Last Week

Well, I'm in my last week of clinicals for the semester and finally have all of my comps and clinical hours finished. I can officially say that I am now pooped. It has been a long semester of mostly work interspersed with the occasional day off. I am ready for a break.

The lead tech said something that really stuck with me last week. She was training another tech on a MRA of the wrist and she said, "can you do a carotid? Because if you can, you can do an MRA on any body part. You just take the principles and apply them using the proper coil and the body part." I know I will never forget that statement. She is always stressing that in MR common sense will carry you far.

Thank you Cindy, Penny and Laurie!

CT and MR

I noticed something interesting last week when I was working PRN in CT. All the time I have been spending in MR is really helping me with my reformats in CT. I think all the time spent thinking in 3 planes is starting to pay off. I noticed I was completing my reformats much more quickly last week, and they looked much better too.

I am working on Lumbar spines now and chugging along toward comp #2. I've been working a lot of hours between my weekend job, CT PRN and MR clinicals. I'm getting tired!

First Comp!!!

I got my first comp today, on a shoulder. One down, two to go! Next I will start working on lumbars and knees. I have been watching the techs extra closely when they scan those so I am hopeful I will do well on the various angles and it won't take me too long.

We had a MR brain for pituitary adenoma today. The patient had a known tumor and they were checking it for any signs of growth. I was amazed at how well you could see it even on the non-contrast images. A neat study to watch.

Highs and Lows

I returned to clinicals after a 2 week break and had a discouraging Monday on the scanner. I pretty much forgot everything. The techs worked with me quite a bit on Tuesday and I was able to get my sea legs back. I am feeling closer to being ready to comp on my shoulder. Thank you Laurie and Penny!

We had an interesting case on Wednesday - a MRA of the knees for suspected popliteal artery entrapment. I had never seen an MRA before so I learned a lot about how to use the power injector. Just don't ask me to do one! I know I would have missed the contrast in the arteries. I didn't even see it until the tech pointed it out to me. After the MRA the Rad wanted a few scans comparing the knees with the feet in different positions (toes down, gas pedal, and neutral). It was very interesting to watch the lead tech customize the protocol to the Rad's request. I was really able to see how technically competent and knowledgeable about the scanner she is.

Plugging along....

I have been on the scanner a bit each clinical day now working on shoulders, both post arthrogram and regular. Each time I sit down I feel a bit more comfortable and less nervous. I need to work on my speed in setting up the first scan. Talking w/the patients is getting easier. Now I think it is a matter of repetition, repetiton, repetition.

Another location

Today I went to a different CDI location for clinicals. I worked with a tech I have never worked with before and it was very interesting to see the variations in positioning for the scans. I am beginning to see that each tech has their own preferences - sponges vs. sandbags vs. pillows. I also noticed that each tech scans a bit differently as well. I enjoyed working with another tech today - I feel like I can pick and choose what will work for me. In other news, I also scanned a shoulder (with a lot of coaching) yesterday. It is so nice to finally be the one on the scanner.

On the scanner!!

Today was an exciting day. After 5 weeks of observing I was able to scan my first patient today - will a lot of assistance. It was a post-arthrogram hip. A few observations - I was concentrating so hard on what I was doing that I forgot to talk to the patient. Then I couldn't get the intercom working correctly.

I was able to set my 3 planes fairly easily - I think having worked in CT and doing reformats helped with that part of the scan. Also, I have worked on a Siemens CT scanner before and the MR is a Siemens as well, so some things are similar.

All in all a great day!! Thank you to all the wonderful techs I am working with. You made my day!!

Ice Storm

Last week in clinicals was pretty much a bust. I was there on Monday, then missed Tuesday and Wednesday due to the storm. My clinical site was actually closed on Wed. due to the weather. It took me a few minutes to get back into the swing of things this week. I am feeling comfortable with the table coils and can switch them out fairly quickly. I am still seeing unusual things while screening my patients - I had a false arm this week (note: always remove...) and my first metal worker, who told me a great way to get metal shavings out of your hands. He uses a strong magnet to bring the shavings to the surface so he can pluck them out. In other news, the MSK Radiologist spent a few minutes explaining post-arthrogram sequences to me so now I understand what she is looking at and looking for.

I am hoping to get on the scanner soon!

Rookie mistake

This is week 3 of my MR clinicals and today I made a rookie mistake. I had a patient who came in for a MR of his head and he was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. So of course my first thought was that I didn't need to get him changed into scrubpants since there was no metal on his sweatpants. I did the routine screening with him but forgot to ask him if he had anything in his pockets. As we were putting him into the scanner the tech felt his car keys moving toward the magnet and grabbed them just as they exited his pocket and right before they made it to the side of the magnet. A scary moment for me and a lesson I will not soon forget. I will never make THAT mistake again.

Then the next patient I screened and had dress (for a T-spine) came out of the dressing room with his necklace on!! When the lead tech told him he would have to take it off he looked right at me and said, "I can't believe I forgot, even after you told me to take it off." So another lesson learned - look at the patient again carefully before they get on the table.

Clinicals Day One

Today was my first day of MR clinicals. I am fortunate to be in a facility where I have worked CT so I do know my way around. It is nice to know the RIS and PACS system as well - one less thing to learn! I am working with three techs - Cindy, Penny and Laurie. They want me to concentrate on learning the various coils for the scanner and how to get them in and out. So that is what I worked on today. I was very proud that later in the day I got all set up for a shoulder. And all was well until I had the patient in the room and discovered that I had put the coil on the wrong side! Ooops! Better luck tomorrow....

About me - round 2

Hello everyone,
I am calling this about me "round two" since this is my second time doing clinicals through USI. I graduated from USI in August of 2010 with a B.S. in Medical Imaging. I did my clinicals the first time around in CT and passed my boards in July. I was fortunate to be hired PRN by the imaging center where I did my clinicals. They have been kind enough to let me learn MR next! So, I am repeating the USI clinical courses but this time around I am studying MR. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to continue my learning in such a supportive and friendly environment.

So, what has changed in my life in the past 18 months? I sent another child off to college so my home got quieter. My youngest joined the high school color guard so my driving schedule got busier. I continue to work my weekend option diagnostic x-ray job. That facility went trauma 2 in November so that is a new experience for me. I am enjoying the challenge that comes with trauma patients. I continue to work PRN in CT and am learning more every time I work. I am grateful for my wonderful family and friends.