“Going from full-time patient to health care worker made me a better sonographer"
  • 26 days ago
A woman who went from full-time patient to health care worker says her experiences made her a “better” sonographer.

Jackie Penn, 31, spent eight years of her life in and out of hospital battling several autoimmune diseases.

She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease aged 13 after experiencing stomach issues.

Jackie was then diagnosed with bronchiectasis aged 15 – a long-term condition that can make the lungs more vulnerable to infection – and was constantly being admitted to hospital with pneumonia.

After finally finding the drugs which could help keep her conditions under control Jackie felt inspired to go back to school to retrain as a sonographer.

She experienced a mixture of good and bad bedside manner as a patient and wanted to make a difference to how people are treated.

Jackie, a sonographer, from Los Angeles, California, US, said: “From aged 13 to 21 I spent a lot of time in and out of hospital.

“What was happening to my body was traumatic.

“Sometimes people don’t treat you like a human.

“I thought ‘I can do better than that’.

“There has to be a better way to treat patients.

“My goal is to have people leave happier than when they came in.

“I feel I can relate to a patient and it makes them feel relaxed.

“I’m a better healthcare professional because of my experience.”

Jackie struggled with a loss of appetite as a child and noticed blood in her poo.

She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease aged 13 and was fitted with a colostomy bag aged 21.

She also struggled with her breathing and constant illness as a child and was diagnosed with bronchiectasis aged 15.

Jackie spent the next eight years in and out of hospital while doctors worked to find a drug that helped ease both her conditions.

She remembers the positive and negative experiences she had with healthcare professionals and their bedside manner.

Jackie said: “One nurse came in and tried to move me around after I had surgery to remove my intestines.

“I said ‘what are you doing?’ and they ignored me.

“Once a nurse was chewing gum. It’s pretty unprofessional.

“You feel like you’re vulnerable.”

When Jackie had her colostomy reversed in May 2017 she decided she wanted to go back to school to go into a medical profession.

She left her photography job and started ultrasound tech school in January 2021 – after working out she wanted to go into sonography.

Jackie said: “I did a lot of shadowing.

“I found I really enjoyed ultrasound tech.

“I felt like a detective.”

Jackie graduated and started her job as a sonographer in July 2022.