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 ...

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 ...

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 more paperwork to complete on line. These forms seem to have no end. She then escorted me ...

Now that we are back in Florida, I am eagerly looking for a job. Thanks to a wonderful former colleague, I am now in the hiring process for a CT position at the VA Hospital. If any of you have ever applied for a government job you know it can be a lengthy process. They have told me it can take up to three months. I am trying to be patient as my ...

Today was my first day of work with our new EPIC computer system. It is quite a challenge to completely change the way we do all of our computer work. Everything has been modified from charging for contrast to claiming exams to tracking exams. All of the patient information used to be on one or two screens and now I feel like I'm hunting all over ...

Does reality ever measure up with expectations? We see something and want to buy it hoping it will make us happy. We think if I only had that car or that job then I will have truly arrived. The truth is the happiness and growth comes during the pursuit of what we seek, not in attaining it.  When I was in X-ray school, I wanted a job in CT ...

Last weekend the veteran technologist I usually work with was away at a conference. I had no idea who I’d be working with and this left me feeling a little uneasy. It turned out that Saturday I worked with a woman I am very familiar with and truly enjoy and Sunday with a woman I rarely encounter. I was very proud of how I handled myself throughout ...

As much fun as I am having working with a student, it is a great responsibility. I am not the primary person training her but we do spend a good deal of quality time together each weekend. She is learning from a wonderful 20 year veteran who continues to teach me new things each and every week as well. When she goes to lunch it is just me and the ...

After several months of studying I am happy to report that I passed the CT advanced registry. I am not a huge fan of standardized tests so I was a bit apprehensive. I went back to the same testing center where I took my initial registry so at least I was familiar with the whole procedure. It feels so good to have this behind me. Not only do I ...

One difficult aspect of my job in the ER is how to deal with patients who have just lost friends or family in an accident. When we get accident trauma patients, we often find out if there were any fatalities prior to scanning the patient. Either the trauma nurses or the police inform us of this. I recently scanned a woman who was in an accident ...