Today was our first day of clinical shadowing! I was so excited to get to shadow in Radiology. I got up early, and left with plenty of time to spare. Then I got there and they told me they had no clue who the doctor was that I was supposed to shadow. Finally, one of the other radiologists recognized the name and told me that he was in Laurens,,,, not Patewood. So, in the middle of a crazy storm, I was going to have to drive all the way to Laurens. But the Radiologist in the office made a few calls for me and got permission to let me stay with him for the day. It was a great experience after that.
He took me to x-ray first and showed me how the machines work. I got to watch a Flouro scan where the patient had to swallow barium in order to see the esophagus and stomach on the scan. The patient had to roll around on the bed to get the barium to pass through her stomach. It was kind of weird to watch, but the scan was fascinating to see. The barium glowed like Christmas lights on the scan. It allowed the Radiologist to locate a leak in the patient's stomach that was causing issues throughout her body.
After x-ray, the Radiologist took me to CT. I watched them set up the scan and give contrast. After that, we spent some time looking at CT scans and the techs explained what everything was on the scan. I saw cancers, cysts, and even a man that was missing a kidney and spleen. It was interesting seeing the techs identify everything so quickly as they scrolled through the scans.
Next, we went to Nuclear Medicine. I didn't get to see too much on this section, but I did get to see then inject radioactive material into a woman's breast so that the surgeon could locate the nodes for removal. It was really cool to see an actual patient interaction that will benefit them right then and there.
Finally, we went to ultrasound. The ultrasound tech who performed the scan was amazing. She talked me through every single step and showed me how and why things are done. She explained what organs I was seeing and the complications and downfalls of the ultrasound technology. It was amazing.
I saw everything from cancer, to cysts, to aneurysms, to broken bones, to internal bleeds. It was an amazing experience and gave me a lot to think about. I didn't like how emotionless the radiologist was when looking at the scan. He compared one scan to a Christmas tree. While it was very impressive to see him scroll through the scans and finish I diagnosis within minutes, he had no sympathy when finding a diagnosis that will result in major medical diagnosis and changes in a patient's life. He never interacted with the patients during the shift. He mostly just sat in a dark room and wrote notes about each scan. I loved the hands on work that the techs did, but I did not enjoy the way the radiologist worked. I understand it though because if you are seeing that much cancer, aneurysms, and life threatening issues all day every day, you have to separate yourself. However, I know that that's not for me, and that okay.
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