Samantha Womack ’16

Number 48, December 1, 2015

Samantha Womack ’16 is a detective of sorts. She studies bones.

“Bones are fascinating. They can tell you a lot about a person’s health and what is going on in the body,” she explained. “That’s why I chose radiologic science as my major and healthcare career choice.”

The 2012 graduate of Camden County High School worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.) at Magnolia Manor in St. Marys during her high school years, dispensing patient care but not medications. “I was the TLC,” she laughed. “That’s one of the reasons I like working in radiology – the patient interaction.”

After graduation, she began her core college classwork just down the street from the high school, at the Camden Center. Her original objective was the nursing program, but during her sophomore year she learned more about the radiologic technology program and made the switch.

“I love the program. It’s hard and it requires discipline, but it offers so many options,” said the HOPE scholarship recipient, who maintains a GPA above 3.5. “There’s always a job in any medical field and with my husband in the Navy, I wanted a portable profession.” Her husband is currently assigned to the Kings Bay naval base.

Womack plans to obtain her x-ray technologist certification and then develop her practice specialization. Possibilities she listed include nuclear medicine (radiation therapy and PET scans, for example), MRI, OB/GYN (ultrasound), and even live imagery in operating rooms for surgeons.

“Radiation technology is not just about broken bones,” she emphasized. “More time is spent in diagnosis than in treatment. Because X-rays can reveal what’s going on, the challenges include positioning and determining how much radiation to use. That’s why I think of it as solving a mystery.”