Iredell Health Honors Long-Serving Employees A Conversation with Kim Kilpatrick, Mammography Technician

Iredell Health System has a long-standing history of caring for its community. What sets Iredell Health System apart is its deep connection to the community it serves. Many of its employees are not just healthcare professionals — they are our neighbors, friends, and family members. In fact, Iredell Health System has more than 70 employees who have worked at Iredell Health System for over 30 years.

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

“In my high school health occupations class, they would take you through the hospital on a tour of all the departments. I really loved radiology,” explained Kilpatrick.

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

“I was in the last graduating class of the x-ray school here at Iredell. Nancy Holton was my instructor. We did a lot of hands-on training in the hospital, but we also had a classroom in the annex building.”

Kilpatrick graduated in 1979. “I went to work at Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro for a year, then a second shift x-ray technician position at Iredell opened up. Edie (Edith Payne) and I were the two techs that worked second shift. There wasn’t a third shift, so we’d take turns on call. I even took call as a student. I think when they figured out that they were calling us in every night, they needed to hire a third shift. When I started, there were only about six techs on staff.”

Kilpatrick has seen dramatic changes over her years. “When I started here, we did xerox mammography.” Xerox mammography, introduced in 1971, adhered x-ray images to a metal plate that was electrostatically charged. The charged plate was dusted with blue powder to print a detailed image on paper. The process fell out of favor due to the messy process and radiation risk. Iredell eventually transitioned to film.

“We used to have to hang films. We had a dark room where we developed our images. We’d keep them in a file room in big folders. In the Women’s Health Center, we had a viewing room where we’d put last year’s images next to this year’s images. Every afternoon, we’d switch them out for the next day’s appointments. When everything went digital, it took a load off the staff,” she said.

Kilpatrick transitioned to the Iredell Women’s Health Center in 2009, where she has remained ever since. Her current responsibilities include bone-density testing and mammography. “We do a lot more mammograms now than when I first started. There’s been more education around it.” Kilpatrick said there’s only one thing that would make her leave her position at Iredell. “We’ve always had such a great group to work with. It’s been a fun time. I’ve never even thought about leaving…except for when I retire.”

About Iredell Health System

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; close to 2,000 employees; and has approximately 365 healthcare providers representing various specialties. Centers of excellence include Women’s and Children’s; Cardiovascular; Cancer; Surgical Services and Wellness & Prevention. The health system’s Iredell Mooresville campus is home to the area’s only 24-hour urgent care facility, as well as an ambulatory surgery center, imaging center, rehabilitation services, and physician practices. The mission of Iredell Health System is to inspire wellbeing. For a comprehensive list of services and programs, visit www.iredellhealth.org.