Can you access PACS? Look at every image you can. Read the report if possible and get familiar with the pathology terminology. Really analyze the image and imagine retaking the X-ray to correct any minor imperfections.
Clean and restock rooms. Fold RadBags (if applicable). Ask if you can observe Covid cases from outside the room. If there’s truly nothing to do, bring study materials and review class work. Ask the techs any questions relating to your classes.
Awesome advice, thank you! LOL, I have so many questions relating to my classes all the time. I'll have to ask someone to direct me to supplies for restocking, that is the kind of thing I'm looking to do rather than stand around, if everyone else is busy and all the computers are being used, etc.
I actually wasn't sure if studying while I'm there would be considered rude. I'll try to casually ask if that would be okay.
My clinical site was always alright with us studying if there weren’t any other department tasks or exams we could be doing. You’re also welcome to DM me if you’ve got class work questions :)
Another idea if you’re out of tasks: ask to observe other modalities. Get an idea of CT, MRI, etc. and see if any future pathways resonate with you. Or stock and help out there. If nothing else, you have another group of techs that might have some wisdom to share.
For comps, just wait them out. If anything you can get them at your other site (if you have one). For skills and positioning, if there's a tech nearby while you're doing nothing, ask them for just general tips and tricks, maybe have them position you or you position them. If you get a tech who's passionate about what they do they'll just start rambling their knowledge off at you 😂
I don't have another site at the same time as this one, but I will have other sites in future quarters ... we rotate between several hospitals and clinics based on assignments.
I have been trying to ask a lot of questions of the other techs! A few of them are very quiet/reserved, but I've also found several to be super easy to get them talking just by asking a single question about something I've observed them doing ... One thing I'm loving so far about this profession is the level of passion that I'm seeing in the techs!
Yea. I graduated in July and have a full time job. I can easily just get into the repetition of just doing things without thinking at work, but if a student asks me a question and can start spitting out facts and info like no one's business. Don't be discouraged at your current site, if anything your program will always make sure you get into a place for the opportunity to get your comps. Good luck with everything!!!
Are you the only student in your current placement? In my class of 30 our program would send about 5 students at the same time to the hospital since we only had two hospital affiliations and the rest were outpatient clinics.
When there’s nothing to do you could all gather and treat it as a study group or practice positioning on one another in one of the empty exam rooms and get used to maneuvering the tubes. (And if the exam rooms aren’t empty there’s something to observe or participate in!) If you’re in your first placement you can still get a lot faster and more accurate with routine exams after all and don’t be afraid to try out stuff you haven’t been taught how to do the textbook way just yet.
I wouldn’t worry too much about comps, there will be plenty of time to catch up on those and you’re not yet in a position to be worried about comping the rarer exams anyway.
And I guess lastly there’s only so much you can do to appear busy when it’s truly not. My first rotation was at a clinic with 5 x-rays a week (my second was 70 a day!) and though I’d study and observe other modalities and clean / stock those things only took up so much time. The people working there are human too and if it’s slow they’re probably used to it, just learn to look alert and ready while you’re taking it easy waiting for your next opportunity to do something for them. If you’ve made it clear you’re willing to work nobody sane is going to ding you for there not being any work you can do. (And just keep your eyes open for the not-so-sane people!)
LOL, I guess there are not-so-sane people everywhere! But nearly everyone I've met at this department has been really cool.
I'm not the only student, there is 1 other on my shift with me and someone different who comes in at night as I am leaving. I'll ask if anyone wants to study. Positioning practice would be awesome! Thanks for the encouragement!
This is a difficult time for hospitals and students. Be patient and take things as they come. If you are unable to assist on the COVID floor, help in the department. Stock supplies, clean, help organize. Learn their process regarding PACS and their paperwork and work flow. I understand you’re eager to take images but there is so much more that goes into being a technologist. Ask if you can help in the ER, there are a lot of options. Speak to the lead or supervisor to come up with ideas.
Thank you, this is really good advice. I feel comfortable talking to the lead, so I'll let him know I genuinely would like something useful to do during the day if I'm not able to do much imaging.
(I wish that everyone in my class would stop buzzing about how they're in this big hurry to get comps! It makes me feel very pressured and as though I have to be laser focused on getting those signatures each and every shift, and I feel like the pressure is taking away from what can be a valuable learning experience!)
Covid hit halfway through my first year. My class got pulled from clinical for 3.5 months, and we all got our comps and had no issues with graduating. As long as you’re enthusiastic and jumping in as much as possible, you’ll have no trouble getting your comps.
Help with gowning and be the clean tech outside of the room. If your tech is cool with it you can drive the machine and setup the technical factors. You can also make sure everything is stocked and clean. Also take lots of notes and ask questions, you can learn a lot of tips and tricks from your tech. Good luck out there!
THIS. I am also a first year (3rd quarter) and are not allowed to work on Covid pos patients but we are allowed to go with them to the rooms on portable just not gown up and interact. In the mean time, we assist with driving the portables there, help wipe down everything and observe as much as we can. Tagging along with the techs is such a great time to be be asking them everything you’re curious about. Also, take the time to get to know the equipment and always go over the procedures and positioning book even if it’s not something on the syllabus for a while. Always a good to be ahead.
Thanks for the advice! You're right about reading and studying ahead. The replies here have been super friendly and are helping me to feel excited again about the clinical experience.
Thank you!! I have been driving the machine around quite a lot, LOL. Unfortunately it is hard to do the outside the room thing, because there's an entire isolation unit for covid patients ... you gown/don PPE before entering the unit, so there's no standing outside the room to observe, if you can't be in the isolation unit then there's no observing.
Thank you though, I'm going to work on working with all the advice from this thread!
When I was in ultrasound clinicals and had extra time I would study for upcoming school tests, take notes for my next class session, or study for my board exam. Good luck in school!
Thanks for the advice! For some reason I was feeling like it wouldn't be appropriate to study while I'm at my clinical shift ... But I guess that I'm there to learn, so it would be better to study than do nothing at all!
Our students have run into this problem also because their school doesn't cover them for covid under the school's insurance policy or something like that. We usually still bring them along and they can watch from outside the room and wipe down cassettes and things like that. It would definitely be an annoying time to be a student and want to get in and learn but not be able to. Stick it out it will get better.
Thanks for the encouragement! Tagging along to watch from outside the room would be a good idea. I could do that for the covid positive patients who aren't actually in the isolation unit itself.
Thank you for replying! :) The hospital has most of the covid patients contained to an isolation unit, and you don PPE before you even enter the unit ... Students aren't allowed to enter, so sadly, that makes it impossible for me to watch from outside the room. Hopefully they are really working on the PPE training for us that they mentioned ... I really do want to help out wherever I can!
Study their protocol. Get as familiar as possible with it. Look at their technique chart.
Familiarize yourself with the rooms. If you’re asked to grab something, the techs appreciate you knowing where things are.
Practice using the equipment in the room. If there is a classmate with you, practice practice practice positioning.
Ask to go along on portables and watch from outside the room if you can. Watch how they manage their PPE and how they try to minimize touching equipment after touching the patient. Observe different patient body habituses and the way they’re positioned in the bed- is the patient slouching in the bed/what did the tech do to overcome suboptimal patient positioning to get a good image?
Look at images taken that you couldn’t participate in and apply the image analysis skills you’re starting to learn.
I’m so sick of being forced to order portable X-rays man honestly. It’s so inferior for most things I’m actually ordering X-rays for be going to rads department
This happen to me at my clinical site. Although clinical instructor found a loop hole and I shot through the glass door in the ER. “Clean/dirty tech”I didn’t go in the room. I would go to COVID land but not in patient rooms. I would clean the mobile WallE and put in the info. Would go over exams depending on the tech. I would suggest to start preparing your booklet for exams and ask techs that do go into COVID about it because after working in the field, you are going in. In the beginning I wasn’t allow to even come along covid land but then we got our personal respirators and I used that to go on mobile covid exams not entering rooms. Otherwise I suggest preparing for exams having to remember protocols like knees we did AP/lat/sunrise. Some cases weight bearing and tunnel. I was able to look at completed exams and I would start getting in the habit of looking for specific areas. I feel you on not wanting to sit around so I made use of asking questions and making a technique log on different body types. Evening shifts I got away with doing more since we were short staff. Also, I was allowed to play around with the machines and X-ray a bunch of random stuff when a tech suggested it during their evening shift and we weren’t busy. I stayed away from techs that didn’t care for students and found three techs that helped me develop as a student. I did a ton of fluoro exams when I wasn’t allow COVID. Maybe that’s an option, I loved it because I got to see the radiologist interaction with patients. I started to take notes on how each radiologist did their exams and accommodated with what they like. For example which ones used two fizzes and which ones used a specific needle or wanted to know which steroid injection med is used. Fluoro was my favorite place and it’s because I wasn’t able to do much with COVID so I spent a lot of hours there.
Can you access PACS? Look at every image you can. Read the report if possible and get familiar with the pathology terminology. Really analyze the image and imagine retaking the X-ray to correct any minor imperfections. Clean and restock rooms. Fold RadBags (if applicable). Ask if you can observe Covid cases from outside the room. If there’s truly nothing to do, bring study materials and review class work. Ask the techs any questions relating to your classes.
Awesome advice, thank you! LOL, I have so many questions relating to my classes all the time. I'll have to ask someone to direct me to supplies for restocking, that is the kind of thing I'm looking to do rather than stand around, if everyone else is busy and all the computers are being used, etc. I actually wasn't sure if studying while I'm there would be considered rude. I'll try to casually ask if that would be okay.
My clinical site was always alright with us studying if there weren’t any other department tasks or exams we could be doing. You’re also welcome to DM me if you’ve got class work questions :) Another idea if you’re out of tasks: ask to observe other modalities. Get an idea of CT, MRI, etc. and see if any future pathways resonate with you. Or stock and help out there. If nothing else, you have another group of techs that might have some wisdom to share.
For comps, just wait them out. If anything you can get them at your other site (if you have one). For skills and positioning, if there's a tech nearby while you're doing nothing, ask them for just general tips and tricks, maybe have them position you or you position them. If you get a tech who's passionate about what they do they'll just start rambling their knowledge off at you 😂
I don't have another site at the same time as this one, but I will have other sites in future quarters ... we rotate between several hospitals and clinics based on assignments. I have been trying to ask a lot of questions of the other techs! A few of them are very quiet/reserved, but I've also found several to be super easy to get them talking just by asking a single question about something I've observed them doing ... One thing I'm loving so far about this profession is the level of passion that I'm seeing in the techs!
Yea. I graduated in July and have a full time job. I can easily just get into the repetition of just doing things without thinking at work, but if a student asks me a question and can start spitting out facts and info like no one's business. Don't be discouraged at your current site, if anything your program will always make sure you get into a place for the opportunity to get your comps. Good luck with everything!!!
Are you the only student in your current placement? In my class of 30 our program would send about 5 students at the same time to the hospital since we only had two hospital affiliations and the rest were outpatient clinics. When there’s nothing to do you could all gather and treat it as a study group or practice positioning on one another in one of the empty exam rooms and get used to maneuvering the tubes. (And if the exam rooms aren’t empty there’s something to observe or participate in!) If you’re in your first placement you can still get a lot faster and more accurate with routine exams after all and don’t be afraid to try out stuff you haven’t been taught how to do the textbook way just yet. I wouldn’t worry too much about comps, there will be plenty of time to catch up on those and you’re not yet in a position to be worried about comping the rarer exams anyway. And I guess lastly there’s only so much you can do to appear busy when it’s truly not. My first rotation was at a clinic with 5 x-rays a week (my second was 70 a day!) and though I’d study and observe other modalities and clean / stock those things only took up so much time. The people working there are human too and if it’s slow they’re probably used to it, just learn to look alert and ready while you’re taking it easy waiting for your next opportunity to do something for them. If you’ve made it clear you’re willing to work nobody sane is going to ding you for there not being any work you can do. (And just keep your eyes open for the not-so-sane people!)
LOL, I guess there are not-so-sane people everywhere! But nearly everyone I've met at this department has been really cool. I'm not the only student, there is 1 other on my shift with me and someone different who comes in at night as I am leaving. I'll ask if anyone wants to study. Positioning practice would be awesome! Thanks for the encouragement!
This is a difficult time for hospitals and students. Be patient and take things as they come. If you are unable to assist on the COVID floor, help in the department. Stock supplies, clean, help organize. Learn their process regarding PACS and their paperwork and work flow. I understand you’re eager to take images but there is so much more that goes into being a technologist. Ask if you can help in the ER, there are a lot of options. Speak to the lead or supervisor to come up with ideas.
Thank you, this is really good advice. I feel comfortable talking to the lead, so I'll let him know I genuinely would like something useful to do during the day if I'm not able to do much imaging. (I wish that everyone in my class would stop buzzing about how they're in this big hurry to get comps! It makes me feel very pressured and as though I have to be laser focused on getting those signatures each and every shift, and I feel like the pressure is taking away from what can be a valuable learning experience!)
Covid hit halfway through my first year. My class got pulled from clinical for 3.5 months, and we all got our comps and had no issues with graduating. As long as you’re enthusiastic and jumping in as much as possible, you’ll have no trouble getting your comps.
Help with gowning and be the clean tech outside of the room. If your tech is cool with it you can drive the machine and setup the technical factors. You can also make sure everything is stocked and clean. Also take lots of notes and ask questions, you can learn a lot of tips and tricks from your tech. Good luck out there!
THIS. I am also a first year (3rd quarter) and are not allowed to work on Covid pos patients but we are allowed to go with them to the rooms on portable just not gown up and interact. In the mean time, we assist with driving the portables there, help wipe down everything and observe as much as we can. Tagging along with the techs is such a great time to be be asking them everything you’re curious about. Also, take the time to get to know the equipment and always go over the procedures and positioning book even if it’s not something on the syllabus for a while. Always a good to be ahead.
Thanks for the advice! You're right about reading and studying ahead. The replies here have been super friendly and are helping me to feel excited again about the clinical experience.
Thank you!! I have been driving the machine around quite a lot, LOL. Unfortunately it is hard to do the outside the room thing, because there's an entire isolation unit for covid patients ... you gown/don PPE before entering the unit, so there's no standing outside the room to observe, if you can't be in the isolation unit then there's no observing. Thank you though, I'm going to work on working with all the advice from this thread!
When I was in ultrasound clinicals and had extra time I would study for upcoming school tests, take notes for my next class session, or study for my board exam. Good luck in school!
Thanks for the advice! For some reason I was feeling like it wouldn't be appropriate to study while I'm at my clinical shift ... But I guess that I'm there to learn, so it would be better to study than do nothing at all!
Our students have run into this problem also because their school doesn't cover them for covid under the school's insurance policy or something like that. We usually still bring them along and they can watch from outside the room and wipe down cassettes and things like that. It would definitely be an annoying time to be a student and want to get in and learn but not be able to. Stick it out it will get better.
Thanks for the encouragement! Tagging along to watch from outside the room would be a good idea. I could do that for the covid positive patients who aren't actually in the isolation unit itself.
Thank you for replying! :) The hospital has most of the covid patients contained to an isolation unit, and you don PPE before you even enter the unit ... Students aren't allowed to enter, so sadly, that makes it impossible for me to watch from outside the room. Hopefully they are really working on the PPE training for us that they mentioned ... I really do want to help out wherever I can!
Study their protocol. Get as familiar as possible with it. Look at their technique chart. Familiarize yourself with the rooms. If you’re asked to grab something, the techs appreciate you knowing where things are. Practice using the equipment in the room. If there is a classmate with you, practice practice practice positioning. Ask to go along on portables and watch from outside the room if you can. Watch how they manage their PPE and how they try to minimize touching equipment after touching the patient. Observe different patient body habituses and the way they’re positioned in the bed- is the patient slouching in the bed/what did the tech do to overcome suboptimal patient positioning to get a good image? Look at images taken that you couldn’t participate in and apply the image analysis skills you’re starting to learn.
I’m so sick of being forced to order portable X-rays man honestly. It’s so inferior for most things I’m actually ordering X-rays for be going to rads department
This happen to me at my clinical site. Although clinical instructor found a loop hole and I shot through the glass door in the ER. “Clean/dirty tech”I didn’t go in the room. I would go to COVID land but not in patient rooms. I would clean the mobile WallE and put in the info. Would go over exams depending on the tech. I would suggest to start preparing your booklet for exams and ask techs that do go into COVID about it because after working in the field, you are going in. In the beginning I wasn’t allow to even come along covid land but then we got our personal respirators and I used that to go on mobile covid exams not entering rooms. Otherwise I suggest preparing for exams having to remember protocols like knees we did AP/lat/sunrise. Some cases weight bearing and tunnel. I was able to look at completed exams and I would start getting in the habit of looking for specific areas. I feel you on not wanting to sit around so I made use of asking questions and making a technique log on different body types. Evening shifts I got away with doing more since we were short staff. Also, I was allowed to play around with the machines and X-ray a bunch of random stuff when a tech suggested it during their evening shift and we weren’t busy. I stayed away from techs that didn’t care for students and found three techs that helped me develop as a student. I did a ton of fluoro exams when I wasn’t allow COVID. Maybe that’s an option, I loved it because I got to see the radiologist interaction with patients. I started to take notes on how each radiologist did their exams and accommodated with what they like. For example which ones used two fizzes and which ones used a specific needle or wanted to know which steroid injection med is used. Fluoro was my favorite place and it’s because I wasn’t able to do much with COVID so I spent a lot of hours there.