Radiology/Imaging 02/27/15

Report

1. This week the nurses duties included calling in the patient, making sure they changed into linen, laying them down on the table, making sure they were comfortable, and taking images.
2. Today I learned what an IVP is. IVP stands for intravenous pyelogram, and it takes images of the kidneys, liver and bladder.
3. I thought it was really cool to see the images after they took them.
4. I guess the worst thing that happened today was when the student there messed up while taking an image. He didn't let the equipment run long enough. It was corrected by redoing the image.

This week was: GOOD

I really enjoyed watching how the equipment worked and seeing the images produced. The staff was really nice, and they all worked well together.

Record

Technology Observed:

Today I observed a couple different machines. I saw the x-ray machine, and also a tomography machine. Both machines were controlled with a button, and they took an image very quickly. 

Diagnostic Procedures:

The nurses in imaging would lay the patients down and prep them. The patient first had to change into a hospital gown, and then the nurses explained what they were going to do. They also gave the patient contrast through an IV. 

Therapeutic Procedures:

There were not any therapeutic procedures. The most the nurses did was cover the patient with blankets to make sure she was not cold.

Diseases/Disorders:

The patient did not have any diseases or disorders. However, she was in the imaging area to get images taken of her kidney, liver and bladder because she had a urinary tract infection, and they wanted to see if she had any stones.

Medical Terminology/Abbreviations:

I only came into contact with one medical abbreviation. I saw on a report the medical abbreviation "DOB" which stands for "Date of Birth."

Journal

     When I walked into the imaging room it was a small office about half the size of a classroom. The personnel were all dressed in black scrubs, and there were about 5 staff members in there. The staff would go outside to get their patient and bring them into the room. They gave them time to change in a hospital gown and instructed the patient to lay on the table. The nurses used the tomography machine to take images of the patient's kidney, liver and bladder. After the image was taken, it would show up on the computer screen, and then they would move on to the next image they needed to take.

     I watched the nurses place the machine and patient in the correct spot. There was one imaging nurse instructing a student from medical school on how to work it, and she was also showing a new lady how everything worked. The nurse had to check with the doctor to make sure it was okay for the them to give the patient contrast, so they worked with the doctor and radiation therapist. Before taking each image, the nurses would move behind a wall, so they would not be exposed to any radiation. 

    Going into the imaging area, I knew that they took x-rays and other imaging stuff. I thought it would be really complicated to run the machines, but truth is, all they do is hold down a button, and the machine does the rest. I only came across one medical abbreviation that was on a patient's information sheet, and that was "DOB" or "Date of Birth." I also learned that IPV stands for intravenous pyelogram, and it is used to take images of the kidneys, liver and bladder.

     The imaging unit was very interesting. It was really cool to see how everything worked, and to see it behind the scenes. I am not used to being behind the scenes. I definitely learned what some of the imaging stuff is, and what different equipment they use. If I ever wanted to be in imaging, I could use some of the information I learned.