Radiologic Technologists Responsibilities

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Patient Care Skills
Role of Empathy for Radiologic Technologists
Communication Skills in Radiography Healthcare Profession
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Works Cited

Introduction

Radiologic technologists or radiographers are a very important part of healthcare system, as they form a vital link between radiologists and patients aiding in better diagnosis and treatment of cases. The radiography profession has specific performance standards that clearly define the duties and responsibilities of a radiologic technologist.

They are-

Assessment: The radiologic technologist needs to have information regarding patient’s particulars and procedural issues (Practice Standards 4.R).
Analysis: The radiographer analyses the obtained information in order to perform radiography under favorable conditions (Practice Standards 4.R).
Patient Education: The radiographer educates/informs patients and other related parties about the procedures that are to be performed (Practice Standards 5.R).
Implementation and Evaluation: The radiologic technologist performs relevant procedures as per the obtained data and required standards. It may range from simple x-ray techniques to advanced imaging techniques, along with proper positioning and management of the patient. Then it is evaluated to decide the need for any modifications or repetition (Practice Standards 5-7.R).
Outcomes Measurement and Documentation: The radiographer needs to assess the final outcome as per standard guidelines and record all related details of the patient and procedure (Practice Standards 7&8.R).

Patient Care Skills

Like any other specialty of healthcare system, radiologic technologists need certain patient management skills to be successful as healthcare providers. Care should be delivered at various levels depending on patient’s condition.

The radiographer needs to educate patient about intended procedures ad their consequences in clearly understandable manner (Practice Standards 5.R).
Also, the radiographer should be able to assess patient’s condition so as to inform concerned specialty for necessary action (Practice Standards 5.R).
The practitioner must have knowledge in first aid administration, maintenance procedures and emergency management (Practice Standards 6.R).
Care should be taken to avoid unwanted radiation exposure for the patient (Practice Standards 6.R).
Patients deserve respect, and there should not be any bias in patient care based on religion, race and gender, among others (Practice Standards 14&15.R).

Role of Empathy for Radiologic Technologists

A technologist may be very good at technical procedures. But, if that practitioner cannot understand emotions of patients and act accordingly, it will not be possible to deliver satisfactory service. Patients may have various emotions due to many factors like hospitalization, strange and/or extensive tests and/or therapies. Their apprehension and anxiety at various stages need to be understood, as they may have serious consequences at times. Empathetic practitioners can clearly observe patient’s discomfort and anxiety (Dowd 1). It then becomes easier to manage patients accordingly. Because of this reason, many radiologic technology schools are teaching students about becoming empathetic practitioners through modalities like role playing and critical thinking (Dowd 2).

Communication Skills in Radiography Healthcare Profession

The practice of radiography mainly includes radiologists, technologists, therapists, patients and, often, specialists of other departments. Communication skills, the ability to convey certain information in a way that can be understood by the intended receiver, are very important to maintain healthy and successful correlations among related parties.

A radiologic technologist must be able to communicate effectively with the patient in order to ascertain the patient with information regarding diagnostic and/or treatment procedures. The performance standards require that the radiographer must have effective communication skills to have a positive relationship with patients and health care providers (Performance Standards 5.R).

The radiographer must be able to inform the patient about the procedures in an understandable manner and gain co-operation from the patient.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging is an advanced radiographic technique used for observing clear details of soft tissues. The technique allows maximum contrast between tissues, thus allowing clarity in observation (Bellon & Diaz 36). MRI scan is observed in terms of ‘pixels’, like N x N. These pixels are otherwise known as picture elements (Bellon & Diaz 26).

Principle

An external magnetic field is used to attract and orient hydrogen nuclei present in the body. MRI technique does not use ionizing radiation; rather the magnetic field is used to excite hydrogen nuclei and provide the MRI scan through a series of steps (Bellon & Diaz 26).

Steps Involved in Imaging Process

A strong, external magnetic field is applied to orient hydrogen nuclei of tissues (Bellon & Diaz 31).
A burst of radiofrequency (RF) energy is transmitted on to the oriented nuclei. Application of gradient coils inside the magnet allows spatial localization of energy (Bellon & Diaz 31).
The excited nuclei resonate at same frequency and emit energy while returning to the normal state. These emitted energy signals are then measured (Bellon & Diaz 28 & 31). The amplitude of the emitted signals indicates the amount of nuclei that formed the signal (Bellon & Diaz 28).
The frequency data is converted to gray intensity levels of the particular imaged plane through a process called Fourier transformation (Bellon & Diaz 31).

The basic point lies in the fact that a gradient field is created through inclusion of three gradient coils in the magnet, and they work in different angles. So the application of magnetic field is influenced by the gradient field effecting the excitation of protons across linear planes (Billon & Diaz 32). As a result, the realignment and, in turn, signal strength related to protons in the imaged tissues occurs at various rates. This results in greater contrast between tissues (Bellon & Diaz 31). The application of Fourier transformation divides the overall emitted energy signals individual components as per amplitude and frequency, thus enables localization of particular nuclei. In this way, MRI is helpful in producing greater details of tissues.

Works Cited

Bellon, Errol M, and Pedro J, Diaz. “Magnetic Resonance Physics: An Introduction”. Ed. Haaga, John R, et al. St. Louis: Mosby, 1994. 26-36.

Dowd, Steven B. “Using Critical Thinking to Teach Empathy.” All Business. 1996. Web.

Introduction to Radiography Practice Standards. American Society of Radiologic Technologists. 2008. Web.

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