Years ago I was called in by the dean where I teach. The teacher scheduled for the fall course of Advanced Medical Terminology was moving out of town and couldn't honor her contract.  Classes started in less than 2 weeks and he asked if I would take over her class. I still remember my shock when I saw the required texts....2 books, ...

Comps are now almost a week away and, dare I say, I'm starting to feel the pressure. That said, I still feel much better than I did at this time last year. Our winter quarter has officially ended, and our spring break has begun. But the ending of this quarter is especially noteworthy, because it was my last quarter of physical classes... ...

I started my ''Clinical Skills'' course for the NHS. It is actually a university level course for a BSc nursing program. I showed up and sat with 19 other people, all of whom were practicing nurses. There are a number of NHS trusts who have adopted the Virginia Mason approach to management. The one that I work for is one of them. Part of the ...

 As a writer and editor, I subscribe to magazines, Web sites and blogs aimed at journalism professionals in general. But as a journalist specializing in medical imaging and radiation oncology, I also subscribe to outlets that pertain specifically to radiology. They give me information that I can't get from the ''all-purpose'' Web sites. ...

Just in case you're one of the two or three sonographers who haven't heard, musculoskeletal (MSK) sonography is growing rapidly throughout the world. Its use in Australia, Asia and Europe has been well established for years (partly due to the limited availability of competing modalities such as MRI). However, the use of MSK sonography in the ...

It is finally getting to be that time of year when most of us start to feel the effects of cabin fever. We all know that spring is just around the corner, and beautiful warmer days lie in wait. I know I am surely ready for warm days full of sunshine, especially since I am not that fond of cold, snowy winters. It is also that time of ...

I love teaching ''Radiation Biology.'' It's my favorite class to teach. Truly, if I had to explain my affinity for this course, I would be unable to. It probably has something to do with the topic and it coinciding with my personal interest in the pioneers of the imaging world. That being said, I found my interest piqued again by accident ...

Last month, I learned some things I wasn't taught in respiratory school: how to use social networking tools. As most of you know, I was trying to win a grant from Pepsi to purchase equipment for asthmatics in my area, and websites like Facebook and Twitter helped me to promote the project.We continually need updates on the latest procedures, ...

I always look forward to new or updated devices and products, but I can't say the same for new editions of textbooks. In that case, once you get accustomed to something you really like, you want it stay that way. As an instructor, you know exactly how to find the information you are going to need to teach the course. You already know what the ...

I was asked to do something last weekend that I didn’t know if I was ready for: work alone. We have a portable CT scanner, primarily for head scans, and thus a designated portable technologist on each shift. Last Friday night, this person was off. My lead tech asked me to have all the patients who would receive a portable head scan transported to ...