I Wouldn't Change a Thing

Jessica Wojcik’s ’14 passion for sonography is evident. “A friend’s daughter told me she might be interested in pursuing sonography, and I talked her ear off for half an hour,” she laughed. Her infectious passion for her career began in high school when she visited Mayo Clinic for the first time. 

“My grandpa was having testing there. I remember exactly where I was standing in Peace Plaza — looking around and seeing everyone in suits, white coats and scrubs. Everyone was walking around and on a mission. I remember taking it all in and turning to my mom and saying, ‘This is where I’m going to work someday.’ In my heart, I had never felt so called to a certain place. I knew Mayo Clinic in Rochester was where I wanted to train and start my career.”

During high school, Wojcik took advantage of the postsecondary enrollment option, taking college classes during her junior and senior years. One of these was a career class that allowed her to shadow different health professions, one of which was sonography. “At each shadowing opportunity I would always ask them, ‘If you could change one thing about your career, what would you change?’ I asked three different sonographers and they all said, ‘I wouldn’t change a thing.’ I remember thinking, wow, I want to be able to say that someday. I want to be in a career where I know I wouldn’t want to do anything else in my life. And that’s truly where I a m today.”

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

After her shadowing experience, Wojcik knew that she wanted to pursue sonography. A friend one year ahead of Wojcik in high school went to UMR, so she got to see her experience via social media. “I remember thinking what a cool place to go to school, and what a great way for me to find my career path at Mayo Clinic — to go to school at the University of Minnesota, a very reputable school, and still have access to the network of people at Mayo Clinic.” 

After a year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and experiencing a “massive college,” she made the transition to UMR. It was a welcome one. “At UMR everyone knows your face. People are so used to seeing each other in the common areas, classes, etc. You feel very seen at UMR,” said Wojcik. Feeling seen was something more than just a social experience, it extended through the entire academic experience as well. “With the smaller campus, you feel supported and not just a number. Whenever I needed guidance or my advisor to step in, they were there.” 

One major source of guidance came from her advisor, Parry Telander, now campus registrar. “UMR made it so easy for me to fulfill requirements for both the degree and certificate,” she explained. “The sonography certificate program credits counted toward my bachelor’s degree — they merged the two together. Parry worked with me to make sure I stayed on top of all of my requirements.” Wojcik graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Health Professions and a certificate in Diagnostic Medical Sonography from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences.

THE POWER OF UNPARALLELED TRAINING + UMR NETWORK

The training Wojcik received while at UMR and through the certificate program at Mayo Clinic put her on a path to success. “It was incredibly valuable to have access to different providers and experts in their fields. We got to meet patients, see and learn about various disorders and pathologies that you may never again see in your career. It was the perfect spot to start my career.” 

Wojcik’s career trajectory is one that she credits to her excellent training and the alumni network at UMR. “Having the network of alumni all with careers in health care has been such a benefit. I’m familiar with the careers in health care they’ve landed in, and I can reach out to them, previous instructors and teachers included. They are connected at Mayo Clinic and other health care institutions. You just don’t know when there may be a very valuable contact that you reconnect with in the future. That’s what happened for me — doors opened because of my contacts and network from UMR.”

AN UNEXPECTED CAREER PATH

After graduation, Wojcik worked as a sonographer at Mayo Clinic for a couple of years, honing her skills and expertise. She eventually moved to a smaller practice at Park Nicollet in the Twin Cities to be closer to family. With her training and experience at Mayo Clinic, she soon became a trusted resource for colleagues, especially when investigating more complex cases. “Because I had worked at Mayo Clinic and had so much experience scanning more complex exams and studies, I ended up training others at Park Nicollet and helped them with these harder studies that came through their practice, because they just didn’t scan them as often.” This experience training staff led her unexpectedly away from patient care. “I truly believed I would always be in patient care. I loved it,” she said. A colleague recommended her for a position with GE as a Clinical Applications Specialist, leading demonstrations and training providers on their ultrasound equipment. This new position opened her eyes to a whole new world outside of sonography, and all of the new and innovative ways that ultrasound is now being used. “It’s becoming a massive industry with lots of hand-held devices and small portable systems. It’s growing rapidly.”

Wojcik’s career continued to evolve, leading her to a position with Butterfly Ultrasound, a hand-held ultrasound startup company, where she continued to support and train physicians on the equipment. Her demonstrated success as a relationship builder made her a natural choice to transition into the sales team. From there, she joined Elevate Healthcare as a sales manager of their ultrasound products, with a twist: ultrasound products and simulation. “We have a simulator that is a mannequin torso. You can practice doing hundreds of different exams in a risk-free environment. This allows learners to take their time and really grasp content and technique. You can scan normal anatomy as well as over 250 pathologies, which allows you to scan a wide variety of different conditions that you may encounter as a sonographer or health care provider.” Training on a simulator is incredibly beneficial, she explained. “It really opens up the door for not only sonography students, but medical students, residents, fellows or even staff who want extra hands-on time to practice different, complex studies so that the first time they encounter these pathologies isn’t on a real, live patient.”

As the sales manager for all of Canada and the central United States, Wojcik travels quite a bit, which she enjoys. “I never imagined my career would look like this, but I’m so happy I listened to my gut that was pulling me to this career. I truly believe this is what I was meant to do.” 

A PATENTED NEW PATH

Today, outside of her sales manager position, but using the knowledge and experience from her career in sonography, Wojcik is working to develop a fertility tracking device that can track women’s cycles using ultrasound, which has never been done before. Her goal is to offer women a more accurate and precise way to predict their fertile window, which differs from the standard ovulation test strips and basal body temperature devices that are often used to track monthly cycles today. “I have a patent pending, and am working to further develop this product.” Her extensive knowledge of ultrasound equipment technology and artificial intelligence interface capabilities combined with her advocacy that women should know their bodies and what is happening with their cycle is a driving force for putting this information and technology directly into the hands of women. 

ADVICE FOR FUTURE HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS

“I always really encourage people to shadow and get a true sense of what their day-to-day career could be like. When people are considering careers, that is my biggest piece of advice.” And for education? “If you know health care is what you want to go into, I can’t think of a better spot than UMR, with Mayo Clinic right in your backyard.” 

Looking back over her education and career thus far, it seems fitting to ask the same question she did while shadowing years ago: If you could change one thing about your career, what would you change? “My career path has been an interesting one, and it’s wild because I never imagined I would be doing what I am doing today. I love it, I really do.”

Read more stories from the Fall 2024 Alumni Magazine: The Kettle.