At the end of the event, the RSNA presents five $1,000 scholarships to students who attended the previous year's career day. To be eligible for the scholarship, students must complete a 50-question test and write a 500-word essay demonstrating their understanding of radiology based upon knowledge gained from the test and from attending the career day. "We have the teachers give the test to the kids in their classes and we also have them collect the essays. The essays are forwarded to us and judged by our staff. The first year we did this we only had three kids take the test; now more than half take it," explained Taylor.

Selection Process
The students selected to attend must be enrolled in their junior year and identified by their instructors as having displayed an interest in pursuing a career in radiology or allied health sciences. The decision to take students in their junior year stemmed from the fact that people under the age of 16 are not allowed on the technical exhibit floor at the RSNA meeting. Also, since the tests and essays are written after attending the career day, the students receive the scholarship their senior year - a crucial time for making college and career decisions. The RSNA depends on the Chicago Board of Education to pick eight high schools out of the system's 96 choices, where students are college-bound and have strong science programs offering biology and physics. A teacher in one of these fields then selects his or her five best students to attend.

Hands-on Exercises
"One of the hands-on exercises we do is hide an olive in a turkey breast and have the kids use ultrasound to find it. We have 15 setups with ultrasound equipment and do a biopsy with the olive. The kids leave with an understanding of how radiology works," explained Taylor. The RSNA also provides each school's science department with a videotape of the day's key moments, which can be aired at on-campus science career days. Taylor also noted, "a shadowing program is in the works, where a student can shadow a radiologist for a day."

Budget
Taylor estimated the program's budget is "between $10,000 and $12,000 yearly." That covers scholarships, transportation, refreshments, and miscellaneous costs. "The event has become quite popular. The word is out and now we're fully subscribed," noted Taylor.

Inspired by the RSNA program, the Roentgen Society has been holding its own career day since 2004. Titled "Radiology: Giving Back to New York," the Roentgen's half-day program allows those involved in clinical radiological practice, research, and related professions to transmit their expertise to students interested in science or in allied healthcare as a career choice. A total of 60 New York City high school juniors (accompanied by a school chaperone, either a science teacher or guidance counselor) attend the April event, held in conjunction with the New York Roentgen Society's (NYRS) annual meeting.

Program and Eligibility
Jennifer Guido, program coordinator, department of radiology at Sloan Kettering Hospital, is one of the NYRS event's volunteer organizers. "We offer hands-on ultrasound demonstrations, interactive lectures from prominent academic radiologists as well as radiological technicians, nurses, hospital administrators, and other representatives of the medical imaging and scientific publication industries," she said.

As with the RSNA program, the NYRS program depends on the city's education department to identify 15 science-oriented schools. The schools are selected six months in advance. The science teacher or guidance counselor of each school then selects four students, based on eligibility criteria. To participate, a student must have a B grade point average or higher, be enrolled in his or her junior year, and display an interest in the sciences including medicine, basic science, or allied health sciences.

Awards
Unlike the RSNA program, which asks for essays and tests after the career day, NYRS asks students to submit an essay about radiology and their potential role in the field prior to the event.

"By February, the schools have faxed all their essays to us and then they are judged by staff and administration. A review committee judges the essays and awards are given to three winners and an honorable mention ($500, $300, $200, and two Honorable Mention Awards of $100 each).

The first-place essay is published in one of the Elsevier science e-journals. "If you receive first place for your essay, you get published on a prominent science publisher's Web site. It's a great boast for the kids," noted Guido.

Logistics and Funding
Planning starts a year in advance. "First we book the room at Rockefeller University. After that, the main work load in organizing the event involves ordering food, organizing the layout of the rooms, securing the speakers, and securing the finances," explained Guido.

While RSNA funds its entire program, NYRS, to date, has had its program sponsored by General Electric Medical Systems and Siemens Medical Solutions.

"It's a fun and rewarding program and it really benefits the society by presenting an educational profile of our industry," said Guido.

° Contributing Editor Maureen Littlejohn is a freelance writer in Toronto.

In appreciation for Chicago's boundless welcome and hospitality, five years ago the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) decided to give back to the host city of its annual, 60,000-attendee meeting. d "We've been in Chicago since 1985 and we wanted to express our thanks, so we decided to offer a career day program to the city's high school Students. it's a gift that we organize and pay for, and it educates students about our profession," explained Joseph Taylor, director of public information and media relations for the RSNA.

*Working closely with the Chicago Board of Education, the society invites between 35 and 40 high school students to participate in a day of information, presentations, and hands-on demonstrations. Called "Exploring Your Future in Radiology," the event is held on site at the annual meeting in late November, and includes a tour of the convention's technical exhibits.

Things to Think About in Planning a High School Career Day
Contributed by the RSNA

Holding a career day is more than a goodwill gesture, it helps to inform young up-and-coming minds about fields they may never have had an opportunity to explore. It also serves as a community-builder and positive public relations strategy. The RSNA has been approached by many associations for pointers on how to hold their own career day. Below, Joseph Taylor, director of public information and media relations for the RSNA,offers advice:

School System
Decide which school system you are going to use. In Illinois there are several hundred school districts. Chicago is the largest, but there are about 90-100 high school districts in the suburbs. We work with Chicago, but may include the suburbs in the future.

Working With the School System
We begin with the central office.

You need:

• a central contact
• to have the school(s) selected
• a lead teacher in each school who selects the students and chaperones them
• buses to transport the kids.

Competition
RSNA offers five $1,000 scholarships to the participants in "Exploring Your Future in Radiology." Students compete for the awards by answering a 50-question test and writing an essay on what they learned from the career day. If you plan on awarding prizes or scholarships, you need some form of competition. Other societies have used a competition, i.e., writing an essay, as the means of selecting the students who are invited to attend the career day activity.

Elements of Program
Figure out how many program components you going to offer. RSNA offers the students an opening lecture, a hands-on experience with ultrasound equipment, a tour of our technical exhibits floor, a luncheon with speakers on all the careers available in radiology and a competition for scholarships.

Scheduling/Logistics
Assign staff to handle the scheduling and logistics. This includes obtaining in advance the names of the students, teachers, and schools; arranging for a meeting room, including setup and audiovisual, meals, beverages; scheduling the lectures, demonstrations, tours; and distribution, collection, and scoring of the tests.

Funding/Costs
Decide what components you are going to fund in a career day program. RSNA funds everything. We pay for the buses to transport the teachers and students, the substitute teachers that replace the chaperones, the scholarships, and the meals and refreshments.