Alumni Feature - Sarah Kuczek '18

Sarah Kuczek ’18 career can change the lives of more than a dozen people per day. Some she tells their cancer has returned; if their unborn child is gaining weight; if mom’s body is handling pregnancy well. It is a career that is both exciting and daunting at the same time, but one that she loves.

Sarah is an OBGYN sonographer at Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group. She is also qualified to assist with sonohysterogram and endometrial biopsies. She graduated from Lewis with her bachelor's in Diagnostic Medical Sonography with honors in 2018. 

Sarah says sonography blended her love of many things, including people, technology, and anatomy, and allows her to give her patients the help they need – similar to what she experienced herself early on in her life.

“When I was younger, I had an echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart. I also had ultrasounds when I was pregnant at 16. That pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage; however, that experience only made my passion for sonography that much stronger.”

On any given day in the early morning hours, Sarah is preparing for her nine hour shift, carefully checking the histories’ and medical files of each patient expected to enter through her doors. She also checks her room, her supplies, and any small details to gear up for exams. Preparation is just one step in the process; then come the patients.

“I typically have anywhere from eight to 15 patients, depending on the exam type. I perform obstetrical ultrasounds where I do early dating ultrasounds, 20-week anatomy scans, third-trimester growth scans, etc. These typically require more time than a pelvic ultrasound, which evaluates the uterus, endometrium, and ovaries. All the OB ultrasounds I perform are read by Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Central DuPage Hospital and all the pelvic ultrasounds are read by attending doctors located in downtown Chicago. I work with many talented and educated doctors because of this.”

At the end of each exam, Sarah creates a report with results, measurements, and her impressions to the doctor handling the case. In essence, Sarah says, she spends most of her day in a dark room, scanning, interacting with patients and other medical professionals, writing reports.

But what makes this job not so dark for Sarah is the human connection she feels in her work.

“Every day is rewarding for me. Every patient I am in contact with reminds me of how rewarding my job is. I diagnose pathologies, find cancer, discover pathologies with their babies. I have even had patients bring me flowers, give me Starbucks and Panera gift cards. But those are just things. The most rewarding is the sigh of relief knowing that the cancer is gone another year. Or that their baby is gaining weight. There is a heartbeat today. That is the most rewarding.”

With her career just beginning, Sarah says her main focus right now is perfecting her sonography skills and getting more settled in. She’s already growing into her position by working on employee scheduling, working on medical English-Spanish translation manuals, and creating an ultrasound reference guide, but it’s not out of the question to explore becoming a Lead Sonographer or returning to school to become a physician’s assistant.

When Sarah is not at work, she spends time with her fiancé and their dog they recently rescued in their new home!

“We enjoy going on adventures and having new experiences with our newest member of the family…we are spending most weekends fixing up the yard, painting, and making it a home for us.”

No matter where life takes her, Sarah says, she is thankful for the experience she had at Lewis.

“I am grateful to the university for allowing me to successfully move towards my goal of becoming a sonographer. I am especially grateful for all my wonderful professors, such as Dr. Zimmer, who was also my advisor. She was very flexible and understanding and made sure I was on the right track.”