Each July we see an influx of new residents to our teaching hospital. I work mostly with emergency medicine and radiology residents. Despite their vast knowledge base, they often don't know our usual protocols for CT. This creates quite a challenge for all involved. Last week I worked on one of the most complicated orders I have ever encountered. ...

Working at a teaching hospital has many pros and cons. One of the cons is the constant rotation of residents through the emergency room. While I respect their knowledge of medicine, they often don’t know which CT scans to order on their patients. They usually know what pathology they are looking for but don’t always know which scan will find ...

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 ...

Communicating effectively with my patients is essential to all aspects of my job. From the moment I say hello and introduce myself the process begins. It is important to put patients at ease and gain their trust. Maintaining good eye contact, mirroring their tone and vocabulary, and adjusting the stretcher so we are the same height play a ...

The crisp, cool air is telling us that fall has arrived, and with this change in seasons comes the eagerly anticipated start of football season. Many of us wonder how we lived without it for so many months. Whether you prefer college, the pros, or both, this is the time of year you've been waiting for. I grew up in a home with two parents who ...

An article I read this week for CEU credit proved to be quite interesting and informative. It discussed bleeding risks in interventional radiology (IR). I did a rotation through IR when I was in school and found it fascinating. I’m always delighted when I can learn something new that isn’t directly related to CT but rather to the overall care and ...

One dilemma I occasionally face is having to scan a patient who has killed someone. We often get motor vehicle accident traumas brought in after a fatality, and the patient we are scanning is the cause of the accident. I had one such case last weekend, where a man was driving drunk with his wife and son in the car. The wife was pretty banged up ...

This week I saw my first patient refuse her CT scan due to her concerns of receiving too much radiation. She stated that she has had numerous scans recently and knows that the radiation can be dangerous. This led me to research this topic a bit and gather some more information so I could be better informed. I found an article in USA Today that ...

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 ...