An interview with Simone Karandrews: experienced sonographer, mentor and role model, community change-maker
We sat down with QUFW’s Clinical Educator, Simone Karandrews, to learn more about her inspiring journey as a women’s health sonographer, her role as a clinical and career mentor, and the changes she’s making in the community
Simone Karandrews is the Clinical Educator at QUFW. She has more than 28 years’ experience in the diagnostic imaging sector.
Contents:
- An official introduction to sonography
- Simone’s current role
- The joy of touching lives
- The challenging times
- Passing on her knowledge
- Emphasising the sonographer
- Personal and political passions
- Looking back and forward
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Simone’s story as an experienced sonographer and community change-maker is as unique as it is inspiring.
As she delivers her answer to the classic ‘tell me how your career started’ question, it quickly becomes obvious why Simone holds so much respect across her clinic, industry, and community.
Simone is a skilled clinician, with more than 28 years’ experience in diagnostic imaging. She tells fascinating stories, both happy and sad, about her journey as a sonographer.
But what sets Simone apart is her passion—for helping others, for creating positive change, and for the lifechanging outcomes sonography provides far beyond the scanning room.
This is where her story takes a different path. Unlike some, Simone’s interest in sonography didn’t ignite during a university lecture or career workshop. Instead, it captivated her for the first time in a more unusual setting: piano lessons, during her late school years.
“When I was in school, I took piano lessons with a wonderful old piano teacher,” Simone recalls.
“There was another student whose mother was a sonographer, which was quite rare at the time. My piano teacher used to talk to me about her and her role.”
“And so I met up with her when I was on work experience in medical imaging in year ten, and obviously I was able to watch her scan.”
Simone explains what she felt as she saw an ultrasound scan for the first time.
“I remember how in awe I was, that this woman could know what she was looking at, what she needed to look at, what other things she may need to look at, and why,” she explains.
“With ultrasound, you’re like a detective using great technology to make a difference to people’s lives.”
“It was a combination of technology and medicine all in one”, she says.
An official introduction to sonography
Simone was officially introduced to clinical ultrasound during placement at a local hospital.
“My first work experience placement was in nuclear medicine at one of the local hospitals in Canberra,” she explains.
“And, as I mentioned, as part of my rotation there, I was able to see an ultrasound being performed.”
“And for me, that was it, I was hooked.”
“That’s where I wanted to end up,” she says with a sense of nostalgia.
Deciding to pursue this career path, Simone studied a Bachelor of Applied Science in Medical Radiation, specialising in nuclear medicine at the University of Sydney.
As her graduation approached, a radiology company in Queensland reached out, flying her interstate for an interview.
By the end of the day, Simone had a new job and a new city to call home.
“I remember ringing my dad from the Brisbane Queen Street Mall saying, I’m taking the job.”
”But, I’d never been to Brisbane. I didn’t have any family here, didn’t have any friends here.”
“So it was a leap into the great unknown,” she reflects.
“There was a lot of personal growth for me and change at the same time, but it was all a big adventure.”
Simone gathered experience in some of Queensland’s busiest medical hubs. She was quickly recognised as a rising star in nuclear medicine, and was offered a spot in a rigorous training program and post-graduate Diploma in Medical Ultrasound at QUT.
During this time, Simone was introduced to various facets of ultrasound, including training in women’s imaging clinics. Here, she found her niche—breast ultrasounds, gynaecology, and obstetrics.
“I felt much more comfortable with obstetrics and gynaecology, and I think that that’s really what laid the foundation for me and my passion.”
Simone’s current role
Fast forward two passionate decades, and Simone is now the Clinical Educator at QUFW.
In this role, she trains and mentors QUFW’s junior sonographers and helps ensure high clinical standards and continuing education across all four practice locations. Simone also enjoys scanning patients in QUFW’s Brisbane and Ipswich practices.
Whilst the Clinical Educator role involves teaching traditional ‘hands-on’ skills, it also requires Simone to lead by example and personify the unwritten qualities of an impactful sonographer: clinical excellence, a warm bedside manner, a thirst for knowledge, and all of the other things that helps QUFW deliver the exemplary care it is known for.
It should come as no surprise that Simone is thriving.
“I feel fulfilled that I am in a great role,” she says.
“I have great support networks and some wonderful colleagues surrounding me.”
“And this allows me to continue my desire to learn new things and help others.”
“I think it’s important to keep learning, to keep life interesting.”
She also feels grateful to work with fellow sonographers who share her work ethic, mentioning how they feed off each other’s dedication and expertise.
“The sonographers that I work with also have a very similar work ethic.”
“And working in that way, we work really well together.”
“We all are there for each other, and collaborate and assist each other,” she says.
The joy of touching lives
Simone explains how the beauty of sonography lies in the privilege of helping people experience life’s cherished moments.
“It’s a privilege to be a part and parcel of people’s health journeys,” she says.
“Ultrasound is a fantastic way for families to bond with their new unborn baby.”
Simone recalls a patient story that left an indelible mark on her heart.
“I remember a patient, Rosanna, coming to our practice for the first time, and she was about seven weeks pregnant,” she explains.
“She is a GP, so she knew what to expect.”
“We scanned her, and discovered that she was having twins, actually MCMA twins, which are extremely rare,” she explains.
“And I remember her looking at the screen, and she’s having this quiet… well, not so quiet panic attack, knowing what she was looking at and her poor husband who’s not medical, was asking, what’s the problem?”
“And she’s trying to explain to him what’s happening, walking him through the diagnosis side of things, but also managing her anxiety and excitement at the same time.”
“We developed a closer relationship, because we got to see Rosanna so frequently.”
“And that was really lovely. Just like with our other patients that we get to see over the course of their journey.”
Both babies were delivered safely, and are now thriving. Simone was ecstatic to meet them and, of course, be part of their origin story.
“And to know that this family ended up with a great outcome with two beautiful healthy girls in such a rare pregnancy, which had so many potentials for a poorer outcome, was just wonderful,” Simone says.
Watch more here:
The challenging times
However, it’s not always about joyous occasions. Simone opens up about the challenging moments, like delivering the heartbreaking news of a miscarriage.
But even in these trying times, she focuses on providing individualised, compassionate care, ensuring patients feel supported and receive appropriate follow up with doctors.
“You might see people on the worst days of their lives,” she says.
“During the scan, for instance, we may discover a miscarriage or an abnormality and we have to impart that information to those patients.”
“The challenge is being able to try and do that the best way possible.”
Simone pauses and reflects on some of the feedback she has received after delivering bad news.
“For people who have just received awful news, they are trying to absorb information and grieve all at once. But when they make the effort to say thank you for being so kind and compassionate, I feel as though I’ve done the best I possibly can given the nature of their situation.”
Passing on her knowledge
Simone thrives on her role as a mentor, shaping the essential hard and soft skills of the sonographers of tomorrow. She relishes in their achievements, likening this to the highs of parenthood.
“Sharing knowledge and being able to tutor the sonographers of tomorrow, shaping their skills and setting them up for a good, strong career is so important.”
“I like being part of their learning journey, and I feel like a proud mum when they actually realise their goals,” she says with a smile.
“I really do get a kick out of seeing them become the developed sonographer that they are hoping that they can be.”
Simone also has sage advice for budding sonographers.
“I would say to them that it’s a really rewarding career.”
“Finding your passion within the many facets of ultrasound specialty is really important.”
“It’s such an interactive profession with so much patient interaction. It’s a skill to bring pieces of information together to assist in making a diagnosis.”
This statement isn’t just a career catchphrase for Simone—it is built around her belief that the quality of an ultrasound scan relies heavily on the skills of the sonographer.
Emphasising the sonographer
A good scan requires an attentive eye, adept hand-eye coordination, a strong connection with patients, an understanding of anatomy and physiology, and a deep knowledge of the technology at hand, Simone says.
“Ultrasound can be used widely across so many different areas of the body, but the one thing that I’d really like to highlight is the fact that its strength is definitely in the hands of the sonographer.”
“It’s as much science as it is art.”
“There is so much visual recognition, hand-eye coordination, ability to drive the machine, talk to patients, communicate, draw information from them, that can actually really help with providing an accurate diagnosis,” she says.
Simone also highlights the importance of effective communication, empathy, and active listening.
In Simone’s eyes, an effective ultrasound scan requires an intricate blend of science, art, and human connection. It’s a field where the expertise and intuition of the sonographer play a crucial role, turning a standard scan into a precise diagnostic tool through visual acumen, technical skill, effective patient communication, and a deep sense of empathy.
Personal and political passions
Aside from her role as a sonographer, Simone is an active member of her community. She’s involved in the West Moreton Darling Downs Primary Health Network, where she plays a role in bridging the gap between the community and healthcare providers. She is also responsible for forming and coordinating a community led disaster support group to assist her community in times of natural disasters.
Simone has also been a part of the Australian Sonographers Association Committee for Queensland for over 20 years, showing her dedication to peer education and overall advancement of the profession.
“I’m genuinely interested in healthcare outcomes for people, which is all about how people actually access healthcare within the region, as well as assisting in skill advancement for other sonographers,” she says.
Outside the clinic, Simone seeks solace in the company of her family, including her retired racing greyhound, Alice. Her love for nature, photography, and baking serves as her personal retreat from the demanding nature of her job.
But there’s another facet to Simone that might surprise many: politics. In 2019, driven to address regional issues she felt were being ignored, she took a plunge into federal politics as a candidate in the election.
Although she didn’t achieve the resolution she sought, Simone’s political journey led her to be part of the inaugural cohort of the Pathways to Politics Course in Queensland, empowering women to change the political landscape.
“It all came about because I’ve been pushing a particular campaign to do with an issue in our region.”
“And I didn’t feel as though we were really being represented very well to seek a resolution that would make a real difference to the people and businesses within the community. But it became more than about just one issue – it was about being a genuine voice for community and future outcomes.”
Looking back and forward
Reflecting on her career, Simone is content with her choices. She wouldn’t change a thing.
Her parting wisdom is an echo of QUFW’s philosophy, ‘experience really does matter’.
“And I say that, because our team is invested in our patients.”
“We aim to be the leaders of what we do,” she says.
When asked if she’d do anything differently throughout her career, her answer is clear:
“No, nothing. I’m happy.”
For Simone, sonography is so much more than a diagnostic tool. When she picks up the transducer, she’s helping one patient. But when Simone mentors her students and pushes for change in her community, she’s using her clinical and social skills to change the lives of so many more.
Simone’s journey is one of passion, excellence, and an unyielding intention to change things for the better. If you’re a patient in Simone’s ultrasound room, a sonographer under her wing, or a member of her community, you’re luckier than you might realise.
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November 2023
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