> student ’ factors on ra Gladdis Then the the leadand clicks. ass y lab, _ replaces itions the ion behind is ' 4 i edt . photo by Jeannie Young tical eye Radiologist Dr. Richard Hartvigsen points out radiograph problems to WSC graduates who are now employed as radiographers at Lakeview Hospital. On the left is David Young, who is the clinical inwith this training. Just three years ago Ms. Kawamura, herself, was a like taking a classmate was a ospital. not > to see: on down st door asound sonographer to teach them." ultrasound is used to look at the soft tissue of the body. “In abdominal scanning we look for cancer, tumors or any abnormality,” she said. “But the fun area of ultrasound is in pregnancy testing. We can tell the estimated gestation stage, if it is going to be a multiple birth, check for congenital defects, and even the sex can be determined after 25 weeks,” she smiled. swallow anything, and there is no discomfort or exposure to radiation. The rapid growth of ultrasound as a diagnostic procedure has placed an added responsibility on the emai we ie of the probe one. portable tha e ment Ms. Kawamura said that even with the advanced training, people in the field must study to keep abreast of new developments and procedures. “If we sat back for ten months, we would be obsolete,” she said. you can see receives no injection, doesn't need college to provide trained sonographers. ‘WSC has the only B.S. degree program in the country to “It is a requirement now that all of our students entering this program have a basic knowledge of the allied health field. They must be familiar with anatomy, pathophysiology, physiology, with lab data and nursing procedures,” he added. students talk about safety Our next visit is across the street from campus with WSC instructors Wynn Harrison and Dann Cohrs to McKay-Dee Hospital, where eight students are in training with clinical instructor Leona Sully. “You can practice all day long ona method, and each radiologist does things differently. It takes a while to get used to the routines at the different hospitals," he added. Another student, Julie White, positioned herself at the controls in “One of the first things we learn about is safety precaution," she said. “We learn what kind of safety measures we need to take to protect ourselves and the patients,” she added. Tena Severs explained that only the smallest dose of radiation is given to every patient, and this amount is figured by fatty tissue and the depth of the organ or bone to be x-rayed. phantom,” Ms. Sully said as she led us into one of the spacious x-ray labs. “But every patient is different.” Ms. Sully explained that the students can learn to take x-rays in less than 27 minutes, chest x-ray radiation is equal to a day in the sun but knowing why they are doing it takes a lot in ‘real time’ longer. Four students were on duty in the x-ray area. The other four are The other ultrasound option is echocardiography, which Dann " Cohrs calls “ultrasound of the heart. He said new techniques allow them to see a cross section of the heart actually moving in what he calls “real time." Because of the two-dimensional capability of ultrasound, a much more accurate assessment of what is happening with the heart can be had than with static photographic p:ocedures, he explained. hospitals and see how they do it. Each hospital has a little different the lead-glass control booth. heart beating "Ultrasound is the fastest growing image modality system in the U.S.,” she said, crediting its growth to the fact that the procedure is what she called “non-invasive.” The patient and who below it,” she continued. which record bones, osely by Amussen, from the feet -- like taking a slice out without anything above it or television. “It will give us an image of the patient's body looking up She said that unlike radiographs, lospital ih while he lead- of Doug heads up the ultrasound department at Logan Regional Hospital, in WSC's first ultrasound graduating class. “Before that, everything was more or less on-the-job-training,” Amussen said. “The hospital sent me toa training school sponsored by the manufacturer. But the students now have a real advantage,” he continued. “They get the basic background in the classroom and then they are sent to a hospital where they have a registered ‘This probe sends a signal into the body for 1/100th of a second and then listens 99/100ths of a second. Itrecords the image it hears on the display screen,” Ms. Kawamura explained, pointing to the small Po photo by Jeannie Young slice out of the body structor: almost hidden is Robert English; and Lori Ann Gardner. Radiographers must constantly study to keep current on advancements in the medical professions. advanced students who work mostly in the afternoons and evenings. They are ready for clinical experience on accident and trauma patients, which according to Ms. Sully are brought into the hospitals most frequently late in the day. Student Richard Taylor was preparing a patient on the fluoroscopy machine which targets the organ to be x-rayed. “At school we learn the universal method,” he said. "Then we go out to the "A front or back view usually takes about 1/60th of a second and a side-view about 1/30th," said Julie Bailey. “A chest x-ray gives you about the same radiation as you get with a day in the sun,” Taylor added. After a lesson in shielding devices, such as a ten pound lead apron and a radiation meter lapel pin often worn by radiology technicians, we were off to another area of the radiology department to witness a brain scan in operation. (continued on pg. 4) Page 3