Juney’s World: Days in the Life of a CT Technologist

Insect Inside

June Ammirati — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:07:00 GMT

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...(read more)

IV Contrast Allergy

June Ammirati — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:19:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Back on the Job Hunt

June Ammirati — Sat, 04 May 2013 15:45:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Stick it to 'em

June Ammirati — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:41:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Being a Grateful Patient

June Ammirati — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 12:01:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Going the Extra Mile

June Ammirati — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:03:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Connecting With Patients

June Ammirati — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:10:00 GMT

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...(read more)

The Meaning of Fee Based

June Ammirati — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 22:04:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Week 1

June Ammirati — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:20:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Orientation

June Ammirati — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:34:00 GMT

Today was my first day of new employee orientation. It went as good as can be expected and will continue for the next two days. I will start training in CT at the end of the week. I’ve never worked a job with a commute of more than 15 minutes and now...(read more)

Refresher Course

June Ammirati — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:40:00 GMT

With my new job beginning next week, I realized that I should get back to the basics. I haven’t worked in CT since October of 2011 so a return to the books is in order. I have been freshening up on my anatomy and positioning and revisiting old text books....(read more)

It's About Time

June Ammirati — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:11:00 GMT

After going on an interview in mid December of last year, I was just given my start date at the VA of mid March. I guess it’s better late than never. I was initially supposed to begin orientation today but some unfinished paperwork held things up. I have...(read more)

Be Memorable

June Ammirati — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:59:00 GMT

Jobs are difficult to get these days and it end ups being more about who you know, not what you know. I have my foot in the door at the VA because of a former colleague. She actually helped me get my first CT job right out of school and now she’s helping...(read more)

Strong Work Ethic

June Ammirati — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:34:00 GMT

While I’m very excited about getting back to work, I haven’t done CT since October of 2011. Before that I only did it for 2 ¼ years so I know I still have so much to learn. At my previous hospital I worked exclusively on a Philips machine and at the VA...(read more)

On My Way

June Ammirati — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:36:00 GMT

I spent most of yesterday at the VA Hospital having various tests performed and handing over copies of my fingerprints at the police station. I first met with a nice woman from HR who needed me to sign yet another form. She also informed me that I have...(read more)