Staying Focused
Perhaps the most important ingredient in facing each day is
our mental toughness. Being mentally prepared will help each of us to handle
any number of events and situations that may occur. If your mind is not focused
on the task at hand, a number of mistakes may result. Athletes are constantly
challenged with the physical demands of their sport, but if they are not
mentally prepared to meet those challenges, the results could be as disastrous
as sustaining a career-ending injury.
The elite athletes seem to be the most scrutinized when they
fail to live up to the expectations placed upon them due to their status. When
they fall short of their expectations, they are said to be in a “slump." This
word implies that while they are not living up to their potential, they will
eventually perform to their expected level and beyond.
We all saw what happened to Tiger Woods once the adulation
and the cheers turned into shock and dismay in regards to the controversy
surrounding his personal life. The power of psychology unfolded right before
our eyes as we witnessed one of the most mentally prepared athletes in the
world begin to succumb to the criticism and negative publicity he was not
accustomed to. His domination in his sport began to disappear as he was
rendered “normal”, although normal for him is still far superior to many of his
challengers on the golf course.
Of course, that’s an example of an extreme level. For most
of us, there are no cheers from a crowd as we rise in the morning to prepare
our kids for their daily dose of school and education. There’s no one patting
us on the back as we walk into our place of employment, encouraging us to do
the best we can. Our moments of relaxed focus can’t be explained as a slump. A
slump in any profession other than sports is not acceptable, since most of us
don’t have the luxury of “riding out” weeks of poor performance. In this
economy, we are being asked to do more with fewer resources all the while
knowing that compensation for our extra efforts will most likely never emerge.
I’ve worked with so many people involved in many different
aspects of medicine over the years. I’ve seen the havoc from the hardships that
divorce, break-ups, trauma (from losing a home to a fire and all your
possessions, to the death of a loved one) can wreak upon our daily lives. Some
have handled the hardships better than others. When an event occurs that
disrupts our lives, pushing us to our limits, it’s vital that we each have a
great support system to help us pull through.
Sometimes, that support system may include the people you
work with. In any profession, it is imperative that we all remain focused when
performing our duties. One mistake could lead to many others, with the results
causing potential harm to someone. I’ve witnessed coworkers in my field with
stellar performance records commit misadministrations of nuclear isotopes,
simply because they were distracted by an event in their lives. Many automobile
accidents are caused by a driver losing their focus on the road.
For nuclear med techs, it’s vital that we remain focused at
all times. We must use methods of patient identification, such as name and date
of birth prior to performing any nuclear exams on a patient. Radioisotope
verification is critical prior to injecting a patient for their exam as well.
Although it is rare, radioisotopes delivered from a radiopharmacy can be
mislabeled. If a radioisotope being calibrated for a patient’s exam doesn’t
seem to calibrate properly, there are two possibilities that may exist. One is
that the dose calibrator may not be functioning properly. This possibility is
either verified or ruled out during the quality control testing performed
during the opening of the nuclear medicine lab. If the QC performed on the dose
calibrator was completed and verified, this will rule out the possibility of an
equipment failure.
The second possibility of a calibrator and isotope mismatch
is that the isotope may be improperly labeled. If this is the case, you must
call the radiopharmacy that prepared the dose, and have them verify their
established protocols used to identifiy, prepare, verify and label the dose in
question.
Since a number of people may be involved in handling the
radioisotope before it arrives to the nuclear lab, it is imperative that each
individual be focused on their duties in ensuring the proper radioisotope is
delivered to the correct facility.
I’ve had distractions at times in my life that have caused
my focus to wane, but to be considered one of the best, you must learn
different ways of remaining focused. There are countless things we may use to
relieve stress such as exercising, reading, traveling, volunteering, painting,
decorating or writing. Take advantage of anything that interests you and try to
incorporate it into your life. It may be just what you need to help you retain
your focus.