The Snob-ographer
Reality or Urban Legend?
By Harry H. Holdorf
The true snob never rests; there is always a higher goal to attain, and there are, by the same token, always more and more people to look down upon.– Russell Lynes
Back in the late 80s, I was working as a full time sonographer in a very successful Medical Center. As I happened to do on occasion, I would lumber into the Ctscan technologist’s office and shoot the breeze with CT tech John (let’s call him John). He would invariably ask me how my fellow Snob-ographers were (the two gals in my Sonography department). I didn’t take this as an insult, for the way he phrased this was to always tag, “Present Company accepted”.
Do sonographers have the same job expectations than say, a Physical or Occupational Therapist? Do we tend to care more about our personal advancement rather than the advancement of the profession? Do we kind of come across as arrogant?
I tell my students that they need a touch of arrogance when they scan. They need to say to themselves “I can do this. I can get this image no matter what.” But I also tell them not to over-do it.
So what exactly IS a snob? My guess is a snob is a person with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth. They seek to associate with social superiors and usually dislike people or activities regarded as lower-class. Is that about right? Is that what a snob is?
Are snobs those who claims to be of higher intelligence than others, understands the finer things in life, and generally deems themselves as higher being than most others; they often refer to the 'lesser beings' as peasant or philistines?
How about a person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people? Yup, that sounds about right.
Snobs typically make others uncomfortable by insisting on their specific set of rules, which may or may not be appropriate.
Snobs put others down by excluding them from events for arbitrary reasons, such as lack of money or social status.
But, are Snobs often phony and try to make others think more highly of them than they deserve?
Yup, that sounds about right too.
So, can someone be in healthcare and actually be a snob? Don’t we all have to work together to deliver the best quality patient care that we can?
I’ll try to soften the Sonographer’s position:
Is it possible that sonographers are just misunderstood?
I know we have a reputation that is not so flattering, but I guess we owe it to just being private persons. We don't mean anyone harm, and we’re not being mean. So yeah, maybe we are perceived as snobbish.
Sonographers need to have self-confidence: not to be confused with Snobbish behavior.
Passive aggressive? No way. Straight to the point? Way!
The profession requires good judgment and the ability to provide appropriate healthcare services.
Sonographers are highly skilled professionals, who need to possess the ability to work independently, make decisions that could affect a patient’s health, and be able to work under pressure with associated time constraints.
They need to use discretion in the performance of non-invasive and invasive exams, and have the ability to recall an abundance of information to suggest a diagnosis or further evaluation.
Sonographers provide the physician with the appropriate history, anatomic, pathologic, and physiologic data to arrive at this diagnosis.
The exam results are 100% dependent on the sonographer’s ability to obtain the appropriate images.
The sonographer is solely responsible for obtaining the images that will demonstrate pathologic findings, since the machine does not automatically acquire images.
Typically, the sonographer is the only medical imaging professional that is in direct contact with the patient. So in-depth medical knowledge, as well as professionalism, are key to a positive patient experience.
A thorough understanding of physics, anatomy, physiology, pathology, and cross-sectional anatomy is necessary to acquire competency in the field, which is demonstrated by the completion of national registry exams.
On top of all of the things we need to know, there are a lot of cool things a sonographer gets to do:
- Talk directly with their patients
- Works with new equipment
- They’re the first to see the images and thus, pretty much knows the diagnosis
- They can deliver some news in regards to Obstetrical Exams
- They get to work hand in hand with the doctors
- They can analyze the images
- They maintain their own records
In defense of snobs everywhere: It is hard in today’s society not to be a snob at one point in your life: professionally or personally.
So, I’ll come clean…
I’m a snob-ographer.
I make snap judgements based on subtle clues. Most details have taken me years to cultivate.
I am highly discerning in how I provide my special kind of healthcare.
The term actually describes a person who considers themselves a connoisseur. And, quite frankly, I like that.
A true snob should be kind of smart. Smart in that you should know when and whom you can direct your snobbishness.
Sonographers will never direct their snobbery towards their patients nor the referring physician.
Everyone else, I guess, is fair game. So be it…
Yes, all healthcare jobs are tough. They have their own ebb and flow. They require certain registrations, criteria, and qualifications…
But, sonographers are a pretty independent lot. We tend to think of ourselves as an island: no one comes to visit unless invited. That sort of thing.
In order to acquire a growing and lasting respect in healthcare, it is a good thing if you possess great talent, and to give a very hard kick to the right shin of society, letting them know that you love your profession. After that, be a snob.
So, when a sonographer is called out…say for their stand-off-ish behavior, they tend to relish it.
QUESTION: Is there such a thing as a SNOB-OGRAPHER?
ANSWER: Yes! And if you want quality patient care, you want one working with/for you.