda