Aaron Lasmann

ISM Period 7

ISM- INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name:

Aaron Lassmann

Printed Name of Person

Interviewed:
Role of Individual:

Period:

7th

Dr. Masood Ahmad

_X_Mentor

___Other Professional #1

___Other Professional #2

Place of Business:

University of Texas Medical Branch Echocardiography Lab

Business Address:

1001 Harborside Drive, Galveston, TX 77555

Phone Number:

(409) 772-9835

Date of Interview:

11/02/2015

Type of Interview: _X_ In Person ___ Telephone* ___Email*

*Documentation Required (Attach E-mail to Interview Verification Page)

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
(fantasy vs. reality)
The fantasy of the job is that there are always interesting cases to deal with, plenty of time in which to complete
tasks, and time to engage in some of the more enjoyable and rewarding aspects of the job, such as discussing and
teaching. The reality is that lots of hard work is required, large amounts of dedicated time for see patients,
reviewing reports, and interpreting echoes are needed, and time constraints restrict the ability to focus on the more
enjoyable aspects.
2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
(educational level and requirements)
Dr. Ahmad has completed medical school and has an MD, along with several years of postgraduate work. The
postgraduate work includes 4 years of an Internal Medicine residency and a 3 year fellowship in cardiology.
Continuing education involves attending various seminars, meetings, and conferences throughout the year. Also,
board certification must be completed again every ten years.
3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
(day-to-day activities)
Daily activities vary from each day, but generally include interpreting echoes, conducting transesophageal
procedures on some patients, and visiting with the various patients, both inpatients and outpatients.
4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
(job security)
Current position as director of the echocardiography lab is very secure. The medical field is continually
expanding, with there always being a need for new expertise. There is a bright future for medicine with new
technology and applications constantly being developed and applied.

Aaron Lasmann
ISM Period 7
5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?
(salary)
Salaries vary by specific location, urban versus rural, the institution, and the type of institution. Salaries at
academic institutions like UTMB generally range from about $200,000 to $400,000.
6. What potential for growth is there in your field?
(growth potential)
There is a large amount of growth potential in echocardiography with new technologies constantly being
developed and applied. These range from 3D and strain echocardiography to improvements in already established
areas.
7. What is the best part of your job?
The best part of the job is the satisfaction from helping patients and diagnosing their ailments, along with being
able to teach and mentor younger medical professionals.
8. What is one part of your job you wish you could change?
The one thing that my mentor wishes he could change is the time constraint felt across all activities. There needs
to be more time available to enjoy the fun tasks, such as teaching and discussing.
9. What motivated you to choose your current career?
My mentor was motivated to choose his career due to an interest in heart disease that he has always had and for
the cognitive aspects and variety of areas and procedures allowed by the field. Diagnosing alone can be done with
catheters, CT, MRI, ultrasound, and more.
10. If you could go back, would you choose the same career again?

My mentor responded that he would most definitely go back and choose the same career and follow that
path given the chance.

Aaron Lasmann
ISM Period 7

Interview Summary
What information from this interview will you select for your page typed,
bulleted list of research informationto be used in your presentation?
Educational Requirements:
o MD, Internal Medicine Residency, and Cardiology Fellowship
o Continuing education with seminars, lectures, and board recertification every
decade
Teaching, interesting cases, and discussions are the best parts of the job
Job is limited the most by too many tasks and duties and not enough time
o Restricts the ability to partake in the enjoyable duties
Echocardiography and medicine in general are rapidly advancing with new technology
3D echocardiography is currently the most conspicuously advancing field
There will always be sick people and a need for doctors, especially cardiology with heart
disease as a major killer
Even specific areas of medicine like cardiology have many diverse pathways to pursue
Doctors may have generous salaries, but they must pay a large amount of time and
education to get there
Daily routine varies, by there is usually the satisfaction of helping and diagnosing
patients at some point and in some way each day