Humankindness at Work: Carly Smits, Radiologic Technologist

Carly Smits had been a radiologic technologist at Saint Joseph Jessamine for just two years when staffing changes in late 2024 led to her stepping up to take on responsibilities of her department’s supervisor – duties she carries out to this day. 

”I just saw that it needed to be done and decided I’d be the one to do it,” she explained. 

Her willingness to go beyond her own job description—and her compassionate manner with patients—won her recognition as Saint Joseph Jessamine’s 2024 Employee of the Year.

Carly has 15 years of experience in her field, working at sites ranging from a hospital cardiac catheterization lab to a doctor’s office to an orthopedic practice. “I like to see where that degree can take me in different fields,” she said. “I do a little bit of everything.”

Of those venues, Saint Joseph Jessamine has been a favorite, Carly said,  “because it’s in a rural area where we’re helping people that don’t have access to other health care. And you know the people you work with better because there’s fewer there and you’re closer working. … All of the staff are very welcoming and kind.”

Certified in computed tomography (CT) as well as radiologic technology, Carly works the overnight shifts, including weekends, so the patients she serves are usually there under conditions that are more intense than usual. She is known for her patience with them, taking particular care not to rush those with dementia or mobility issues.

“I find with most patients just being listened to helps a lot of them, so I like to actually sit down with the patient in their ER room before I take them for imaging and talk to them a little bit first,” Carly said. “I ask about them, what brought them into the hospital, how are they feeling. I tend to learn a lot about patients that way, because people enjoy talking about themselves. That kind of builds a connection.”

Carly said she also reassures them when they’re face-to-face with the imaging equipment, explaining procedures and making sure they know she’s with them the whole time, albeit behind a window, and can see and communicate with them.

Carly became interested in imaging when she was in her early 20s and needed X-rays and CT scans for a health issue. At that point, she’d been working in retail customer service after taking a break from college. Carly said she’s partial to CT scans because, “I like the images they produce. In my mind, it’s better than X-ray at diagnosing issues and I think it gives patients a clearer idea of what’s going on with their medical problems.” 

Saint Joseph’s values reflect her Catholic upbringing, and she said she believes all people deserve to be treated with dignity and compassion, especially when they’re in the hospital. “We’re seeing people on the worst day of their lives and it’s not right for us to judge any of their behavior or anything else—they’re scared, they’re sick, they don’t know what’s going on. I really try to be patient with people and empathize with them.”

Likewise, everyone needs humankindness, Carly said: “Everyone deserves a smile and everyone deserves someone to hold their hand when they’re scared. Kindness, I’d say, is a better choice.”

Carly and her husband, Jason Payne, a landscaper, live with their six cats in Jessamine County. Away from work, she helps with what she calls “logistical” tasks for the nonprofit organizations started by her sister, Abby Olmstead, who fosters and adopts special needs children. One nonprofit focuses on grief services and the other is an orchard operation, Charlee’s Orchard, that her sister has cultivated for special needs children, including her own.

“I enjoy spending time with her children,” Carly said. “They’re very dear to me.”