First Placement Week 101

When you've been sat around for a good hour with no request cards, this is your face when a patient appears.

Stardate: 91484.54

Well, first off, my placement's okay. It's a little boring at times (probably because nobody knows where anything is except the hospitals, chip shop and the Sainsbury's Local) but everyone staying there has become part of the 'Family' (and we've all just been watching 'I'm a Celebrity' together after coming back from our homes). I'm even making an effort at socialising like a normal person, you'll be pleased to know. Completely out of character for a geeky recluse like myself, I know! 

Our rooms are a little basic, and we can only use the internet for e-mail and studying (hahahaha)... even though I was sneaky and watched 'Dexter' on Netflix... because otherwise I'd have died of boredom. I'm missing vegetables, so made sure I'd eaten a load this weekend before coming back. The previous week I was surviving on cheap ready meals and noodles, as after placement no-one can be bothered to cook anything real (I mean come on, we're students).

So, what was I doing for my first week? Well, I spent a week in general x-ray... Yes, it can be a little slow, especially in the early morning, when there are no request cards coming through. You find yourself cleaning cassettes, surfaces, your hands, actually reading your textbooks and reading through the hospital policies to fill your time. But just around half nine, requests came flooding in, and the range I got to see was brilliant. Hands, feet, chests, spines, abdomens... everything, really! You see so many examinations, that you begin to memorise the routine and technique. That's when I felt that I wanted to get stuck in and have a go myself.

The hospital I'm based at is really nice and a good environment to be in. The radiographers teach us so much, and love showing us everything and let us have a go while they explain stuff, though one has a penchant for appearing out of nowhere and quizzing us suddenly. Patients are all really nice too when they find out you're a student, but you need to be confident, or they're less than enthusiastic. Some say "keep t'up, love, and you'll be 'reet" (as some people of the North tend to sound like, of course!)

I've done my first two formal x-ray examinations (not just practice ones): both hands at once, then the two thumbs (5 x-rays for one patient), and then two thumb x-rays (for one patient). My supervising radiographer was really pleased and told me to put them in my portfolio straight away. So I'm learning loads really quickly. I'm also now my year group's student rep, so I'm getting loads done involvement-wise, too. I have to go to meetings etc. Some may think I'm biting off more than I can chew... but I do enjoy a good challenge.

The only advice I can give about your first week of placement? Go prepared. Go through some basic positioning techniques, practice talking to patients, be ready to just get involved. Radiographers don't have the time for students who can't be bothered. Make them want to help you!

I'd better get off to bed, I'm in A&E this week, and I'm pretty sure I'll be needing all the sleep I can get!

LLAP and Allons-y!

Happy World Radiography Day!

Source: http://www.sor.org/about-radiography/world-radiography-day

Stardate: 91459.52

Firstly, as you may have gathered from the above picture, today is World Radiography Day. Today marks the anniversary of the discovery of x-radiation by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895 `. The day is basically to help promote radiography as a career and to increase public awareness. It's also of course for radiographers to show how proud they are of their profession!

Because it was World Radiography Day, I decided it would be the opportune moment to ask one of our lecturers (who also works as a Forensic Radiographer) how you would go about getting into Forensic Radiography post-registration. Unfortunately, not many places allow it to be chosen as an elective, so I would need to start asking around and finding out about it now, in order to get as much information on it as possible. Membership to the IAFR (International Association of Forensic Radiographers apparently costs a bit now, and there aren't too many people to ask, but luckily I have my lecturer and one of the radiographers on placement who is also a Forensic Radiographer too.

As long as I can pick their brains and gain some hints and things to check out, I'll be okay. According to my lecturer, if you put brie, pork and liver in a box somewhere warm, leave it for a fortnight, then open it up, once you've stopped throwing up, you'll then know whether you want to be a Forensic Radiographer or not. But, despite that, the work is interesting and fun. I still like to think it is for me, even if that does sound unpleasant!

Aside from that, spread the love for Radiography! All of it thanks to Wilhelm Röntgen.

Two days until I move to my placement site...

LLAP!

References

1. Society of Radiographers, 2013, photograph, viewed 8 November 2013 <http://www.sor.org/sites/default/files/images/wrd_2013_logo_web.jpg>

A Day in General X-Ray

We've not even been on a full week of clinical placement yet, and this has become so true!

Stardate: 91457.12

Another week down, and I've had another clinical placement visit! Not only that, but as of Sunday, I'll be living away from Leeds for 3 weeks while the first full placement period comes up. Nervous, moi?

This time, I was on the rota for General X-Ray, which of course can only mean chest x-rays galore! Despite being under the impression X-Ray departments tend to be very busy, the morning was quite slow, and was definitely all chest x-rays, so you get used to positioning for them really fast. Everyone's body is different, but the technique very rarely strays from the norm.

I also witnessed a good variation of hands, knees, and spinal x-rays, but this was all mixed in with lots of standing around and looking completely clueless while the qualified radiographers chatted between one another and assessed each others images.

The two most exciting occurrences of the day turned out to be a doctor with a piece of wine glass left over in his finger, and a police-accompanied patient. Apparently, it's all in a day's work! To keep myself busy on the other hand, a classmate and I tried to ask as many questions to the radiographers as possible. This varied from "What does this abbreviation mean?" "Why have you increased the kV?" "What are these marks/spots/dots on the image here?" "Do you want me to process the cassette?" to "Do you need me to clean anything?" Basically, anything to prevent myself from standing around.

I've noticed that if you observe enough examinations, you quickly learn the standard kV and mAs (exposure) levels. Our clinical tutor's advice to us was to carry around a little pocket notebook, to keep on hand what we'd learnt that day that would relate to anything we'd need later on. Stupidly, I forgot mine, but I do remember that a standard average male chest x-ray exposure is 60kV at 10mAs, but a female's is 60kV at 8mAs (don't worry, it will possibly make sense one day), and I also remembered that SUFE stands for Slipped Upper Femoral Epiphysis. Not bad, I suppose!

Anyway, I did enjoy my second day, though it didn't exactly live up to my fainting first day! I can't wait to get to the full placement blocks, but I'm definitely worried about moving into another new home! I'm sure I'll manage, and hopefully finding my way to the satellite sites at some point will be smooth and not too difficult and frightening!

Also, the image above happens to be my own design... I'm quite proud of it did you know (despite it not being amazing)

LLAP!