Change of Heart
Mandi Sangiuolo
Medical Imaging Director
A.S., 2005
Mandi Sangiuolo was a respiratory therapist for five years when she decided it was time for a change.
She worked 12-hour shifts per diem at several hospitals in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, but she struggled emotionally with her intensive care unit and emergency room assignments, including caring for patients on life-support machines. “You’re either cut out for that or you’re not,’’ she said. She was not.
She applied to Palm Beach State’s Sonography program, and while in school, she interned at Pre-Birth Centers of America with Dr. Ruel Stoessel, a maternal fetal medicine specialist who focuses on high-risk pregnancy patients. She was offered a sonographer position before graduating in 2005 and has been there ever since.
She quickly advanced to ultrasound supervisor and then to director of imaging. In the role, she oversees recruitment and training for sonographers and quality control. “I knew I loved it the second I walked in here,” she said. “I would not trade this career for anything.”
She said she owes her success partly to Palm Beach State. “My experience at Palm Beach State College has been one of the most valuable throughout my life,’’ she said, noting the training she received from Professor Patty Braga, Sonography department chair. “She’s a great teacher and mentor. The school provided me with the necessary tools that I needed to enhance my skills throughout my career.”