Margaret Bollen is pictured standing in a suite at Kingston General Hospital. She has auburn hair, blue eye hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing a dark navy suit and white top. She’s chatting with physician and a medical radiation technologist.
Margaret Bollen may have become a medical radiation technologist by chance, but it didn’t take long for her to fall in love with the field. 40 years later, she’s now an X-ray radiation safety specialist and setting up the next generation for success.
Credit
Matthew Manor

Margaret Bollen and X-ray safety go hand in hand.

No really, the X-ray radiation safety specialist has been with Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) for more than 40 years.

A medical radiation technologist by trade, she found her calling by surprise.

“It was actually by accident,” grins Bollen.

“I knew I wanted to work in health care and I actually wanted to become a nurse, but there was a two year wait. The X-ray school had an immediate opening and I soon realized this was a better fit for me. I was drawn to the technology and I fell in love with it.”

Margaret Bollen is pictured standing in a hallway at Kingston General Hospital. She has auburn hair, blue eye hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing a dark navy suit and white top, and is looking directly into the camera.
Bollen says the ever-evolving nature of the field and innovative technology continues to excite her four decades later, and keeps her inspired at KHSC.

As someone who embraces change, Bollen says it’s magnetizing to see all the advancements in the field.  

“It’s exciting! The changes come in leaps and bounds. We’ve gone from working with fluorescent screens through red goggles, which was the first neuroimaging equipment I worked with, to digital detectors with high definition TV screens.

“The evolution from a diagnostic department to actual treatments like vascular procedures, valve implantations and stroke patients has been an amazing journey for me.”

Get this, when Bollen joined KHSC four decades ago there were about 50 people in her department, now there’s more than 200!

Together, they performed more than 260,000 imaging exams last fiscal year.

And behind the scenes keeping everyone safe is Bollen.

Margaret Bollen is pictured standing in a suite at Kingston General Hospital, next to a piece of equipment. She has auburn hair, blue eye hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing a dark navy suit and white top. She’s chatting with a medical radiation technologist.
Bollen’s expertise is also called on for the acquisition of new equipment at KHSC. She’s involved from start to finish, including during the construction, installation and setup phases.

“Medical radiation technologists are at the heart of diagnostics. When you start your journey at the hospital, it’s likely you’ll have an X-ray or imaging procedure done. My role is to ensure all patients, families and staff are safe and feel protected, and all legislation is met.

“I make sure the protective equipment staff must use fits properly and affords the best protection. Dosimeters are issued to everyone who works around X-ray equipment and I monitor the readings. I make sure staff are fully trained and provide continuing education.

“We protect patients using the ALARA principle, which assures the radiation they get is ‘as low as reasonably achievable.’ For instance, we developed pediatric lead aprons with assistance from a vendor, which fit and protect our smallest patients.”

Margaret Bollen is pictured standing in a suite at Kingston General Hospital. She has auburn hair, blue eye hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing a dark navy suit and white top. She’s standing next to a medical radiation technologist.
Bollen says there’s a lot of aspects of her role she adores including the challenges of licensing, working alongside different ministries and of course, teaching and interacting with her colleagues.

We told you, when it comes to safety Bollen doesn’t mess around and this article only scratches the surface of everything she does.

“I love my job and I’m proud of what I do. We’ve had commendations for our superb safety program from vendors and regulators, and it is satisfying when other organizations learn what we do and come to us to help them achieve their goals.”

She may have joined the field by chance, but all her hard work throughout the decades has made a lasting impact at KHSC and we’re incredibly fortunate to have her on our team!

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