As a student, if you have a chance to choose a final rotation while in school, go out on a limb and try out an area that you are weak in or know little about. This is what prompted me to choose CT. I only had a quick, six-week rotation through CT, and it was cut short by the end-of-the-year holidays. My didactic training in CT was also limited, so it encouraged me to spend time reading about it on my own. Boy, has this come in handy. I found several CT chapters in my X-ray books; this gave me a great foundation for the knowledge I would acquire once on the job.

As the two-year program comes to an end, most students are busy studying for the registry and don’t need outside distractions like trying to learn a new modality. Try to push yourself. You will benefit from this down the road. It’s like a good workout in the gym: It’s easy to stop when you are tired, but you must persevere and do that last three reps or last five minutes on the treadmill. This is when the most benefit to your body occurs and where the most personal growth takes place.

You might end up working in CT, MRI or angiography, and there is no better time to try something new than as a student. At that time, you have less responsibility for what you are doing than when you are an actual employee and have your license.

For all of you students, be sure to check out the student center located under the “education/events” tab on our homepage (http://imaging-radiation-oncology.advanceweb.com/Article/Professional-Associations.aspx?RPID=19). Here, you will find links to major state and national imaging societies that will help you with your transition from student to professional technologist/imager.

Not only am I enjoying my new career more and more each week but I am so grateful to have all of the benefits that come with a full time position. My benefits recently kicked in and I am saving a good deal of money each month on prescriptions and doctor's visits.

One thing I haven't had since 1997 is paid time off. I took my first weekend off this coming weekend to enjoy Halloween but mainly because it's the one year anniversary of my father's death and we are having a memorial for him and finally putting up his headstone.

My father told me about the doctor visits, x-rays, PET and CT scans he had as he was dealing with aging. He told me how important it was for him to have the person who was performing the exam on him tell him what to expect. I always think of this when I am working with my patients and it makes me smile. 

He passed away a year ago yesterday and I am still struggling with the many emotions that come with losing a parent. I am so grateful to have the time off of work so I can be with my family and I appreciate the support of my co-workers during this difficult time. 

I'm getting a much better handle on some exams that initially challenged me like a CTA Chest to r/o a pulmonary embolism. We have a new protocol for this exam and I've finally mastered it. I ran a whole exam with no one's help and it was an excellent study. I was so proud of myself.

Now I need to turn my attention to CTA Head and Neck exams. The actual exam isn't that tough, it's just the post processing that's a challenge. I keep reviewing all of my angiography notes and am doing some research on line to make sure I at least know my anatomy.

I have found websites like www.chestx-ray.com/anatomy/CrossSections/CrossSection.html that have a mouse rollover option to learn anatomy, vessels, and arteries to be exceptionally helpful.

For the first time last week I had to call security on a young, drunk girl because she insisted on escorting her friend who was the patient into our CT area. This is a HIPAA violation because we have a good deal of patient information visible at our work station. I was pleasantly surprised to see that security arrives in less than one minute when they are called.

With my extensive experience of working with psychiatric patients I wasn't scared, just very frustrated. I asked her a number of times to go to the waiting area but she refused. It's important to remember you can't reason with a drunk person. Also, the louder they speak the softer you must speak and the more calm you must stay if you ever hope to get through to them. In the end, this young girl was escorted away by three security guards, all much taller than her and each carrying a gun. I do wish this could have been avoided but it was necessary. I feel that my co-worker and I handled this the best we could as no one got hurt and the girl who needed treatment received it.  

Up to this point I've been so concerned with learning the technical parts of my job that I feel my patient care has suffered a bit. Working closely with patients has always been my favorite part of any health care job I've held. It's by far the main reason I work in healthcare and it can be such a rewarding experience.

I had a patient this past weekend who came to CT three times in one shift for multiple scans. He was very sick and the doctors were having trouble accurately diagnosing him. He had many previously diagnosed chronic illnesses as well but regardless of all of this he was in good spirits. He was difficult to move from his stretcher to our table, even though he was ambulatory. He was weak and had a significant pain in his lumbar region. He needed a great deal of patience and assistance, all of which I was only too happy to offer.  

You could look into his eyes and see his pain and frustration. It was also evident that he was embarrassed by his physical condition. I kept the mood light when appropriate and made him feel as comfortable as possible. I tried to make his return to CT each time fun. I made sure all of his needs were met and his expectations of his care were exceeded. I began by calling him by his first name and he thanked me for doing this. He said it made him feel more like a human being. The time I spent with him was the most rewarding of my long 16 hour shift and it made my exhaustion and all other complaints melt away. It reminded me of why I spent two years in school, why I took this job, and why being kind to another person is the greatest reward I have in life.

Working 16 hour shifts overnight poses many challenges like trying to stay focused and alert at 4am but it also poses the difficult task of trying to get along with co-workers during this extended period of time. I have already seen a few heated disagreements that thankfully ended well. If you put a handful of people together who are sleep deprived and stressed out I guess this is the eventual outcome.

It is difficult for me as the newcomer. I don’t want to take sides and I am only there to do my job. If I make a friend along the way that is great but that is not my objective. I really have to trust my co-workers and they have to trust me as well in this line of work or else we are all in danger, especially the patient.

I am also seeing the lazy side of a few people. They know that because I am new I need to learn how to scan so they are often eager to sit back and let me do the majority of the work. This is not fair to me at all and I am trying to put an end to it. During my long shifts, I have plenty of time to scan but I also enjoy the patient care aspect as well so I’m trying to do both. Most of my co-workers are okay with this now which is great but a few still need to be reminded that we are all there to work.

All in all I really enjoy who I work with so I’m trying to not let the few bad apples spoil the bunch. This is just another one of life’s challenges that offers me the opportunity to learn more about myself so that is what I intend to do.

I had a very good weekend at work. I'm getting a little more used to the overnights and lack of sleep. Most important, I'm feeling much more comfortable doing the actual job. Overnight is the busiest time so working fast and smart is essential. My co-workers have been impressed with the pace I can keep since I'm new but I'm no stranger to hard work. We can go from five people in the well of "patients to do" to twenty in a matter of minutes. This can be especially challenging when it's 3am and I've been at work for twelve hours already.

We had a variety of patients this weekend but so many of the traumas were injuries to 25-35 yr old males from getting hurt riding motorcycles and/or ATVs. It also seems that abdominal pain was a popular complaint. I just can't believe that people come to the ER after having a stomach ache for only a few hours. I saw and heard more patients vomit on Sunday than I ever thought I would in one day.

Now that I am getting some of the basic exams down it's time to move on to the more complicated CTAs. We have different protocols for PEs and aortic dissections that take a bit of time to learn. The one for a PE is a little bit easier so I am tackling that one first. I  am also spending time at home studying my angio notes and diagrams from school. My boyfriend and I were watching Shark Week on TV last night and they kept talking about how important the femoral artery is when it comes to survival from a shark attack. He asked what that was so I got my notes out and went over that with him and also showed him the road map of all arteries and veins that are contained within the body. It was a great learning experience for both of us. I so much appreciate him taking an interest in my work. We continuously teach each other as we have such a varied base of knowledge. My mom always says the best way to truly learn something is to teach it. Wise words from the wisest woman I know.