Hello,
Thought I best come and update this before it didn't happen at all. I've been meaning to all week! This week I have been in CT for the whole week and I was right to be apprehensive. Just as I thought it was not my cup of tea at all although over the course of the week I went from absolutely hating it to finding it bearable. As with most things in life it depends on the people you are surrounded by as to whether something is enjoyable or not doesn't it? That being said, CT just really didn't float my boat but at least I know that now and it's something I learned about myself.
Ok, so in CT you are really working as part of a team. At least two radiographers are always present because you administer a contrast (Optiray 300) which is typically 100 ml and I think (although I could be wrong) is primarily iodine based. Depending on what you are examining there may be a delay between injecting the contrast and taking the images so you may do two or three series of images, i.e before contrast, soon after injection and then another after a ten minute delay depending on what you are looking at whether it's blood flow in the heart and the course of the aorta or whether you are looking at the kidneys and the ureters. The reason for the delays and different timings for injecting contrast and taking images is also so that when looking at blood flow you can look at arterial and venous phases.
Sorry if I am talking more gibberish than usual today, I am kind of taking notes for myself to jog my memory if I need to look back and think about what I have done and what I learned this week and to be honest some of it I need to double check on the accuracy. So anyway, most of the examinations I saw were for CT head, high res chest, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, triple phase kidney and CT urography. They seemed to be the ones that appeared continuously but I also saw one or two shoulder examinations and an exam that looked at blood flow all the way down into the legs.
I always used to think CT was nice and peaceful and quite a relaxed environment as whenever I've had to go down there to help with a PAT slide or pass on a message all you ever seem to see is the radiographers sat behind the lead screen drinking coffee and having a relatively easy life compared to the rest of the department but looks really can be deceiving. Having spent a week in there I would say it has been the busiest of all the different modalities I've been to the past two weeks. It is extremely hectic and as you would expect you get patients in all kinds of states.
There are ward patients and outpatients to get through and then you get emergency patients being sent round from A&E or other sources who require urgent referral for CT. From what I remember I think most of these were head scans and after a few days I was able to get patients onto the table and position them. At first I felt like a fish out of water not knowing what I should be doing (or not doing), not wanting to get in the way but feeling like I was sticking out like a sore thumb and a total nuisance because I felt like there was little time to deal with students.
Thankfully though one of the mentors was fantastic and seemed to take pleasure in taking students under their wing and getting them involved so that was brilliant when they were working and to be honest it was their guidance that got me through the week. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have learned anything at all as this was one of those situations where you felt like you were a bit of a dogsbody, not really getting to see or do what you were meant to be there for in the first place. Again, thankfully it doesn't happen too often because it can be soul destroying. From previous experience I've found that if you keep trying to make an effort and don't let people knock your confidence too much then you will normally find someone who as I say is happy to take you under their wing and to help you to make the most of the time and get good experience.
It's not normally like this but I think it was just due to the stressful and pressured environment in CT, and as we all know, everybody reacts differently to stress so I just took it on the chin and got on with it. I was sure glad to see Friday and the end of my block of placement though! Unfortunately though I've come down with yet another cold and feel like death. I started feeling ill Thursday night and was worried I wouldn't be fit to go in yesterday but as I just had a bad throat and felt physically fit I went in. Wish I could say the same this morning though. I feel like hell and it's on my chest already. I hate this time of year, I have only just got over my September cold and horrific chest which I thought I'd got under control but apparently not! Sorry, I'm being whiny again. Maybe it's the flu jab I had last week, maybe I just got unlucky and picked up something before it became effective, who knows. Am due to go back to docs for a check on my bad chest that I thought I'd sorted anyway so I'm sure it will be short lived.
Ooops.....seems like I got a bit side tracked there. So what did I actually do in CT this week? This week it's been predominantly getting patients in to change, checking ID, doing preps for the scan whether it's water or a work-up with 25 ml Gastrografin (iodine based again I think). This is all to do with improving image quality from what I'm told. Also had to remove and replace the contrast in the injectors, prepare the room, remove cannulas and act as an assistant when the radiographers were cannulating and doing any other random jobs that popped up. Like I say, the week got better as it went on and I went from loathing it to finding it bearable once I understood what was expected me but I realised CT just isn't for me. Again, I didn't like that you don't speak to the patients an awful lot although there is more interaction than in MR.
There were two things this week that will stick in my mind though. I had a patient collapse on me while I was trying to help them up. Neither of us were hurt and they collapsed back onto the table without being at a great distance so I felt a bit shaky and upset after that. I don't know why exactly but I did. It wasn't a pleasant experience but my mentor was pleased with how I handled the situation so that was re-assuring. The other thing was another patient who came for a ct colonography/virtual colonoscopy which I forgot to mention before. My first impression was that they were going to be very difficult to deal with and quite awkward. With this procedure the patient is injected with Buscopan to relax the bowel, a catheter with a balloon inside is inserted into the back passage and inflated and then the images are taken. I can't remember if contrast was used. I think it was for some and not others.
Anyway, there was a delay while we waited for the doctor who does the procedure so while we waited I stood next to the patient while the lay on the scan table and struck up a conversation. I noticed they were nervous and holding an awkward looking hand which was just suspended in mid air not directed at anything or anyone so I grabbed hold of it which they seemed to appreciate, and we just talked. It's weird but I felt very protective of them because they seemed so vulnerable so I held there hand and talked to them as long as I could before I had to stand behind the screen and rubbed there hand and back/shoulder when they needed the re-assurance that they were okay and would be looked after and let them squeeze the life out of my fingers. I didn't mind though, I knew I was doing good and to be honest I think that was the highlight of my week. I really think I made a difference t that patient and they were so thankful afterwards I was touched. So after that I made a point of trying to go up and talk with patients any time I saw there was a bit of a delay or they were left in the room on there own, even if it were momentarily.
I realised that a lot of the patients are anxious and they are scared. Quite often a friendly face and a bit of re-assurance is all they need and they didn't seem to mind students at all. Some seemed to quite like them in fact and seem genuinely interested in how you're getting on. A lot (or the majority from what I saw) have been diagnosed with cancer and some were very ill indeed but you would never know it because they still offered a smile and were pleasant even though they were so ill. I must admit I was surprised by it and once or twice when maybe I may have inadvertently asked them a daft or sensitive question in striking up conversation and not realised it until maybe they told me about their history etc but they didn't mind, they seemed to appreciate my efforts to stand and talk with them for a while. It made me realise that sometimes I over think what I say to patients and forget that they appreciate company and conversation just like anyone else and it doesn't change because they have become a patient. So actually, maybe I learned more than I realised this week.
Also had my end of placement de-briefing with my clincal tutor and it seems I am doing well thus far so I hope I can keep going. I've got all the details I need now for my case study so can get on with the write-up between now and next placement. Overall summary of this placement from my perspective is that it was a long hard slog. There were times I felt like giving up and there were times when I'd never been so upset and disheartened at placement (has never happened before and I hope it never happens again) to times when I've been so happy with it all (how I'm progressing, what I've seen, done and learned) but like I say this one was a toughie. So time for me to get up, have a coffee and some toast and see if I can get my hands on some more cold and flu rememdies.
Have a good weekend if you're reading this :)
Saturday, 27 October 2012
Friday, 19 October 2012
A Morning in Ultrasound - Part 2
Well firstly - thank god it's Friday!! Today I've not really done any x-raying since I spent the morning in ante-natal with the sonographers and this afternoon I had to do the annual mandatory training modules. Loved this morning in the ante-natal clinic. Was mostly 20 weeks scans (or anomaly scans as they're called) which aren't just to tell the sex of the baby which to be honest I thought was a big factor. These days it's all you ever hear about and as I say, I'd not given it much thought beyond that.
Basically at the 20 week scan they look at various anatomical structures to check for their presence and take measurements and that things are as they should be. This is so that if necessary they can make necessary preparations for the birth and if mum and baby need to be sent to a special hospital for the delivery then it can all be organised well in advance and a close eye kept on the situation. Also, the measurements are used to date the pregnancy.
They look at the whole foetus literally from head to toe. The brain and structures such as the lateral ventricles and the cerebellum and checked for the shape and to check there is not too much fluid as these can be signs of spina bifida in the baby or other conditions such as hydrocephalus I think. I know they look at the ventricles to check there's not too much fluid present and that the cerebellum is a nice "dumbbell" shape rather than "banana" shaped. They also measure the size of the brain, check the skin at the back of the neck and measure the circumference of the skull.
It was amazing to see all the technology and whatnot the radiographer had at their fingertips and I didn't realise it was such a thorough examination! All very re-assuring for the parents and once again I was really impressed and learned a lot just by observing how the radiographers communicated and interacted with the patients.
Other things they looked at and checked for were the shape of the spine and the ossification centres. They also checked the skin as well, again looking for signs of spina bifida. The baby's heart, kidneys, bladder and stomach were also checked for their presence or defects because obviously absence of some of the structures they are looking for are not compatible with life. The length of the femur is also measured as well as the orientation of the feet and toes to check for conditions such as talipes and to check the progress of the pregnancy.
The thinking behind the 20 week scans is that the foetus is big enough to see structures and flag up abnormalities. At this stage if it will obviously be a severe disability of the developmental issue isn't compatible with life it gives the parents the chance to have a termination.
I did actually see a scan to check the conservative management of a miscarriage and it was so sad. I went to call the patient and at the time I didn't know the patient's history and nearly tried to strike up a bit of a conversation with them about whether it was her first scan/baby etc and so on but something stopped me because I was uncertain if it was the right thing to do. I was so glad I didn't after I found out they were there following a miscarriage early on in the pregnancy because I felt bad for her for what she was going through as it was, nevermind if I'd put my foot in it before we even got to nitty gritty. I also saw scans to check for things like ectopic pregnancies and ovarian cysts and seeing these patients made me realise that you have to be really careful what you say to people and you can't assume anything at all.
I was pleasantly surprised by my time spent in ultrasound this week and it is something I would definitely like to pursue in the future, so although I've not done much in the way of x-ray this week it definitely wasn't wasted. I would absolutely love to be a sonographer one day :-))))
Basically at the 20 week scan they look at various anatomical structures to check for their presence and take measurements and that things are as they should be. This is so that if necessary they can make necessary preparations for the birth and if mum and baby need to be sent to a special hospital for the delivery then it can all be organised well in advance and a close eye kept on the situation. Also, the measurements are used to date the pregnancy.
They look at the whole foetus literally from head to toe. The brain and structures such as the lateral ventricles and the cerebellum and checked for the shape and to check there is not too much fluid as these can be signs of spina bifida in the baby or other conditions such as hydrocephalus I think. I know they look at the ventricles to check there's not too much fluid present and that the cerebellum is a nice "dumbbell" shape rather than "banana" shaped. They also measure the size of the brain, check the skin at the back of the neck and measure the circumference of the skull.
It was amazing to see all the technology and whatnot the radiographer had at their fingertips and I didn't realise it was such a thorough examination! All very re-assuring for the parents and once again I was really impressed and learned a lot just by observing how the radiographers communicated and interacted with the patients.
Other things they looked at and checked for were the shape of the spine and the ossification centres. They also checked the skin as well, again looking for signs of spina bifida. The baby's heart, kidneys, bladder and stomach were also checked for their presence or defects because obviously absence of some of the structures they are looking for are not compatible with life. The length of the femur is also measured as well as the orientation of the feet and toes to check for conditions such as talipes and to check the progress of the pregnancy.
The thinking behind the 20 week scans is that the foetus is big enough to see structures and flag up abnormalities. At this stage if it will obviously be a severe disability of the developmental issue isn't compatible with life it gives the parents the chance to have a termination.
I did actually see a scan to check the conservative management of a miscarriage and it was so sad. I went to call the patient and at the time I didn't know the patient's history and nearly tried to strike up a bit of a conversation with them about whether it was her first scan/baby etc and so on but something stopped me because I was uncertain if it was the right thing to do. I was so glad I didn't after I found out they were there following a miscarriage early on in the pregnancy because I felt bad for her for what she was going through as it was, nevermind if I'd put my foot in it before we even got to nitty gritty. I also saw scans to check for things like ectopic pregnancies and ovarian cysts and seeing these patients made me realise that you have to be really careful what you say to people and you can't assume anything at all.
I was pleasantly surprised by my time spent in ultrasound this week and it is something I would definitely like to pursue in the future, so although I've not done much in the way of x-ray this week it definitely wasn't wasted. I would absolutely love to be a sonographer one day :-))))
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Reflections on Mammography and Nuclear Medicine
Hi guys,
Well I didn't make it on here yesterday to let you know what mammography was like as I lost track of time and needed another early night so thought I'd combine the two. So yesterday morning I was in mammography and I'm not going to write to much about it because there isn't really too much to say.
When I was applying to uni and reading about the things radiographers can specialise in mammography was the first thing I thought of followed by nuclear medicine. I didn't know too much about mammography other than when my mother-in-law had a bit of a breast cancer scare and I had to take her in for a biopsy the staff were fantastic with her. I quite liked the look of the department and the thought of maybe working somewhere like that and having the same kind of impact on someone as the staff had on me and my mother-in-law. It was years before I applied to do the course but I always remembered it so when I saw mammography was also something radiographers do it stood out.
I don't really know what I was thinking or what to expect but I didn't enjoy it as much as the other modalities I've been to this week. It was the first time I really found myself clock watching and I was only there for the morning. It's not that it was a horrible job or anything like that but it was sooooo repetitive and I almost felt like it was a bit of a conveyer belt which I didn't like. Each appointment was only a few minutes long and I dunno, it just seemed very rushed and I felt a bit like I was intruding with some patients who were understandably very nervous.
Saying that, it was good to actually see what happens and look at the images and what they should include and things they are looking out for etc. They take four x-rays, two per breast. One is a CC (cranio-caudal) view and the other is a MLO (medio-lateral oblique) view. An awful lot of skill was needed to position the patients and help put them at ease and I must admit I thought the radiographer was absolutely fantastic in the way they communicated and positioned the patient and I learned and lot just by watching and listening to how they were with the patients. It is certainly something to aspire to anyway and I hope some day I am half as good with patients.
I think realistically though mammography is not really something I could see me doing in the future because I wouldn't enjoy it. It is unbelievably repetitive which is the main reason and I could see me getting bored of it rather quickly, unless it was mixed up with a rotation between that and general x-ray or something similar. Yes the hours are likely to be better as it's more Mon-Fri 9-5 (that is the impression I was getting at least), but personally I would prefer to have a job I really enjoyed and work irregular hours than a job I hated just because it meant I had my evenings and weekends free. But that's just me. I know I just wouldn't be happy living like that so I think I'd have to rule it out for the future. I also noticed that it is pretty hard on the back. As it is quite awkward to get ladies into position, the radiographers were having to bend and twist in all kinds of awkward looking positions.
I only got to see screening, but apparently there are also clinics for symptomatic patients who come in for biopsies and so on so I was invited to go back tomorrow when there's a clinic on to so I can see those being done. I am going to try and take them up on their offer but I will have to see how I get on. I'm back in sonography (ante-natal) in the morning and then I have some mandatory training to do in the afternoon as well as getting a Hep B blood test to make sure all my jabs have worked so quite a lot to fit in! Also need to try and sort out images and so on for my case study before the day is out as it is probably one of the last chances I'll get before I go back to uni and I need to get cracking with it. So we shall see what happens tomorrow.
As for today, I spent the whole day in nuclear medicine. They were running stress tests today for the heart which I have seen done before when they needed someone to help with the patients. I always like going to nuclear medicine. The radiographers are great, you get more time with the patients, the atmosphere is a lot more calm and relaxed so it feels like you're in less of a rush and in less of a pressured environment. I also just find the whole nature of it quite interesting.
So with these stress tests a doctor is always present as well as a physiologist who monitor the patient. The patient's heart is looked at at rest and then compared to when the heart is stressed which takes place at a later date. The images are then compared to see if there are any issues with blood flow which from what I've been reading can be determined by comparing the amount of uptake of the isotope when in rest and in stress.
It was mainly observation again today but I did get to position the patient and the gamma camera for a few of the tests as well as dealing with patients before and after their tests. It was good to see it again and I asked more questions this time since I feel I've got a bit of a better understanding of what's going on and we've had lectures on nuclear med at uni. I wanted to be able to follow what was going on a little better and check my understanding of the procedure was correct which thankfully it was which was encouraging. It would have been nice to see what else happens in nuclear med as I think they do all sorts or tests. Hopefully I will get another chance to get another visit at some point.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings for one evening. Hope I've made sense as I'm pretty tired tonight. Time to get some sleep x
Well I didn't make it on here yesterday to let you know what mammography was like as I lost track of time and needed another early night so thought I'd combine the two. So yesterday morning I was in mammography and I'm not going to write to much about it because there isn't really too much to say.
When I was applying to uni and reading about the things radiographers can specialise in mammography was the first thing I thought of followed by nuclear medicine. I didn't know too much about mammography other than when my mother-in-law had a bit of a breast cancer scare and I had to take her in for a biopsy the staff were fantastic with her. I quite liked the look of the department and the thought of maybe working somewhere like that and having the same kind of impact on someone as the staff had on me and my mother-in-law. It was years before I applied to do the course but I always remembered it so when I saw mammography was also something radiographers do it stood out.
I don't really know what I was thinking or what to expect but I didn't enjoy it as much as the other modalities I've been to this week. It was the first time I really found myself clock watching and I was only there for the morning. It's not that it was a horrible job or anything like that but it was sooooo repetitive and I almost felt like it was a bit of a conveyer belt which I didn't like. Each appointment was only a few minutes long and I dunno, it just seemed very rushed and I felt a bit like I was intruding with some patients who were understandably very nervous.
Saying that, it was good to actually see what happens and look at the images and what they should include and things they are looking out for etc. They take four x-rays, two per breast. One is a CC (cranio-caudal) view and the other is a MLO (medio-lateral oblique) view. An awful lot of skill was needed to position the patients and help put them at ease and I must admit I thought the radiographer was absolutely fantastic in the way they communicated and positioned the patient and I learned and lot just by watching and listening to how they were with the patients. It is certainly something to aspire to anyway and I hope some day I am half as good with patients.
I think realistically though mammography is not really something I could see me doing in the future because I wouldn't enjoy it. It is unbelievably repetitive which is the main reason and I could see me getting bored of it rather quickly, unless it was mixed up with a rotation between that and general x-ray or something similar. Yes the hours are likely to be better as it's more Mon-Fri 9-5 (that is the impression I was getting at least), but personally I would prefer to have a job I really enjoyed and work irregular hours than a job I hated just because it meant I had my evenings and weekends free. But that's just me. I know I just wouldn't be happy living like that so I think I'd have to rule it out for the future. I also noticed that it is pretty hard on the back. As it is quite awkward to get ladies into position, the radiographers were having to bend and twist in all kinds of awkward looking positions.
I only got to see screening, but apparently there are also clinics for symptomatic patients who come in for biopsies and so on so I was invited to go back tomorrow when there's a clinic on to so I can see those being done. I am going to try and take them up on their offer but I will have to see how I get on. I'm back in sonography (ante-natal) in the morning and then I have some mandatory training to do in the afternoon as well as getting a Hep B blood test to make sure all my jabs have worked so quite a lot to fit in! Also need to try and sort out images and so on for my case study before the day is out as it is probably one of the last chances I'll get before I go back to uni and I need to get cracking with it. So we shall see what happens tomorrow.
As for today, I spent the whole day in nuclear medicine. They were running stress tests today for the heart which I have seen done before when they needed someone to help with the patients. I always like going to nuclear medicine. The radiographers are great, you get more time with the patients, the atmosphere is a lot more calm and relaxed so it feels like you're in less of a rush and in less of a pressured environment. I also just find the whole nature of it quite interesting.
So with these stress tests a doctor is always present as well as a physiologist who monitor the patient. The patient's heart is looked at at rest and then compared to when the heart is stressed which takes place at a later date. The images are then compared to see if there are any issues with blood flow which from what I've been reading can be determined by comparing the amount of uptake of the isotope when in rest and in stress.
It was mainly observation again today but I did get to position the patient and the gamma camera for a few of the tests as well as dealing with patients before and after their tests. It was good to see it again and I asked more questions this time since I feel I've got a bit of a better understanding of what's going on and we've had lectures on nuclear med at uni. I wanted to be able to follow what was going on a little better and check my understanding of the procedure was correct which thankfully it was which was encouraging. It would have been nice to see what else happens in nuclear med as I think they do all sorts or tests. Hopefully I will get another chance to get another visit at some point.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings for one evening. Hope I've made sense as I'm pretty tired tonight. Time to get some sleep x
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
A Morning in Ultrasound - Part 1
Well today was a bit of a mixed bag. I should have been in US the whole day but as it was only arranged yesterday afternoon the sonographers weren't expecting me and as it turned out it was a bit of a bad day for students to be observing. The plan was to spend the morning in ante-natal and then switch to generic US in the afternoon but it turned out that the afternoon was going to be purely a testes clinic which wasn't ideal. So off I went to generic US for the morning with the intention of heading back to ante-natal in the afternoon. However, once over in generic I was informed that ante-natal was actually going to be running a termination clinic that afternoon which again wasn't really ideal for a student to be sat in on for the whole afternoon. With me so far?
Anyway, I stayed in generic US and after a bit of an odd start got to see all sorts of things. Mainly vascular stuff where we were looking at and listening to the blood flow in veins and arteries. I saw the common, internal and external carotid as well as the veterbral arteries. At first I didn't know what I was looking at really but the radiographer was really good at talking me through it as they were doing it and explaining what we we looking at.
From what I gather from my very brief visit to ante-natal and the time in generic it seems that liquid appears black, bone is white and I think fats and anything in between is greyish. Not 100% sure on the fat so I best look that up, but anyway it was really interesting. You could really see the difference between the arteries and veins in how they reacted when pressure was applied to the area. Because the walls of the arteries are more muscular they were more resistant to pressure and didn't seem to collapse beneath it whereas the veins just completely flattened until the pressure was removed. Great to see what you learn in action!
Listening to the blood flow in the veins and arteries was also very different. In the arteries it was more of a pulse whereas it wasn't in the veins. I saw the veins in the lower limb examined including the iliac, femoral and peroneal (I think) veins. Need to brush up in the blood vessels me thinks!! It's in my to do list somewhere and I've made a start but it's getting through it all isn't it!? Hmmm.....what else did I see?
Well I saw a few organs scanned including the pancreas, a gall bladder filled with multiple large stones, lots of kidney exams and also a bladder. I think I enjoyed looking at the urinary system best to be honest.....maybe because I found it much easier to see and understand what was on the monitors. It was easy to see the outline (cortex) of the kidney and the pelvis and the bladder was easy to see because obviously it is full of liquid so was very black and you could see the shape and outline of it much easier. Also I was able to make out the liver because of its proximity to the kidneys. I think I probably enjoyed looking at it as well as I've been doing lots of reading about the kidney lately as this is what I'm going to do my assignment on. So I was bombarding the radiographer with lots of questions which they seemed only to happy to answer and were very keen to do what they could to help me with my assignment which was fantastic. They made me feel really welcome and when I mentioned I might pop in again tomorrow to look up some bits for my assignement they made me feel so welcome it was lovely :-)
I hadn't really given much thought to sonography up until today and even on my journey to placement when I thought I was going to be in ante-natal I was wondering if I might like it and if it might be something I'd like to do in the future, but at the same time I was hoping I wouldn't because of pre-conceived notions I had in my own head if that makes sense.
I think in my mind I was going to try and steer clear because it seems to be something that everybody wants to do because they want to scan babies which I never thought I'd be interested in and you hear of staff getting bad wrists, shoulders and elbows due to the repetitive strain which also put me off, but after today I think I'm sold on it.
Before I went down to generic US I got the chance to see a 20 week scan and it was soooo amazing! I've never seen anything like it and you could feel the happiness and excitement in the room, it was fantastic! I felt it for them too and it was a lovely thing to see and feel a part of. It probably sounds sad but I appreciated and felt honoured getting to share that moment. I don't think I'll ever forget it. In that moment I think I knew that I was sold on it and it was something I would absolutely love to do in the future. I never ever thought it would have that effect on me as I'm not particularly into babies and all that kind of stuff....well let's be honest....i'm not into it AT ALL but seeing and being part of that kind of thing can make a girl feel broody! But shhhh, it's our little secret hehe :-) !!
So then when I went off to generic and had a fab time there I guess it has sealed it and given me something to aim for. It's early days and obviously I've not even finished the degree yet but I've spent a bit of time one way or another in other departments such as nuclear medicine, MRI and CT and I've never been as exciting or felt as buzzing as I was today. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing other modalities in action yes, but today was different. It just goes to show doesn't it.....I'd written off US in my mind as "not for me" but you don't know til you try which I learned today. On Friday I get to spend another day in US but I'll be spending it in ante-natal which I'm looking forward to. Should be a nice way to end the week.
The rest of my day was spent in general x-ray which I always enjoy. A clinic was running this afternoon so it was non-stop and pretty busy. I ended up doing lots of knee and chest x-rays but also managed to squeeze in a pelvis x-ray too which I managed to get right first time. I seem to be improving with those and feeling a bit more confident about my positioning which is always nice when you can see yourself making progress. I feel like I've had the best day on placement in a long time and it feels good. I got really good feedback from my mentor as well which I didn't expect at all as I didn't think they were paying to much attention to what I was up to while I was quietly working away, but they don't miss a trick and it felt nice to be appreciated and get the positive feedback. So all in all i'm a very happy bunny tonight.
Tomorrow I'm in mammography so I'll be back then with an update. Have a good evening guys and sorry for yet another long post. I'll get it right one day x
Anyway, I stayed in generic US and after a bit of an odd start got to see all sorts of things. Mainly vascular stuff where we were looking at and listening to the blood flow in veins and arteries. I saw the common, internal and external carotid as well as the veterbral arteries. At first I didn't know what I was looking at really but the radiographer was really good at talking me through it as they were doing it and explaining what we we looking at.
From what I gather from my very brief visit to ante-natal and the time in generic it seems that liquid appears black, bone is white and I think fats and anything in between is greyish. Not 100% sure on the fat so I best look that up, but anyway it was really interesting. You could really see the difference between the arteries and veins in how they reacted when pressure was applied to the area. Because the walls of the arteries are more muscular they were more resistant to pressure and didn't seem to collapse beneath it whereas the veins just completely flattened until the pressure was removed. Great to see what you learn in action!
Listening to the blood flow in the veins and arteries was also very different. In the arteries it was more of a pulse whereas it wasn't in the veins. I saw the veins in the lower limb examined including the iliac, femoral and peroneal (I think) veins. Need to brush up in the blood vessels me thinks!! It's in my to do list somewhere and I've made a start but it's getting through it all isn't it!? Hmmm.....what else did I see?
Well I saw a few organs scanned including the pancreas, a gall bladder filled with multiple large stones, lots of kidney exams and also a bladder. I think I enjoyed looking at the urinary system best to be honest.....maybe because I found it much easier to see and understand what was on the monitors. It was easy to see the outline (cortex) of the kidney and the pelvis and the bladder was easy to see because obviously it is full of liquid so was very black and you could see the shape and outline of it much easier. Also I was able to make out the liver because of its proximity to the kidneys. I think I probably enjoyed looking at it as well as I've been doing lots of reading about the kidney lately as this is what I'm going to do my assignment on. So I was bombarding the radiographer with lots of questions which they seemed only to happy to answer and were very keen to do what they could to help me with my assignment which was fantastic. They made me feel really welcome and when I mentioned I might pop in again tomorrow to look up some bits for my assignement they made me feel so welcome it was lovely :-)
I hadn't really given much thought to sonography up until today and even on my journey to placement when I thought I was going to be in ante-natal I was wondering if I might like it and if it might be something I'd like to do in the future, but at the same time I was hoping I wouldn't because of pre-conceived notions I had in my own head if that makes sense.
I think in my mind I was going to try and steer clear because it seems to be something that everybody wants to do because they want to scan babies which I never thought I'd be interested in and you hear of staff getting bad wrists, shoulders and elbows due to the repetitive strain which also put me off, but after today I think I'm sold on it.
Before I went down to generic US I got the chance to see a 20 week scan and it was soooo amazing! I've never seen anything like it and you could feel the happiness and excitement in the room, it was fantastic! I felt it for them too and it was a lovely thing to see and feel a part of. It probably sounds sad but I appreciated and felt honoured getting to share that moment. I don't think I'll ever forget it. In that moment I think I knew that I was sold on it and it was something I would absolutely love to do in the future. I never ever thought it would have that effect on me as I'm not particularly into babies and all that kind of stuff....well let's be honest....i'm not into it AT ALL but seeing and being part of that kind of thing can make a girl feel broody! But shhhh, it's our little secret hehe :-) !!
So then when I went off to generic and had a fab time there I guess it has sealed it and given me something to aim for. It's early days and obviously I've not even finished the degree yet but I've spent a bit of time one way or another in other departments such as nuclear medicine, MRI and CT and I've never been as exciting or felt as buzzing as I was today. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing other modalities in action yes, but today was different. It just goes to show doesn't it.....I'd written off US in my mind as "not for me" but you don't know til you try which I learned today. On Friday I get to spend another day in US but I'll be spending it in ante-natal which I'm looking forward to. Should be a nice way to end the week.
The rest of my day was spent in general x-ray which I always enjoy. A clinic was running this afternoon so it was non-stop and pretty busy. I ended up doing lots of knee and chest x-rays but also managed to squeeze in a pelvis x-ray too which I managed to get right first time. I seem to be improving with those and feeling a bit more confident about my positioning which is always nice when you can see yourself making progress. I feel like I've had the best day on placement in a long time and it feels good. I got really good feedback from my mentor as well which I didn't expect at all as I didn't think they were paying to much attention to what I was up to while I was quietly working away, but they don't miss a trick and it felt nice to be appreciated and get the positive feedback. So all in all i'm a very happy bunny tonight.
Tomorrow I'm in mammography so I'll be back then with an update. Have a good evening guys and sorry for yet another long post. I'll get it right one day x
Monday, 15 October 2012
Reflection of A Day in MRI
Hi guys,
Gonna try and keep it short and sweet today. Today was Day 1 of my modalities week and I was in MRI. I didn't get to do much, it was purely observational and trying to get to grips with cross sectional imaging and the appearance of anatomy. Saw lots of spinal exams from the whole spine being imaged in one go to seeing regional sections, whether it be thoracic or lumbar spine individually or combined. Or a cervical spine and head scan for example. All very interesting stuff and I quite liked it in MR although the pace seemed a little slow because of the length of time it takes for each examination. It was taking about half an hour just to scan one patient a lot of the time and there didn't appear to be an awful lot of patient contact compared to in general x-ray which I think I quite like. I know it's only superficial conversation I suppose in trying to be friendly, put the patient at ease and to try and get them to have confidence in you in taking the x-ray but I enjoy it all the same.....more than I realised now I'm reflecting on it.
Anyway, besides looking at the spine I also saw a couple of knee examinations and I was amazed at how much detail you can see. Was great seeing the cruciate ligaments so clearly and the synovial fluid in the joint capsule which really helped in building up that anatomical structure in my mind's eye of how things relate to each other. The same was true of seeing the spine and the abdomen - it was amazing what you could see and just how clearly you could see it. Obvious stenosis of the spine, a haemangioma which I'd never heard of before and all sorts of things. I don't know why but I didn't really expect to be able to see the different parts of the aorta so clearly and again it helped relating structures to each other. It was great!!
I'm such a geek when it comes to looking up and reading about all these pathologies and things I've never heard of before and learning all the anatomy. I find it fascinating, and since we studied the brain and the nervous system I've taken a bit of an interest in brain tumours and reading up on anything at all to do with the brain.
Sorry guys, so much for a short post - I keep getting sidetracked and going off on a tangent! I also saw a bit of MR angiography which were referred to as "peripherals" where when timed correctly you can inject a contrast agent (Gadolinium) and then image the arteries. It was amazing! I saw a couple of examinations on the trunk and lower limb but apparently they also do it to look at the carotid arteries which I never got to see today which was a bit of a shame.
Also had a bit of a chat with the radiographers about the scanner itself and how it works because despite me having had lectures on it and doing some reading over the weekend I still didn't really have the faintest idea if how it actually worked so it was good to get a bit of one-to-one time and have them go through it with me so I'm a lot happier now. Fair enough I started to get a little bored in the afternoon as it did get quite repetitive but I actually learnt a hell of a lot today.
I know all about sequences such as T1, T2, and STIR. I know about S.A.R and how the magnet and the radio frequency affect the atoms in the body to produce the images. All to a basic level yes, but we all have to start somewhere and know a hell of a lot more than I did at 9 o'clock this morning :) It was abit daunting going into the actual room with the scanner after hearing all the warnings about the magnet and the horror stories about how things can go so badly wrong. After a little demo with the radiographer of the strength of the magnet I was left in no doubt of it's power and to be honest I think I was in awe of it. Tomorrow I have a full day in ultrasound. I think I'll be seeing some ante-natal stuff in the morning and then some general sonography after lunch so I look forward to that.
Am very tired again tonight and have struggled quite badly with it today so I'm off to sleep now. I think I am still getting over all the hours I did last week as daft as it sounds. Haven't been so tired in a long time since starting this placement but it's a combination of physical and mental effort I think. My brain can't seem to switch off at the mo. Even when I get home from placement I'm thinking of all the things I could and should be doing (but usually aren't) or I'm researching stuff for my assignement which I hope to get done and dusted by Christmas so want to start ASAP. All worth it though...every time I think about the future and what it holds I get giddy with excitement and that's what keeps me going. It's very tough so if you are deciding this is what you want to do I think you need to be 100% committed to it otherwise it would be just too easy to give up.
Ok, time for my beauty sleep...lord knows I need it at the moment haha. Sweet dreams x
Gonna try and keep it short and sweet today. Today was Day 1 of my modalities week and I was in MRI. I didn't get to do much, it was purely observational and trying to get to grips with cross sectional imaging and the appearance of anatomy. Saw lots of spinal exams from the whole spine being imaged in one go to seeing regional sections, whether it be thoracic or lumbar spine individually or combined. Or a cervical spine and head scan for example. All very interesting stuff and I quite liked it in MR although the pace seemed a little slow because of the length of time it takes for each examination. It was taking about half an hour just to scan one patient a lot of the time and there didn't appear to be an awful lot of patient contact compared to in general x-ray which I think I quite like. I know it's only superficial conversation I suppose in trying to be friendly, put the patient at ease and to try and get them to have confidence in you in taking the x-ray but I enjoy it all the same.....more than I realised now I'm reflecting on it.
Anyway, besides looking at the spine I also saw a couple of knee examinations and I was amazed at how much detail you can see. Was great seeing the cruciate ligaments so clearly and the synovial fluid in the joint capsule which really helped in building up that anatomical structure in my mind's eye of how things relate to each other. The same was true of seeing the spine and the abdomen - it was amazing what you could see and just how clearly you could see it. Obvious stenosis of the spine, a haemangioma which I'd never heard of before and all sorts of things. I don't know why but I didn't really expect to be able to see the different parts of the aorta so clearly and again it helped relating structures to each other. It was great!!
I'm such a geek when it comes to looking up and reading about all these pathologies and things I've never heard of before and learning all the anatomy. I find it fascinating, and since we studied the brain and the nervous system I've taken a bit of an interest in brain tumours and reading up on anything at all to do with the brain.
Sorry guys, so much for a short post - I keep getting sidetracked and going off on a tangent! I also saw a bit of MR angiography which were referred to as "peripherals" where when timed correctly you can inject a contrast agent (Gadolinium) and then image the arteries. It was amazing! I saw a couple of examinations on the trunk and lower limb but apparently they also do it to look at the carotid arteries which I never got to see today which was a bit of a shame.
Also had a bit of a chat with the radiographers about the scanner itself and how it works because despite me having had lectures on it and doing some reading over the weekend I still didn't really have the faintest idea if how it actually worked so it was good to get a bit of one-to-one time and have them go through it with me so I'm a lot happier now. Fair enough I started to get a little bored in the afternoon as it did get quite repetitive but I actually learnt a hell of a lot today.
I know all about sequences such as T1, T2, and STIR. I know about S.A.R and how the magnet and the radio frequency affect the atoms in the body to produce the images. All to a basic level yes, but we all have to start somewhere and know a hell of a lot more than I did at 9 o'clock this morning :) It was abit daunting going into the actual room with the scanner after hearing all the warnings about the magnet and the horror stories about how things can go so badly wrong. After a little demo with the radiographer of the strength of the magnet I was left in no doubt of it's power and to be honest I think I was in awe of it. Tomorrow I have a full day in ultrasound. I think I'll be seeing some ante-natal stuff in the morning and then some general sonography after lunch so I look forward to that.
Am very tired again tonight and have struggled quite badly with it today so I'm off to sleep now. I think I am still getting over all the hours I did last week as daft as it sounds. Haven't been so tired in a long time since starting this placement but it's a combination of physical and mental effort I think. My brain can't seem to switch off at the mo. Even when I get home from placement I'm thinking of all the things I could and should be doing (but usually aren't) or I'm researching stuff for my assignement which I hope to get done and dusted by Christmas so want to start ASAP. All worth it though...every time I think about the future and what it holds I get giddy with excitement and that's what keeps me going. It's very tough so if you are deciding this is what you want to do I think you need to be 100% committed to it otherwise it would be just too easy to give up.
Ok, time for my beauty sleep...lord knows I need it at the moment haha. Sweet dreams x
Saturday, 13 October 2012
Back in the swing of it :)
Well considering my first few days of this placement were so bad I feel like I ended the week/two weeks on a high and I am enjoying it again. I think Wednesday was the turning point although I'm not quite sure why. I had a bit of a chat with some of the other students I'm on placement with and realised I'm not alone so that seemed to lift the pressure. Suddenly I didn't feel like such a klutz who couldn't seem to do anything right. I made the decision to try and let certain events that had affected my confidence to wash over me and start afresh.
A little bit of encouragement goes a long way and I found that with a little bit of help, support and encouragement from the radiographers I feel more like my old self and a million times better than I did on Monday. I actually feel like I made a fair bit of progress this week after all and there was me thinking I was regressing! I am very tired and I was grateful to see 5 p.m but all things considered I have enjoyed being back on placement.
I've been on portables this week and sod's law there haven't really been many at all. I only went on a handful, so knowing the opportunities were scarce I made the most of it and asked the radiographer if I could more hands on practice which they didn't mind at all and they were happy for me to do the work and just supervise and guide me. In a way I regretted not asking to do more on previous occasions when I've been on portables because they were missed opportunities to get valuable experience looking back on it but at the same time I don't think I felt ready to if that makes sense? If there is one piece of advice I can give to anybody on placement it is to make your time there count. Get involved in everything and anything that you can. Don't stand back and shy away because you will miss out on things.
I can be prone to shying away from things myself, so on placement I always make sure to push myself to have a go and do things that are out of my comfort zone every day and it always pays off. Yes it is scary (especially theatre) and it can be exhausting, but the rewards are there so I do it and 9 times out of 10 there is nothing to worry about. The radiographers are there to help you whenever you're uncertain or get stuck and most are willing to do whatever they can to get you through it. You only have to ask.
So this week I don't think there is much to tell. I've not really done anything out of the ordinary. I've been doing more complex x-rays this week and felt a bit like I was thrown in the deep end at first but I can see I've improved a lot in a short space of time.
In the first year it tended to be that we'd do mostly extremities and chest x-rays before working up to knee and elbow x-rays. Then towards the end of the year we'd get to do things like pelvis and shoulder exams and depending on how you were progressing you may also get to do x-rays of the spine and so on but it all tended to be on easy walking patients who were co-operative and not particularly challenging in any way.
Now, in the second year we are doing all of those examinations and more and the patients are more complex. There may be other needs and considerations that you need to take into account as they may not be ambulant or may be much harder to position for an x-ray for a various reasons. The radiographers will obviously help you out but the difference is you are expected to think for yourself a lot more and problem solve I suppose by applying your knowledge and experience from the first year to come up with a solution and take a good x-ray. It is quite a good feeling when you manage to do something ordeal with a patient you thought you'd never be able to, or when you are struggling with a projection and then something clicks and it all falls into place. You learn so much on placement. Some harsh lessons sometimes yes, but I am a firm believer that you learn from your mistakes and nobody is perfect are they?? Anyway, I'm starting to ramble. Again, the point I was trying to make is you just have to get involved as much as you can and make the most of the little time you have on placement to get the most of it.
I feel like I've not had much time to do anything outside of placement really as I've been so tired. Other than setting myself deadlines and targets for coursework and looking up pathologies and other bits and bobs that have come up on placement I haven't done much uni work, even though there is plenty to be getting on with. At least I've decided on what I'm going to do for one of my assignments which is a case study so this weekend I will either be continuing to do research for that like I have been all week or getting at least one of these presentations up on PowerPoint. (Okay so maybe I have got more done than I'd realised :-))
Next week I'm being rotated around the department starting with MRI on Monday so I'll also have to do some prep for that which will be quite interesting. If anyone is reading I hope you're finding some of this info helpful. I've said it before but I'm not too sure what sort of things people want to know about. I'm kind of using this blog to vent (as if you hadn't noticed ha!) and reflect.
Time for me to hit the sack. Have a good weekend x
A little bit of encouragement goes a long way and I found that with a little bit of help, support and encouragement from the radiographers I feel more like my old self and a million times better than I did on Monday. I actually feel like I made a fair bit of progress this week after all and there was me thinking I was regressing! I am very tired and I was grateful to see 5 p.m but all things considered I have enjoyed being back on placement.
I've been on portables this week and sod's law there haven't really been many at all. I only went on a handful, so knowing the opportunities were scarce I made the most of it and asked the radiographer if I could more hands on practice which they didn't mind at all and they were happy for me to do the work and just supervise and guide me. In a way I regretted not asking to do more on previous occasions when I've been on portables because they were missed opportunities to get valuable experience looking back on it but at the same time I don't think I felt ready to if that makes sense? If there is one piece of advice I can give to anybody on placement it is to make your time there count. Get involved in everything and anything that you can. Don't stand back and shy away because you will miss out on things.
I can be prone to shying away from things myself, so on placement I always make sure to push myself to have a go and do things that are out of my comfort zone every day and it always pays off. Yes it is scary (especially theatre) and it can be exhausting, but the rewards are there so I do it and 9 times out of 10 there is nothing to worry about. The radiographers are there to help you whenever you're uncertain or get stuck and most are willing to do whatever they can to get you through it. You only have to ask.
So this week I don't think there is much to tell. I've not really done anything out of the ordinary. I've been doing more complex x-rays this week and felt a bit like I was thrown in the deep end at first but I can see I've improved a lot in a short space of time.
In the first year it tended to be that we'd do mostly extremities and chest x-rays before working up to knee and elbow x-rays. Then towards the end of the year we'd get to do things like pelvis and shoulder exams and depending on how you were progressing you may also get to do x-rays of the spine and so on but it all tended to be on easy walking patients who were co-operative and not particularly challenging in any way.
Now, in the second year we are doing all of those examinations and more and the patients are more complex. There may be other needs and considerations that you need to take into account as they may not be ambulant or may be much harder to position for an x-ray for a various reasons. The radiographers will obviously help you out but the difference is you are expected to think for yourself a lot more and problem solve I suppose by applying your knowledge and experience from the first year to come up with a solution and take a good x-ray. It is quite a good feeling when you manage to do something ordeal with a patient you thought you'd never be able to, or when you are struggling with a projection and then something clicks and it all falls into place. You learn so much on placement. Some harsh lessons sometimes yes, but I am a firm believer that you learn from your mistakes and nobody is perfect are they?? Anyway, I'm starting to ramble. Again, the point I was trying to make is you just have to get involved as much as you can and make the most of the little time you have on placement to get the most of it.
I feel like I've not had much time to do anything outside of placement really as I've been so tired. Other than setting myself deadlines and targets for coursework and looking up pathologies and other bits and bobs that have come up on placement I haven't done much uni work, even though there is plenty to be getting on with. At least I've decided on what I'm going to do for one of my assignments which is a case study so this weekend I will either be continuing to do research for that like I have been all week or getting at least one of these presentations up on PowerPoint. (Okay so maybe I have got more done than I'd realised :-))
Next week I'm being rotated around the department starting with MRI on Monday so I'll also have to do some prep for that which will be quite interesting. If anyone is reading I hope you're finding some of this info helpful. I've said it before but I'm not too sure what sort of things people want to know about. I'm kind of using this blog to vent (as if you hadn't noticed ha!) and reflect.
Time for me to hit the sack. Have a good weekend x
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Good News!
Hello,
Thought I best come back and update with something positive as I've been a bit negative lately. I had a much better day at placement which it was quite a relief. I think having the morning out of the department was good and then having a short afternoon certainly helped. I was working with other radiographers today and got positive feedback so I felt a bit better about myself today and I think it was what I needed. If you hear negative things all the time it's hard not to lose your confidence and start to feel down. I think if I can have a few more good days I will perk up again. I'm determined to make the most of this week though as it's my last few days in x-ray before I'm rotated between CT, MRI, ultrasound and mammography for the last few weeks of this placement block and then it's back at uni for a time.
So onto the really good news.... today I heard back from one of the hospitals I wrote to last week about an elective placement and they are able to offer me a two week placement, so that cheered me up when I got home. It was the one I really wanted to get into, despite not holding out much hope so I'm extremely thankful and really looking forward to going.
Only a short post tonight you'll be pleased to know. I best get some sleep as I feel like I've still got some ground to make up so I best get a good night's sleep.
Night all x
Thought I best come back and update with something positive as I've been a bit negative lately. I had a much better day at placement which it was quite a relief. I think having the morning out of the department was good and then having a short afternoon certainly helped. I was working with other radiographers today and got positive feedback so I felt a bit better about myself today and I think it was what I needed. If you hear negative things all the time it's hard not to lose your confidence and start to feel down. I think if I can have a few more good days I will perk up again. I'm determined to make the most of this week though as it's my last few days in x-ray before I'm rotated between CT, MRI, ultrasound and mammography for the last few weeks of this placement block and then it's back at uni for a time.
So onto the really good news.... today I heard back from one of the hospitals I wrote to last week about an elective placement and they are able to offer me a two week placement, so that cheered me up when I got home. It was the one I really wanted to get into, despite not holding out much hope so I'm extremely thankful and really looking forward to going.
Only a short post tonight you'll be pleased to know. I best get some sleep as I feel like I've still got some ground to make up so I best get a good night's sleep.
Night all x
Monday, 8 October 2012
Bad day(s) at the office
Hi guys,
Well I thought I'd come and post on here with a little update. I've now done my first week of placement which was actually squeezed into long days over the weekend. Although it was very hard going, working "out of hours" this weekend was quite good experience and seemed totally different to what you normally get to see just working a normal 9-5. I got lots of hands on experience with trolley patients and I feel like I learned a lot even though it was quieter than expected.
Today is the start of my second week of placement and day four of my eight days in a row and I feel as though the wheels are coming off already. I think today was the worst day I've had on placement. I was glad it was "only" an 8 hour stint rather than 12 like on Fri, Sat and Sun but more fool me! By lunch time I was well and truly ready to throw the towel in. However, a bit of fresh air and some lunch helped me compose myself a little but I feel like I lost any confidence I might have had today and can't see it coming back anytime soon. For the first time on placement I just felt like I'm drowning in it all at the moment.
I think working under the watchful eye of one of the more stringent mentors for the second time in a matter of days and a combination of tiredness, being a bit rusty and trying to get back into the swing of placement just took it's toll and has all built up. It just got too much today and I felt/feel quite weepy and deflated which isn't actually like me at all. So tonight I have just put my feet up and tried to relax as best I could. Tomorrow I will have to pick myself up and start again. I'm proud of myself for carrying on as normal after lunch and involving myself in things rather than shying away (which is what I really wanted to do) but I can't help but feel annoyed at myself though for allowing it to get to me in the first place.
I don't know what has happened but since I've been back it seems like I am slipping back at the moment rather than moving forwards. Everything I do seems to be wrong and today especially I couldn't seem to get anything right but I guess everyone has days like that (or I hope?). It just isn't particularly nice when it happens and thank god days like today don't come around too often because they really take it out of you! However, I am hoping a good night's rest and sleep will fix that. I have a shortish day tomorrow and most of that will be taken up by the weekly tutorial so I'm hoping a change of scene will do me good.
So anyway, this week I am on mobiles which I am actually starting to quite enjoy. I didn't get to go on many today but fortunately I did do over the weekend, most of which were in intensive care but some were in A&E and for ward patients. I remember my very first placement feeling quite out of place and out of my depth when going on mobiles with the radiographers because I didn't quite know what I should be doing to help or where I should put myself, and obviously the patients are quite poorly you are very aware of the wires and machinery and worried about doing something silly. But I think something has finally clicked now in that respect and so I get involved when I can.
I ordered some books over the weekend hoping to get them by the end of the week to stay on top of things both uni-wise and to prep for my week in modalities and in CT. Unfortunately I had to re-order them today which means I probably won't get them next week now but nevermind. It sounds daft but new books always cheer me up and get me motivated to study. I do have a fair few books already in the anatomy and physiology stakes, one of which was on the core reading list for uni but I struggle with it so I've ordered another that I've seen and find quite easy to follow. I also wanted one that would help me learn about cross-sectional images from CT and MRI and how to view images from other modalities such as nuclear medicine and ultrasound in preparation for placement (modalities) and an OSCE I have coming up after Christmas so I think I've got it covered.
For anyone who is interested I got the following:
Anyway, time for me to get off here now. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
Well I thought I'd come and post on here with a little update. I've now done my first week of placement which was actually squeezed into long days over the weekend. Although it was very hard going, working "out of hours" this weekend was quite good experience and seemed totally different to what you normally get to see just working a normal 9-5. I got lots of hands on experience with trolley patients and I feel like I learned a lot even though it was quieter than expected.
Today is the start of my second week of placement and day four of my eight days in a row and I feel as though the wheels are coming off already. I think today was the worst day I've had on placement. I was glad it was "only" an 8 hour stint rather than 12 like on Fri, Sat and Sun but more fool me! By lunch time I was well and truly ready to throw the towel in. However, a bit of fresh air and some lunch helped me compose myself a little but I feel like I lost any confidence I might have had today and can't see it coming back anytime soon. For the first time on placement I just felt like I'm drowning in it all at the moment.
I think working under the watchful eye of one of the more stringent mentors for the second time in a matter of days and a combination of tiredness, being a bit rusty and trying to get back into the swing of placement just took it's toll and has all built up. It just got too much today and I felt/feel quite weepy and deflated which isn't actually like me at all. So tonight I have just put my feet up and tried to relax as best I could. Tomorrow I will have to pick myself up and start again. I'm proud of myself for carrying on as normal after lunch and involving myself in things rather than shying away (which is what I really wanted to do) but I can't help but feel annoyed at myself though for allowing it to get to me in the first place.
I don't know what has happened but since I've been back it seems like I am slipping back at the moment rather than moving forwards. Everything I do seems to be wrong and today especially I couldn't seem to get anything right but I guess everyone has days like that (or I hope?). It just isn't particularly nice when it happens and thank god days like today don't come around too often because they really take it out of you! However, I am hoping a good night's rest and sleep will fix that. I have a shortish day tomorrow and most of that will be taken up by the weekly tutorial so I'm hoping a change of scene will do me good.
So anyway, this week I am on mobiles which I am actually starting to quite enjoy. I didn't get to go on many today but fortunately I did do over the weekend, most of which were in intensive care but some were in A&E and for ward patients. I remember my very first placement feeling quite out of place and out of my depth when going on mobiles with the radiographers because I didn't quite know what I should be doing to help or where I should put myself, and obviously the patients are quite poorly you are very aware of the wires and machinery and worried about doing something silly. But I think something has finally clicked now in that respect and so I get involved when I can.
I ordered some books over the weekend hoping to get them by the end of the week to stay on top of things both uni-wise and to prep for my week in modalities and in CT. Unfortunately I had to re-order them today which means I probably won't get them next week now but nevermind. It sounds daft but new books always cheer me up and get me motivated to study. I do have a fair few books already in the anatomy and physiology stakes, one of which was on the core reading list for uni but I struggle with it so I've ordered another that I've seen and find quite easy to follow. I also wanted one that would help me learn about cross-sectional images from CT and MRI and how to view images from other modalities such as nuclear medicine and ultrasound in preparation for placement (modalities) and an OSCE I have coming up after Christmas so I think I've got it covered.
For anyone who is interested I got the following:
- Gray's Anatomy for Students (I love the pics in this book, it is so easy to follow. Nice and clear and uncomplicated which is just what I need!)
- Imaging Atlas of Human Anatomy (lots of labelled CT and MRI images for you to look at and learn how to read them. Also a nuclear medicine section)
- Workbook for Textbook for Radiographic Positioning and Related Anatomy (I have this book and probably use it the most but I am finding that a week after learning something I start to forget so I'm hoping the workbook will further re-inforce things and it covers the chapter on modalities so an added bonus :-))
- Medical Imaging of Normal and Patholgic Anatomy (came across this at the checkout and actually looks pretty good. At £8 I thought I'd give it a whirl!)
Anyway, time for me to get off here now. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Breathing Space
I called this post breathing space as that's what I feel I've got at the moment. The first three week block of academic is finished now and this week is my first week at placement. I have a four week block before I'm back a uni again and lucky for me (depending on your point of view) I'm working weekends this week so I've had all week off aside from having to go in yesterday to have a meeting with my clinical tutor to discuss goals for this placement and any issues etc. I also got some new technique cards for this year so that was good.
Technique cards are basically cards that you get signed by the radiographer you are working with when you are able to take an x-ray of a body part, for example, hand, foot, chest etc. Depending on what level they sign you at represents your ability to work independently I guess. They help to give proof at the end of the three years that you are competent and have a wide range of experience. I always like it when there is something specific to work towards as it gives you a bit more direction and purpose. We also talked about the clinical assessments for this year which will be on portables and adapted technique. Apparently in the past there used to be assessments on barium studies but since they are less frequent at my particular hospital there isn't really enough for them to make a full assessment out of it which is fair enough.
Anyway.....breathing space. As you may have gathered from my previous post uni was starting to get on top of me a bit so I was glad to have a week to sort myself out and get my head in gear. I had all these plans of how much work I was going to do and Monday started off according to plan and then I guess I got lazy. It wasn't all bad though. On Monday I managed to do some reading and note taking for one of four presentations I have to do when I'm back in uni next and I also managed to write a rough draft of a letter applying for electives. Tuesday ended up being a sofa day but I made up for it yesterday by getting my letter completed and sent off and even managed a second one so I really hope I get into my first choice. The second letter was kind of a back-up. I do really want to go there but although four weeks of electives sounds like a lot it's not really when there are so many hospitals you want to go to and there's so many things you want to see. I'm really excited about electives and thinking about it helps me keep my spirits up at the moment when all the work that must be put in between now and then seems so daunting.
Thinking about it I have been more productive than I thought this week. Got myself a posh new diary and went through the whole year's lectures and timetable and wrote it up in my diary and year planner so I could clearly see what is coming up in a logical fashion and the first thing I realised is that this year i going to absolutely fly by! We've got the odd reading week here and there to help us catch up on ourselves and ten weeks holiday (two at Christmas, Easter and six over summer) but both the two week hols are probably going to be spent revising for exams and getting coursework written up. It is a lot of work but I really do enjoy it once I get going. I'm just finding the prospect a bit daunting at the moment but I do feel better after seeing my tutor at uni last week. After each block of placement we have meetings with our tutor who checks we are making progress on placement and to see how we are generally getting on with the course.
Trying to think if there is anything else to tell that anyone might be interested in.....uni wise we have just been carrying on with learning about the different modalities and learning about the body systems. I did that presentation, can't remember if I posted since then but I barely made a contribution. I choked but it was helpful just getting up in front of everybody so next time I'm sure it will be a little easier and at least with the assessed ones it is more like a seminar in small groups rather than in front of the masses. We have had a couple of practical sessions in the x-ray rooms as well as a refresher where we have re-visited more difficult projections you might have to do when patients are uncooperative or non-ambulant etc as well as refreshing on more difficult or rarer projections.
So today is my last day to myself before I have eight days straight of placement. I'm in 9-9 tomorrow, Sat and Sun. then Mon - Fri I'm on portables which I'm absolutely hopeless at right now but that's because up til now it's been more assisting the radiographer but the onus will be more on us this time so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. Over the course of this year we have two weeks on portables before we are assessed around Easter time. My third week on placement I've got a week where I get to spend a bit of time in different modalities such as MRI, mammography, ultrasound and nuclear medicine so that will be quite exciting. Since we have been learning about them at uni this year I have taken a bit of a shine to CT which is good because my last week of this block of placement is in CT. We get one week this year and two weeks in the third year and then I think we are assessed for competency in carrying out emergency head and neck scans. All very exciting stuff! I think the main focus for now is learning and practising the cross sectional anatomy for things like MRI and CT and getting a bit more familiar with other types of equipment.
I think I've probably bored you all enough for one post. It wasn't meant to be so long, but you know me I get carried away. Writing this blog is quite helpful because when I'm feeling a bit out of sorts with it all and worrying about how I'm going to cope with it all I start thinking about what I'm working towards and about placement and it reminds me how much I love it!
Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll try and update at the end of next week.
Technique cards are basically cards that you get signed by the radiographer you are working with when you are able to take an x-ray of a body part, for example, hand, foot, chest etc. Depending on what level they sign you at represents your ability to work independently I guess. They help to give proof at the end of the three years that you are competent and have a wide range of experience. I always like it when there is something specific to work towards as it gives you a bit more direction and purpose. We also talked about the clinical assessments for this year which will be on portables and adapted technique. Apparently in the past there used to be assessments on barium studies but since they are less frequent at my particular hospital there isn't really enough for them to make a full assessment out of it which is fair enough.
Anyway.....breathing space. As you may have gathered from my previous post uni was starting to get on top of me a bit so I was glad to have a week to sort myself out and get my head in gear. I had all these plans of how much work I was going to do and Monday started off according to plan and then I guess I got lazy. It wasn't all bad though. On Monday I managed to do some reading and note taking for one of four presentations I have to do when I'm back in uni next and I also managed to write a rough draft of a letter applying for electives. Tuesday ended up being a sofa day but I made up for it yesterday by getting my letter completed and sent off and even managed a second one so I really hope I get into my first choice. The second letter was kind of a back-up. I do really want to go there but although four weeks of electives sounds like a lot it's not really when there are so many hospitals you want to go to and there's so many things you want to see. I'm really excited about electives and thinking about it helps me keep my spirits up at the moment when all the work that must be put in between now and then seems so daunting.
Thinking about it I have been more productive than I thought this week. Got myself a posh new diary and went through the whole year's lectures and timetable and wrote it up in my diary and year planner so I could clearly see what is coming up in a logical fashion and the first thing I realised is that this year i going to absolutely fly by! We've got the odd reading week here and there to help us catch up on ourselves and ten weeks holiday (two at Christmas, Easter and six over summer) but both the two week hols are probably going to be spent revising for exams and getting coursework written up. It is a lot of work but I really do enjoy it once I get going. I'm just finding the prospect a bit daunting at the moment but I do feel better after seeing my tutor at uni last week. After each block of placement we have meetings with our tutor who checks we are making progress on placement and to see how we are generally getting on with the course.
Trying to think if there is anything else to tell that anyone might be interested in.....uni wise we have just been carrying on with learning about the different modalities and learning about the body systems. I did that presentation, can't remember if I posted since then but I barely made a contribution. I choked but it was helpful just getting up in front of everybody so next time I'm sure it will be a little easier and at least with the assessed ones it is more like a seminar in small groups rather than in front of the masses. We have had a couple of practical sessions in the x-ray rooms as well as a refresher where we have re-visited more difficult projections you might have to do when patients are uncooperative or non-ambulant etc as well as refreshing on more difficult or rarer projections.
So today is my last day to myself before I have eight days straight of placement. I'm in 9-9 tomorrow, Sat and Sun. then Mon - Fri I'm on portables which I'm absolutely hopeless at right now but that's because up til now it's been more assisting the radiographer but the onus will be more on us this time so I'm looking forward to getting stuck in. Over the course of this year we have two weeks on portables before we are assessed around Easter time. My third week on placement I've got a week where I get to spend a bit of time in different modalities such as MRI, mammography, ultrasound and nuclear medicine so that will be quite exciting. Since we have been learning about them at uni this year I have taken a bit of a shine to CT which is good because my last week of this block of placement is in CT. We get one week this year and two weeks in the third year and then I think we are assessed for competency in carrying out emergency head and neck scans. All very exciting stuff! I think the main focus for now is learning and practising the cross sectional anatomy for things like MRI and CT and getting a bit more familiar with other types of equipment.
I think I've probably bored you all enough for one post. It wasn't meant to be so long, but you know me I get carried away. Writing this blog is quite helpful because when I'm feeling a bit out of sorts with it all and worrying about how I'm going to cope with it all I start thinking about what I'm working towards and about placement and it reminds me how much I love it!
Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll try and update at the end of next week.
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