When it comes to finding the right career, your dream job might just take you by surprise. Laureen “Laurie” Pilla has been a radiologic technologist for 32 years and a mammographic technician for 30 years, but it wasn’t an option she was even aware of when she began her professional life.
“I always joke about it being a series of unfortunate events that led me to look into what career I might want to go into. I actually took some courses to find out what I would qualify for with the Kankakee Valley Job Training Program in Portage years ago,” said Pilla. “I took a Harrington-O'Shea test, and one of my results was radiologic technologist.”
After discussing with a family friend who was a radiologic technologist, Pilla decided to attend college with the help of the Kankakee Valley Job Training Program. She attended Indiana University (IU) Northwest for her associate’s degree and began working with Methodist Hospitals as an extern. After finishing her student training, Pilla was hired by Methodist.
“Methodist hired all eight of the externs that were working there that semester,” Pilla said. “That was my first job here at the Southlake Campus, and I've never left.”
Now, Pilla works with the Northwest Indiana Breast Care Center at Methodist Hospitals, a specialty facility focused on providing high-quality care for breast health. As a mammographic technician, Pilla works directly with patients on a daily basis.
“We perform bone densities to check for osteoporosis where we scan the hip and lower back. I also perform mammograms on patients,” she said. “Mammograms on all different types of patients and the bone densities are my main responsibilities.”
While Pilla didn’t always want to be a radiologic technologist, she’s found a home at the Breast Care Center. Being able to help people, especially in moments when they feel vulnerable, is Pilla’s calling.
“I stayed because I really enjoy people,” she said. “I enjoy feeling like I'm helping people. I can be dead tired in the morning when I go to get my first patient, but as soon as we start talking, I perk up. It just brings me alive.”
Going in for a mammogram can be stressful and scary. In decades previous, the process has been seen as painful, and that keeps many in need of mammograms away. Pilla assures all her patients that, with the advancement of technology, getting a mammogram has never been as quick and literally painless as it is at the Breast Care Center.
“A lot of people come in, and they're scared to death if they've never had a mammogram,” Pilla said. “They think that they're going to be in severe pain; all they can think about is how we're going to squeeze really tight and not care how they feel, which isn’t true. Now that we have digital and 3D imaging technology, the breast tissue doesn't look nearly as dense and thick, and the technology itself can see through that breast tissue so much better. It's not like it used to be, and patients are pleasantly surprised that it's not what they thought.”
Pilla also emphasized how important getting a mammogram is. Catching any cancer early means getting treatment sooner and a better chance at a positive prognosis.
“My goal is to continue to encourage women to take care of themselves and get their yearly mammograms. Early detection is truly the best protection. I’ve seen it firsthand,” she said. “I lost my best friend and my sister-in-law to breast cancer in the last four years. As women, we take care of our families and often neglect our own physical and emotional care. I want to encourage women any way I can, and I want them to know they are worth it! We need to support each other; I want my patients to have a pleasant experience at our center and know that we truly care and are here to help.”
The Northwest Indiana Breast Care Center at Methodist Hospitals offers personalized, high-quality breast health evaluations in a private, welcoming environment. To learn more about the services it provides or to schedule an appointment, visit methodisthospitals.org/services/breast-care-center-at-methodist-hospitals.