Throughout her first 2-1/2 semesters in Southwestern Community College’s Medical Sonography program, Emma Dao heard her instructors repeatedly emphasize the value of curiosity.
Because Dao took that message to heart, one area woman received an early cancer diagnosis and now stands a much better outlook for treatment and recovery.
Dao happened to be working when the Jackson County resident took advantage of the Medical Sonography program’s carotid screenings earlier this fall. The carotid scan was clean, but a conversation with the patient prompted Dao to check her thyroid.
That screen revealed an anomaly, which Dao identified as a potential area of concern – so she made some measurements and printed images for the patient to take to her doctor.
A subsequent biopsy came back with a diagnosis of papillary carcinoma, meaning Dao’s diligence provided the patient and her physicians with valuable time and more options than would have been available had more time passed before the condition was discovered.
“Our instructors are always very adamant that when we’re screening one area on a patient, it’s a good idea to check anything else nearby as well,” Dao said. “With this particular individual, she told me that she’d been planning to come to our thyroid screening here in the spring – but she hadn’t been able to come because she was sick. So after I checked her carotid, I said I could just take a quick peek at her thyroid.”
Though the patient prefers to maintain her anonymity, she’s expressed significant gratitude to both Dao and her instructors.
Ashley Folse, Medical Sonography Program Coordinator at SCC, also praised Dao’s efforts.
“My immediate reaction was one of profound relief and immense gratitude that the patient had found her way to us,” Folse said. “That feeling quickly transformed into feeling so proud of our student Emma. Her commitment to truly listening to the patient—not just performing a routine scan—prompted a more thorough examination. It was a tangible affirmation of what a patient-first approach looks like in practice, and it filled me with a sense of gratitude for the good work our program is doing.”
For Dao, who initially had pursued a four-year degree in Forensic Science, the discovery during a free clinic helped validate her decision to switch to the Medical Sonography career field.
“I feel like I’m going toward the right direction with what I want to do with my life,” Dao said. “And I’m just very grateful for the patient that the cancer was caught early enough. That’s the goal, right? It’s to aid in diagnosis and help people.”
All of the SCC Medical Sonography program’s clinics are for educational purposes only. They are free and open to the public by appointment only from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Mondays and follow the college’s academic calendar and inclement weather closings.
For more information about the Medical Sonography program at SCC, including the free clinics it offers, visit www.SouthwesternCC.edu or contact Pamela Judson at 828.339.4198 or pjudson@SouthwesternCC.edu.
