End of semester

Turned in my end of semester hours and comps today. It is nice to have those finished. As much as I enjoy CT and my clinical site, I am looking forward to the holiday break (see previous "hitting the wall" post). It will be nice to spend time with my kiddos and work a bit less. Time to work on some projects around the house - I have tiles to replace in my kitchen floor and wallpaper to peel!

On a clinical note, I have glad I spent the extra 1/2 day in clinicals this semester, and I plan to continue that next semester. The experience of training with 2 techs has been really valuable, and more time on the scanner has just made me more comfortable overall. Things are starting to "click" in my brain and the added repetition and extra time have really helped.

I didn't get my temporal bones comp done, but it is first on my list for next semester.

Driving!!!

I have been challenging myself to "drive" the scanner during joint injections. Today was my second time driving with just a small amount of direction from the tech. I think it adds another element of stress to the exam when you have a Radiologist standing behind you in sterile gloves waiting for you to get on with it! I told Angie (tech on Weds.) that I just need to continue to challenge myself because I learn the most when I make a mistake. Sad, but true....

On another note, I seem to be in the middle of an "off" IV period. None of my sticks are going in! I am getting discouraged but I am going to keep on trying.

Today Angie and I discussed some specifics of scanning when we use "Smart Prep," so every day in clinic I feel I am learning something new about how to operate the machine. I ran the scanner start to finish during a abd/pelvis w/contrast with only a small amount of coaching. Thank you Angie!!

That's the news from clinicals today!!

Ugh - burnout.....

Feeling like I'm hitting the too much work, studying, clinical wall. My life is out of balance! That will sound familiar to all of the working parents among us. I have my 3rd comp for the semester done (CT head) so that is a big relief. I still want to get my temporal bones comp in the next few weeks in order to challenge myself.

It was a busy week in clinicals this past week. Every day was full of exams and on Friday I had to get off the scanner so Kim could catch us up. It really made me realize how much faster I need to get before I'm able to work on my own. But, just like x-ray.....I know my speed will improve with time and experience so I try not to get discouraged.

Anyhow, to fight my burnout I'm going out to dinner tomorrow with some good friends. Taking some "me" time. My kids will survive and studying can wait for an evening. What does this have to do with CT? Not much. Except if I don't take care of myself I will be the next patient in the scanner!

Temporal Bones vs. STN

I am having so much trouble getting these two exams straight in my head! I always think I should be doing butterflies on temporal bones, and then forget that most of the time we need them on STN's! Finally Kim said to me on the last temporal bones (a young kid w/lot's of braces.....) "look at where the temporal bones are and look at where the braces are. The braces aren't even where we are scanning." Duh - light bulb moment. Finally! Sometimes I concentrate so hard on the protocol and positioning that I forget to use my common sense. Thank you Kim!

I have decided to challenge myself to comp on temporal bones this semester. I need to increase my speed and this is a good exam to do fast, since the position is uncomfortable for the patient.

Mid-semester

Well, I'm about 1/2 way thru Semester 2. Anatomy is going well. I am discovering that it is a lot of self study and memorization but that is ok. Scanning is coming more easily over time and I do feel like I've increased my speed. Last week I did most of the timing on a contrast exam so bit by bit I am improving! We continue to see a lot of ortho exams and post-myelograms in the clinic. One more comp to go for the semester!

Plugging along....

Things are going well this semester. I have made good progress with IV's and have comped on my upper extremity and lumbar spine. I need to work on a couple of things - my speed, and really pushing myself with the contrast exams. Contrast timing still presents a challenge!

I am feeling more comfortable with the tracking/PACS system used at the clinic - it is a big change from what I'm used to.

I am also enjoying my time on Wed. mornings working with a different CT tech. Now I can pick up tips from two techs rather than just one!

New Semester

Welcome to Semester 2! I will be adding an additional 1/2 day of clinical time this semester. This will give me the opportunity to have more scan time as well as train with another CT tech. I think it will be interesting to see how the techs do things differently.

I am finding myself much more comfortable with non-contrast exams now. Reformats are coming faster and easier. Contrast exams remain a challenge - getting the timing right!

All in all I would say progress is happening! I'm looking forward to the semester.

Comps are done!

I have finished my 3 comps for the semester. This semester I chose to comp on Daily QA, Abd for Stone protocol and Chest w/out contrast. I felt these were a good starting point - basic scans that are not too complicated compared to some other exams we do! It is a relief to have them finished!

The tech and I were working on weekly ACR testing today. She had tough time lining up the phantom. Talk about an exercise in frustration! I was having trouble understanding the layout of the pins in the phantom so she nicely scanned thru the entire phantom for me. It became so much clearer to me after that! I feel fortunate to be working with such a good teacher - thank you Kim!

Obits

I came across the obit for a cancer patient that we have been scanning at my clinical site. It is always so sad when a patient dies. And, it is difficult to be the tech scanning them and seeing the cancer advancing right in front of you.

I am always so touched to read the obits of my former patients. I think it really is a way of honoring their life. So many of them have such interesting pasts - they have wonderful families and have had challenging and productive careers. By the time we meet them they are often very ill, or have changed so much physically and mentally from their peak. The obits remind me of all the life those patient's have had before I met them, and reminds me to treat them with kindness and respect. Just a thought from me....

Last Thursday was an exciting day. I did my first Angiocath IV! I learned on butterflies in x-ray school, and most of you know how often we do IVP's these days (especially on weekend option shift...) so I am definitely out of practice. I was pretty happy to get that hurdle over with.

This guy (aka "the innocent victim") was a bodybuilder and had great protruding veins so he was a good starter patient. Now I need to continue to practice each week and build on my skills.

First Scan!

Today I did my first scan completely on my own - a limited screening sinus (coronal view). I took the patient history, positioned the patient and scanned. I reviewed my scan, evaluated my images, sent them to the Radiologist and tracked my patient. I also made a CT of the images. And, it didn't take me all day!

I really felt like this exam was a good one to start with. It is pretty simple and straightforward. I was as proud as when I did my first chest x-ray on my own!

I have just finished my 5th week of clinicals and am getting much more comfortable with the variety of exams and protocols. The "recons" and "reformats" are starting to make more sense. Now I'm waiting for a patient with a really good vein so I can attempt my first IV with an Angiocath. I am used to butterflies in x-ray.

I am also really enjoying the staff at my clinical site. Everyone has been really friendly and helpful.

About me

Hi all,
I forgot to tell you about me in my previous post. I am a weekend option tech at a large Northside Indy hospital and have been out of school for 2 years. I am excited about continuing my training in CT at a local imaging center. CT interests me because of the large variety of exams that can be done on the scanners. New exams are being developed, scanners are getting faster and more advanced, and radiation doses are decreasing as new software is developed. I am looking forward to the challenge of learning a new modality.

I am Mom to four wonderful kids, aged 19, 17, 16 and 12. They keep me busy during the week and we enjoy family time at home watching movies and eating popcorn. I am lucky to have such loving and supportive kids who encourage me to study and keep growing and developing my skills.

Day One

I enjoyed my first clinical day. Spent the day learning my way around the office (I found the lunchroom and restroom, very important....). I will be training on a 16 slice scanner. Observed in the morning, and spent the afternoon learning to load the injector and bring patient's in and out of the scanner. I watched a biopsy. All in all, a productive first day. I am excited to return tomorrow and continue learning!