Sweet Success

Both classes are going well as the end of the first quarter closes in. Last week we received our clinical assignments for next quarter, and my facility is about 40 miles from my house. It's one of the farthest sites from our school, but I'm not worried about the distance. In speaking to a senior student in my program, I learned that my site is an outpatient only facility meaning that *most* of the patients I see will be able to assist me in positioning rather than me having to work around stretchers, patients that can't stand, etc. On one hand, I can see the benefit of being thrown into a situation where all odds seem to be stacked against me, but on the other hand, I'm looking forward to easing my way into the pool with able-bodied patients. The way I look at it, I want to make sure that I'm doing the x-ray correctly before I have other factors to think about. Besides, I'm not naieve enough to think that ALL of my patients will do exactly as I say as if we are playing Simon Says.

We received our second positioning test back today - 100%! I'm really enjoying the practicality of my positioning class. All of the lectures are very straight and to the point. There's not a lot of time spent going over information that isn't necessary to the day-to-day in the life of an RT, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate the methodical, organized style of our instructor's lectures. Everything seems to be in the exact place I might put it if I were writing the lectures myself. That's comforting to me; helps me understand the material more.

My RAD 101 class, on the other hand, is not going quite as well. I understand the material just fine, but I'm not doing as well on the tests as I would have hoped. Our latest test covered medical emergencies and pharmacology. I studied all of the material, but unfortunately, I placed more emphasis on a section of the notes that didn't warrant even one question on the test. I'm not blaming the instructor - afterall, it's HIS class. It's his choice what to include and what not to include on the exams. I'm just finding it a bit harder to get into the groove of what to expect on his tests. I got an 89% on the test, which isn't bad, but I'm a perfectionist, as I bet a good many of you are, so I don't need to explain any further. :) I still have an A average in the class (which is what matters more than any test grade), and I am "getting" the material, which is the ultimate goal anyway, right?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, we only have a few more weeks left in the quarter which our instructors have squeezed in two more tests and finals. :) It'll be a busy next couple of weeks, but I'm looking forward to the light at the end of the tunnel (fall break) then clinicals beginning!

Homemade Study Aids

Classes and work have been going well the past couple of weeks, and I can DEFINITELY see where my job is going to help me in my classes - especially in positioning. Today we had a test over chest, ribs, sternum and abdomen positions and were asked which positions are typically protocol. A few other students were struggling to remember, but because I see the requisition forms on a daily basis, I have a good grasp of what the docs are looking for. I feel VERY fortunate to have this opportunity!

Speaking of the test, I studied my bum off ALL weekend and even started my own pocket-sized positioning book to carry with me to clinicals. There are some of these available online (and pretty inexpensively, I believe), but I decided to make my own. I'm finding that this time around in college, I'm much more aware of what kind of studying works for me and what doesn't. I'm not someone who can read a few chapters in a textbook and be ready for the test. I need to write - EVERYTHING - and use my own abbreviated shorthand. Soooo...by making my own pocket positioning guide, I'm reinforcing the positions in my brain through my hand; I am making notes that mean something to me; AND I'm saving money! :) In case anyone is interested, here's how my book works: I bought a spiral bound book of index cards and a set of post-it tabs. I wrote out the positioning criteria for each position we will be required to comp on (patient position, part position, central ray position, respiration and anatomy) and separated them with the tabs. Each position (ex: PA Chest) gets the front of one card. I found diagrams on the Internet of the position and of the x-ray and taped the pictures to the back of each card. Some pictures are better than others, but the important thing is that I understand it, and I do. :) Here's a quick snapshot of how it looks:



I apologize that the pictures are a bit blurry...unfortunately I am NOT a photographer, and my point-and-shoot digital camera is about as old as I am. :) Anyway, I'm not sure if this book idea would help anyone else, but it certainly helped me study! If anyone else has any tips to share on studying, feel free to leave me a comment!! :)

Without giving away too much detail about my job or my patients, I will say that I am really enjoying it! I love the patient interaction part and am enjoying the hospital setting. Even when there isn't anything exciting going on, there always seems to be a buzz of activity around the halls that I've never experienced anywhere else. And, of course, a chill runs through my spine everytime I step into an x-ray room. :) One of my coworkers tells me on a daily basis how that will eventually go away. I sincerely hope not. :)

Have a great week!

New Job...New Experiences

It has been awhile since my last post, and all I can say is that life is VERY full in RT Wannabe World. I recently accepted a position at a local hospital to make some extra money and glean as much information as humanly possible from some Rad Techs. I am working for the imaging department as a patient transporter. This particular hospital has two imaging departments - one for inpatients and one for outpatients (located outside of the hospital). I am working with inpatients and when they are scheduled for a procedure in the department, I get them from their rooms and deliver them to the techs. It's a fairly easy job and (so far) rewarding, and I'm learning a lot. I just started this week but have been trying to (un-obnoxiously) point out to the techs I see that I am an x-ray student. Everyone has been receptive, and I'm finding that a few actually graduated from my program! Having this job has also helped to instill just a bit more confidence in my decision to change careers. I REALLY enjoy working with the patients and most of them have been grateful for my services so far.

We also had another test in RAD 101 this week, and I hope to find out my score on Monday. The test dealt mostly with radiation protection and units of measurement, and I'm confident that I did well. I'm sure many of you seasoned students and/or techs will remember the Inverse Square Law. :) In positioning class, we started talking about chest positions, and will go to lab next week to demonstrate those positions (along with abdominal positions) with real equipment. As always, I'm looking forward to the hands-on portion.

At work today, I met a student from another rad tech program in my area. She is in her second year and rotating through MRI. She'll take the registry in September, and when I asked if she was nervous, she revealed her study book to me - FULL of notes. :) It was nice to see that I'm not alone. Even if I were interested in selling any of my books at the end of each quarter, there's no way I could...they're too marked up, highlighted, dogeared, etc. for anyone other than me. The other student and I discussed the different modalities, and she said that her original plan was to move on to MRI after she finished x-ray school. BUT, thank goodness for clinical rotations because she realized that she's better suited for CT. Even with my general knowledge, I'm leaning toward Radiation Therapy but wonder if that will change once I actually rotate through that department. Here's a question for you...are you interested in a certain modality? If so, which one? Why?

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

PS - Be sure to check out the new blog, Road to Radiography, I added to my list of links and welcome a new RT student to our blog community!