Longtime Iredell Health System employee reflects on his career in radiology

Editor’s note: Iredell Health System is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The nonprofit’s success is a testament to the commitment and loyalty of its employees, both past and present. More than 70 current employees have been with Iredell Health System for over 30 years.

Specifically for IFN

Kim Kilpatrick has worked in radiology at Iredell Health System for over 44 years, but her love for healthcare began before she graduated high school.

“In my high school health professions class, they took you around the hospital and gave you a tour of all the departments. I really loved radiology,” Kilpatrick explained.

After high school, she enrolled in the hospital’s radiology technician program.

“I was in the last graduating class of the X-ray school here in Iredell. Nancy Holton was my teacher. We did a lot of hands-on training at the hospital, but we also had a classroom in the building next door,” Kilpatrick said.

She completed her studies in 1979.

“I worked at Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro for a year, then a position opened up at Iredell as a second-shift X-ray technician. Edie (Edith Payne) and I were the two technicians working the second shift. There was no third shift, so we took turns when called upon,” Kilpatrick said. “I even took a call as a student. I think when they found out they were calling us every night they had to hire a third shift. When I started there were only about six technicians on the team.”

Kilpatrick has seen dramatic changes over her years.

“When I started here, we did Xerox mammograms,” she said.

Xerox mammography, introduced in 1971, involved sticking X-ray images onto an electrostatically charged metal plate. The loaded plate was dusted with blue powder to print a detailed image on paper. The procedure fell out of favor due to the chaotic process and radiation risks. Iredell eventually switched to films.

“We used to have to hang films. We had a dark room where we developed our images. We would keep them in large folders in a file room. At the Women’s Health Center we had a viewing room where we placed last year’s images next to this year’s images. Every afternoon we swapped them for the next day’s appointments,” she said. “When everything went digital, the staff was relieved.”

Kilpatrick moved to Iredell Women’s Health Center in 2009, where she has remained since. Her current tasks include bone density measurements and mammography.

“We do a lot more mammograms now than we did when we first started. There was more education about it.”

Kilpatrick said there was only one reason she would leave her position at Iredell.

“We always had a great group to work with. It was a fun time. I’ve never thought about leaving…except when I retire.”

About Iredell Health System

The Iredell Health System includes Iredell Memorial Hospital; Iredell Davis Medical Center; Iredell Davis Behavioral Health Hospital; Iredell Mooresville; Iredell Home Health; Iredell Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center; community and corporate wellness; occupational medicine; the Iredell Physician Network and more. Iredell Memorial Hospital is the largest and only nonprofit hospital in Iredell County. The comprehensive healthcare organization has 391 licensed beds; almost 2,000 employees; and has approximately 365 healthcare providers of various specialties. Centers of Excellence include Women’s and Children’s Centers; Cardiovascular system; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The health system’s Iredell Mooresville campus is home to the region’s only 24-hour emergency department facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services and physician offices. Iredell Health System’s mission is to promote wellness. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.