Interview with Neena Kanwar, March 15, 2004
TIMT Nuclear Medicine Grad (1981), President & Founder, KMH Diagnostic Clinics, President & Founder, Independent Diagnostic Clinics Association

Where do you work and what does your job entail?

The head office for KMH is in Mississauga and currently my job is that of an administrator. I'm the President of KMH.

KMH started off doing nuclear cardiology but now we do nuclear medicine cardiology as well as cardiology, and more recently MRI.

Why did you start your own business?

I wanted to work for myself. I wanted something more challenging. The waiting periods for testing were (and still are) quite long so I wanted to make a difference there.

My dad had a heart attack, so I got involved in getting the testing done and I actually did his thallium scan. I swore I would never do a family member again - it's too hard.

Why did you start IDCA?

In 1988 the government was having hearings on the Independent Health Facilities Act and it started off by just applying to ambulatory care facilities, and I believe in the third reading all of the diagnostic clinics got thrown into it. At that time the Act said that if you opened your business after 1988 or 1989 then you would be out of business, but anything before that was grandfathered. Two of my locations opened after 1988-89.

I wanted to know what I could do; I was sure there were other people in the same position. I talked to my lawyer and he suggested I start an association, so I started an association that was open to all Xray, Ultrasound and Nuclear Medicine - all diagnostic clinics - as well as the ambulatory care clinics.

Did it make a difference?

Yes, it made a difference. I made a presentation to the Standing Committee and asked to be involved in the regulations after the Act was proclaimed into law. So the IDCA basically took on the role of helping the government, along with the OMA (Ontario Medical Association) and the OHA (Ontario Hospital Association), in helping the government create the regulations that we're going to live with and make it more livable for everyone. And also help the clinics know what was required of them and how to work under the new rules.

What skills & experience would you, as an employer, look for in a Nuclear Medicine Technologist?

Quality of work and beside manner - how they treat patients.

This is health care so I want to be sure that the Technologists treat patients with respect and compassion for the situation that they find themselves in.

Quality is an absolute must. You must be good at giving needles. You're not allowed to miss!

How did Michener's Nuclear Medicine program prepare you for your career?

It was a good program. It taught me all about Nuclear Medicine and so I had the knowledge of what was needed to open up a Nuclear Medicine facility.

What do you see as the future direction in Nuclear Medicine careers?

If I had my say, PET - Positron Emission Tomography, would replace the gamma cameras. It's able to pick up greater detail compared to the gamma cameras we use now.

There are also new radiopharmaceuticals, which can be used for breast scans to detect lesions that would have required a biopsy.

I think there's a statistic out there that says by 2010 a lot of the Technologists are going to be retiring so there's going to be a huge demand for Technologists and administrators.

You need to know how things work and how to take care of patients before you move up into an administrative position. I think you always need to keep your hand in the patient care side of the work.

We were short staffed last year so I went back into scanning for a whole year and it's good to be able to do that. If you can do that once in a while then you can figure out better ways of doing things more efficiently as opposed to if you're completely removed from it.

Do you have any advice for students thinking about a career in Nuclear Medicine?

I think it's a good career if you enjoy patient interaction. I think the person that's suited for a nuclear medicine technology career would be someone who's compassionate and interested in patient care, because there is a lot of patient interaction. Also, you have to be interested in technology because this is state-of-the-art technology (indicates equipment in the clinic). You need to enjoy working with computers and with patients; if you do you'll enjoy the career.

Any last thoughts?

Life is what you make it. Make sure you do something you love doing. There are opportunities and possibilities out there you just have to find them.