11/13/2020
Copied from an MRT who wrote this about our profession ❤️
Radiology school teaches you a lot of things. It teaches you the anode and cathode ends of the x-ray tube, how to calculate the inverse square law, how to properly position all of the long bones in the body, how to safely move a patient in a C-collar, how to assist the radiologist during a lumbar puncture, how to maneuver the C-arm around a sterile field in the OR, and the appropriate kVp and mAs to use for any given exam.
But it can’t teach you the other invaluable components of this profession.
It doesn’t teach you how to bust out your charade moves and get creative to show your non-English speaking patient what they need to do for their flex/ext spine x-rays.
It doesn’t teach you how to assist a wheelchair bound patient who has dementia with changing out of their clothes and into a Johnny because their caregiver dropped them off at the front door.
It doesn’t teach you how to have patience with the 96 year old man who is hard of hearing, has mobility issues, and as a result may make you run behind.
It doesn’t teach you how to be the friend when the child’s mom doesn’t feel comfortable staying in the room because she’s pregnant and now you have to console a petrified child while still getting high quality, diagnostic images.
It doesn’t teach you how to be the social worker when a parent becomes emotional after their child fell off the monkey bars and has a visibly deformed arm.
It doesn’t teach you how to keep your expressions and body language neutral after taking the first image and seeing a large mass in the patients lung- knowing that patient is about to get the worst news of their life.
It doesn’t teach you how to leave one patients room holding back tears and going to the next patients room with a smile on your face.
To you, we’re button pushers. To us, we hold many roles. We are the eye of medicine.
Happy Radiologic Technologist week to my fellow rad techs! Thank you for all you do💀☢️🖤