In 2022, Living for Zachary revamped its Scholarship Program to invest in individuals pursuing the career of cardiac sonography in North Texas with the goal of expanding this field and placing more sonographers into our North Texas community. In August of 2022, MariLynn Paine was announced as the first recipient of the Living for Zachary Adult Echocardiography Tuition Scholarship at Baylor Scott & White Health. We sat down with MariLynn to hear more about her story how this scholarship is allowing her to pursue her dreams of helping those around her through a career in cardiac echocardiography.
Hi, MariLynn! Please tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is MariLynn Paine and I have lived in North Texas since I was 2 years old. My parents moved here in 1990. I am the fifth of eight children. My parents had seven kids and then adopted my youngest brother, Jake. Jake has Down’s Syndrome and joined our family when he was 4 years old. He is now 24 and still lives with my mom. Most of my sibling still live in the North Texas. I grew up playing softball and started running track in middle school. By the time my senior year came around, my main event in track and field was pole vaulting. Growing up in sports was a huge part of my life and I am excited to be able to help give back to active youth through the Living for Zachary organization.
I graduated from Texas Women’s University in 2011. When I was attending school, I was a student athletic trainer for the basketball and gymnastics team. Originally, I thought I was going to go back to school to get my Masters in Athletic Training. In order to graduate with my Kinesiology degree, I interned at Los Colinas Medical Center in the cardiac and pulmonary rehab department. After graduation I quickly realized I missed my heart patients from my internship. This led me to my current job as a certified cardiographic technician with Baylor Scott & White Cardiovascular Consultants. I am now in my 30s and I am trying new things all the time. Just this year alone, I have run my first full marathon, will compete in my first sprint triathlon, and will run my first 30K trail run. I love remaining active and taking on new challenges.
Were you always interested in the healthcare field? If not, when was your interest first peaked?
I was always interested in helping people. I wasn’t sure which career that would lead to. When I was younger I thought I wanted to be a teacher. My pole-vaulting coach from high school taught Anatomy and Physiology and I needed a science class for my senior year. I took the class and fell in love with the subject. This led me to get my degree in Kinesiology.
Why did you choose to pursue echocardiography?
I have worked in cardiology for a little over 7 years as a certified cardiographic technician. I have been working with patients during stress testing and nuclear stress testing. During this time, I became certified in starting IVs for our nuclear patients. This was expanded into helping our cardiac sonographers start IVs for their bubble studies and contrast studies. I was always fascinated by the pictures they were able to capture of someone’s heart. Throughout the years I have seen what a great modality echocardiography has been for a doctor trying to help diagnose a patient. Echocardiography dives a little deeper into cardiology than stress testing and I decided I want to be a part of that.
How did you learn about the Baylor Scott & White Health Adult Echocardiography Program? What was your application process like?
I learned about the program while I was looking at a Baylor website. I noticed there was an allied health education button on the bottom of the site. I clicked on it and realized there was an echocardiography program. I had been wanting to dive a little deeper into cardiology and felt like this was the perfect program to help me do that. I unfortunately barely missed the deadline to apply. I reached out to the director, Brad Roberts, through email. I had a few questions regarding the program. He was quick to get back to me and even called me to discuss the program. I sent him my resume to hold on to because I would definitely be applying the following year. He called me at the end of the week to let me know there was a student who had changed their mind about the program and asked if I would be interested in attending this year. I was more than ready to attend this year!
I still had to go through the normal application process. I had the weekend to get all of my things together to get to the Cardiovascular Institute. I had to write an essay, complete the application form, get two letters of recommendation, my immunization records, and my academic transcripts all within a couple of days. I am very blessed to work with amazing people who wrote my recommendation letters right away. I met with Brad at the beginning of the next week and toured the school. I then interviewed with multiple members of the Board who would all have to agree to allow me to attend. I knew I was meant to be there. I received a call and later a letter that they accepted me into the program.
Did you encounter any barriers in pursuing your education? What were the most difficult challenges you faced in this regard?
I am one of eight kids. By the time I made it to college years, I knew I was going to be responsible for the cost of my schooling. I was able to go to North Central Texas College for my first two years to help with cost while I was taking my basics. I then transferred to Texas Woman’s University. I did have to apply for student loans and even though the school is affordable, I am still working on paying back the loans. There was a short time where I was not sure if I was going to be able to complete a couple of courses due to lack of money. This was one of the hardest things for me to realize. I was so close but so far away. My oldest sister was able to help pay for the courses and I was able to eventually pay her back. I was determined to complete my degree. I have worked in cardiology for a little over seven years now and have always wanted to dive further into a different modality. Finding the adult echocardiography program through the Cardiovascular Institute at Baylor Scott & White Heart Hospital Plano has been a huge blessing. The fact that they focus solely on echocardiography and can fit it into a year is both crazy and absolutely perfect. I always knew it would be a struggle to go back to school and stay afloat during times like these but could not be more excited to give it my all.
What was your reaction when learning you were accepted into the program at Baylor?
I was elated! It was a whirlwind of a situation considering I missed the deadline and had to gather everything within one weekend in order to make it into the program but I couldn’t have been happier. I just knew this was the program I was supposed to be a part of.
What will your training program be like?
There are three main facets to the program: Didactic part, Scan Lab, and Clinical rotations. There are three semesters to the echocardiography program. During the first semester we will spend the morning learning the normal anatomy and physiology of the heart and what it would look like on an echocardiogram. We will also study ultrasound physics. We will then spend the afternoon in the scan lab practicing how to scan for an echocardiogram. During the second semester we will branch out to pathology and what could go wrong with the heart and how to scan for it on an echocardiogram. We will continue in the scan lab but will also add three days of clinical rotations. This will allow us to go into the hospital and observe what is like to do this profession in the real world. The last semester we will cover advanced pathologies and more advanced applied physics. We will also complete four days of clinical rotations.
When you first learned of Living for Zachary’s Scholarship for this program, what were your initial thoughts?
I thought it was such an amazing opportunity. I am not a writer by any means but I figured I needed to at least give the essay a shot. I really struggled to sit down and write it. My mom told me to just write it from the heart. I had heard of Living for Zachary before and I have a friend who is an athletic trainer at a high school who has gotten AEDs donated to his school. I am incredibly grateful for the money towards my tuition but I have a feeling that being able to work with the organization as I am learning echocardiography will be an unforgettable experience.
Why does Living for Zachary’s mission matter to you as someone who is entering the field of echocardiography?
I believe raising awareness matters because it helps expand the screening process for youth. A typical sports physical requires the physician to listen to heart, but it does not allow them to properly see or assess the structure and function of the heart. The heart is what helps to keep the body going, especially during physical activity. There are many young adults who might not show any signs or symptoms of something wrong with their heart. Living for Zachary has helped save many lives and learning how to perform echocardiograms will lead me to help them continue their mission.
What does being awarded this scholarship mean for you and your education?
I am someone who has worked multiple jobs since I was young. In order to go all in with this program, I will not be working while I am in school. This will be a foreign feeling for me. Receiving this scholarship has helped put my mind at ease with paying for tuition and not working during the program. It has also awarded me the opportunity to work with an amazing organization.
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead for your training?
I am so excited to learn a new modality for cardiology. It is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time and I know this program is the perfect fit for me. I have told numerous people that I get the opportunity to work with Living for Zachary and will get to be a part of something that I would not get to in just the program alone.
What are your future career goals?
I am ready to learn where this new career will take me. My initial thought was I would come back to the current clinic that I work in now. This job has been a second family for me. The more I think about it, the more I plan to keep an open mind. I might love working in the hospital setting, or I might even go even further and learn how to scan vascular studies. Either way, I cannot wait to get started!
