Welcome to Health Care POV | sign in | join
ADVANCE for Imaging & Radiation Oncology welcomes you to Talking Radiology: ADVANCE Blog and Forum Community. Our wide variety of bloggers offer posts covering timely questions, advice and opinions about the field of radiology to connect professionals nationwide. We have provided tags to assist in locating topics of interest, a profile page to make uniquely your own and a list of our most active discussions to keep you abreast of the latest topics. We have also provided a comments section so you can voice your opinions and submit feedback to both staff and blog authors. We look forward to hearing more about the radiology profession from your point of view.
LATEST POSTS FROM EACH BLOG
Candidate Evaluations
June 18, 2013 2:13 PM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

There have been a handful of occasions where I earned opportunities to manage nuclear medicine departments during my career. I quickly discovered that management considers you to be part of their family once you have been bestowed with the title of Supervisor. Picture the "suits" of a company welcoming you with cigars and handshakes as ...


 
keep reading »
Never Turn Your Back
June 17, 2013 8:05 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

Radiation is a double edged sword. It can both help and hurt a patient at the same time.  As technologists, we should never forget this important fact. We must do everything to keep ourselves and our patients as safe as possible. 

Scatter or secondary radiation is the main source of occupational radiation exposure. Let's not forget our three cardinal rules of radiation protection: ...

 
keep reading »
Virtual CT Colonoscopy
June 10, 2013 7:29 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

As 40 quickly approaches, I am becoming increasingly aware of the medical screenings that are in my future. With a history of breast cancer in my family, I have already been getting mammograms since I was 33. 

Recently, I was reading the May/June issue of the Journal of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, I found an article about CT colonography, also called virtual colonoscopy. ...

 
keep reading »
Occupational Hazard
June 3, 2013 7:27 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

Last week I had to have surgery to repair an inguinal hernia. This is a rare type of hernia for women and I initially had difficulty finding information about it on line. It usually afflicts men. 

I first had to look at what could have caused this. I have had several surgeries to my lower abdomen, I have lifted weights for many years, and I have been doing physically demanding work ...

 
keep reading »
The Status of Imaging Equipment in Central America
June 3, 2013 1:58 PM by Patrick Lynch of Confessions of a Clinical Engineer

I just returned from a week in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. Honduras is a good political friend of the U.S., so it receives a lot of donated medical equipment. My job was to work with Engineering World Health and train local biomedical technicians to repair medical imaging equipment, specifically ultrasounds. 

Although there are a handful of somewhat knowledgeable technicians in the regionHonduras, there ...


 
keep reading »
Make it Memorable
May 26, 2013 7:44 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

This week I made a special connection with one of my patients. There are just those people who you feel instantly drawn towards. I could tell by looking into his eyes that he was in a lot of emotional pain. He was so kind, honest, and open that the conversation just flowed. 

He used to work as a phlebotomist so he was patient and helpful with me as I started his IV. He discussed with ...

 
keep reading »
Insect Inside
May 19, 2013 9:07 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

The applications of CT continue to unfold and in the process save lives. Scientists are now using scans to study the development of insects in the place of dissection which is time consuming and kills the specimens. Think of how many tiny lives could be saved. 

Insects make up between 50% and 85% of the animals on this planet, but not much is known about the many species. Bugs like ...

 
keep reading »
Fixing Healthcare Costs
May 17, 2013 10:32 AM by Kelly Wolfgang of The Politics of Health Care

Editor's note: This blog post is written by Alex Tolbert, founder of Bernard Health.

Our healthcare system is broken partly because consumers don't know what anything costs. As patients become more proactive in making informed healthcare decisions, we all agree this should be fixed. But why is it so hard?

Achieving price transparency ...


 
keep reading »
IV Contrast Allergy
May 12, 2013 5:19 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

Anyone who has ever CT scanned a patient who is allergic to the IV contrast knows how scary it can be. Previously, I only dealt with inpatients so I could confirm with the nurse that the patient had in fact received the allergy prep medications. 

Now I am working almost exclusively with outpatients. This week I had five patients who were allergic to the IV contrast. I didn't like taking ...

2 comments  
keep reading »
Clinical Rotations
May 10, 2013 12:13 PM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

After cleaning my garage this past weekend, I stumbled upon some clinical reviews I kept from my nuclear medicine school clinical rotations. It reminded me of how differently two nuclear departments may assess your skills, knowledge and abilities. My first clinical site while in school was at one of the largest level I trauma centers in ...


3 comments  
keep reading »
Back on the Job Hunt
May 4, 2013 11:45 AM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

The tough job market continues to affect me. I got hired at the VA as a fee-based CT technologist on a part time basis. I was told that I would work 5 days a week every other week until the two full-time open positions were filled. This was supposed to take me at least into the fall of this year. In an unprecedented turn of events, the usually snail paced government pushed through and filled the two positions starting ...

2 comments  
keep reading »
Nuclear Medicine and Marketing
April 29, 2013 4:03 PM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

In today's saturated market, it has become more vital than ever to have connections if you have hopes of finding a job in nuclear medicine. In years past, you had a great chance of being offered a job by your clinical site while still in school. Those days, however, are long gone. We all know by now that there are more nuclear techs ...


2 comments  
keep reading »
How Much Do You Know About Healthcare IT?
April 26, 2013 1:52 PM by Patrick Lynch of Confessions of a Clinical Engineer

As radiology departments and hospitals in general are going digital, there is more and more that many of us don't know. We are being marginalized because we may not understand the entire picture. As all devices in hospitals talk to other devices, the people running the show are either in the IT department or from consulting companies under contract with the hospital. Would you like to know more about Healthcare ...


1 comments  
keep reading »
Patient Confidentiality and Social Media
April 26, 2013 11:14 AM by Kelly Wolfgang of The Politics of Health Care

Editor's note: This article was posted with permission from its author, Christine Gondos, Igloo Software. She can be reached at cgondos@igloosoftware.com.

The fastpaced healthcare industry is continuously evolving -- whether it be newly released studies, new best practices or new techniques, the healthcare community thrives off of innovation.

While annual ...


 
keep reading »
Stick it to 'em
April 25, 2013 7:41 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

At my previous job I worked in a busy ER doing CT and didn't have to learn to start IVs. We didn't call for patients unless they already had a line established. I got good at telling which IVs were power injectable and which ones wouldn't hold. 

At my current job the majority of my patients are outpatients so they all need an IV. I have been giving it my best to learn but some days ...

 
keep reading »
Being a Grateful Patient
April 20, 2013 8:01 AM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

My recent blogs have discussed the importance of providing excellent patient care. This week i got a whole new perspective on going that extra mile. Early Sunday morning I had to go to the ER. I was in bad shape and was promptly admitted. i thought I'd get the usual chest x-ray and/or head CT but I didn't need those. I did end up needing lab work, blood transfusions and multiple IV medications.

It ...

 
keep reading »
Shaken, not Stirred
April 18, 2013 11:36 AM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

During my career in nuclear medicine, I have had the honor of working alongside some of the most brilliant people I have ever known. I've forged some great friendships along the way, and even though I live in a different part of the country now, my friends and I stay in constant touch with each other.

 
keep reading »
Tech Personalities
April 11, 2013 12:39 PM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

A friend of mine was telling me the other day about the different types of personalities she is surrounded by in her department at work. It made me think about the different personalities I have encountered in my nuclear medicine career. The following is a list of some of the types of personalities I have worked with. Please feel free ...


 
keep reading »
Going the Extra Mile
April 9, 2013 7:03 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

I've been working in CT for 2 ¼ years and I know I have so much more to learn. I know I'm not the best at starting IVs or scanning or MPRs. What I do know is that my patient care skills are excellent. I try to anticipate the needs of my patients. As soon as they lie down on the table I cover them with a blanket. CT rooms are notoriously cold. I always offer up my assistance with whatever patients need. 

Case ...

1 comments  
keep reading »
The Real Cost of Maintaining Imaging Equipment
April 5, 2013 11:01 AM by Patrick Lynch of Confessions of a Clinical Engineer

I recently began following a website called "Warranty Week". I believe that they are uniquely able to report the actual cost that companies must spend to support capital equipment during the initial warranty period and for subsequent years following. It works like this: All publically traded companies in the US must file an annual report with the Securities ...


1 comments  
keep reading »
Act Like A Professional
April 4, 2013 8:37 PM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

During my career in nuclear medicine, I have had the privilege of performing a variety of nuclear medicine exams on entertainment celebrities as well as professional athletes. These types of patients are given the all star treatment complete with a separate waiting room away from the general public, as well as having their tests done ...


 
keep reading »
Connecting With Patients
April 2, 2013 6:10 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

The reason I got into healthcare was to make a difference in people's lives. If I have the opportunity to make a real connection with someone during a shift that does it for me. This past weekend I had this privilege. I went to the waiting room to get my patient and we hit it off right away. He had a long, difficult to pronounce last name and I nailed it with my first attempt. This started things off on the right ...

 
keep reading »
Nuclear Medicine School - A good option?
March 28, 2013 2:40 PM by Matt Estrada of It's a Rad World

I recently met someone who is considering applying to nuclear medicine school. When she asked if I thought it was a good idea, I gave her several reasons why I think it's not the best decision she can make. Nuclear Medicine has changed so drastically since I first dipped my feet into its pool. Nuclear medicine programs continue to graduate ...


9 comments  
keep reading »
The Meaning of Fee Based
March 26, 2013 6:04 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

With week one under my belt, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction. The more I work the more it's all coming back to me. I was also surprised to see that my medical Spanish was only dormant and hadn't been forgotten. 

Working with veterans is very rewarding. They are grateful for their care and always have good stories to share. As I am learning to start IVs they are very patient ...

 
keep reading »
Week 1
March 19, 2013 7:20 PM by June Ammirati of Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

I have officially started my new CT job at the VA. So far everyone has been extremely nice during my training. There's so much to learn between the workflow, protocols, and the new machine. GE isn't as user friendly as Philips but I am catching on. 

The majority of my patients are out patients so this is a nice change from my previous job in the high volume ER. I actually have a little ...

 
keep reading »

ABOUT OUR BLOGS

Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist
Join Juney Ammirati as she shares her perspective on the day-to-day issues that arise in her work as a CT technologist at a Level 1 trauma center.

The Politics of Health Care
The Politics of Healthcare covers the latest developments in healthcare policy and legislation.

Confessions of a Clinical Engineer
Pat's greatest pleasure in life is helping others to become the best that they can be. He will be writing about medical maintenance in hospitals, sharing success stories as well as tips to help readers avoid bad or overly risky decisions.

It's a Rad World
Matt shares his insight as a radiologic technologist, providing anecdotes, valuable clinical information and field-specific news updates for medical imaging professionals at all career levels.