NEWPORT ­— In 1972 Katie Calkins took her first steps in a 46-year career in radiology and mammography. On August 10, she celebrates a new life chapter … retirement.

After completing pre-requisites for radiology training at age 19, Katie completed a two-year program at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, Calif. She said a lot has changed since the early 1970s,

“They didn’t have dedicated machines back then, but used industrial film with regular X-ray machines for mammography,” Calkins said. “They had me learn mammography because I was a girl … in fact, all of the girls had to learn it.”

When Katie’s first daughter (Melissa) was young, Katie went to work at Silverton Hospital just outside of Kellogg, Idaho. As a single mother at the time, she was devastated to learn that, almost immediately after being hired, that the hospital was closing.

Her career at Newport Community Hospital launched in 1991, and she’s been a fixture in the women’s health diagnostics ever since. At the time, there were no CT scans, so her primary duties were mammography and X-ray imaging. After learning how to use a dedicated mammography machine, Katie took one of the first mammography certification tests in 1992.

Although Katie is also certified in other areas of diagnostic imaging, she says mammography is where she feels she’s made an impact.

“I feel so fortunate to work for my own community,” she added. “Since I moved to Newport in 1991, I’ve developed so many relationships with the ladies who come to see me year after year.”

To put that type of impact into perspective, it’s important to note recent mammography statistics. They reveal that Katie Calkins performed 634 mammography tests since July 2017 (over 60 percent of total mammography exams for that same time period). That’s over 600 women each year (for 27 years) who have trusted her with their most delicate exams. Katie also added that NHHS finds about 17 positive breast cancers a year.

“It doesn’t seem like that much, but we’re a small community,” Calkins said.

Getting a little emotional, Katie said she’d miss the people the most — her co-workers and patients.

“My lovely mammography patients are so special to me,” she said. “I’m glad that I do rewarding work; it’s such a wonderful field I’ve worked in,” she added. “I used to feel like what I did wasn’t important, but now I realize I get to be the doctor’s eyes.”

Coworker Charmay Becks is a valuable part of the team.

“Katie is part of our story,” Becks said. “ She’s one of our foundation pieces.”

Calkins said she is looking forward to spending more time with her daughters and five grandchildren — Berkley Rose, 4 months; Whalen Rowdy, 2; Wyatt, 3; Tyce, 6; and Thaleia, 10 — who all live close to Newport. Daughter Melissa lives in Post Falls, Coralee in Priest River, and Amanda in Kentucky, where she’s working on her doctorate in physical therapy.

Katie said her longtime significant other, Jim Roberts, is not retiring just yet and she has so much to look forward to. Katie plans on remodeling her bathroom, painting, gardening, reading, and maybe even learning to play classic rock on the guitar. Another highlight on the horizon is a trip to see daughter Amanda during her clinical rotations in Florida next spring.

When asked if she would ever wear scrubs again, she laughed.

“Only to bed,” she added.