I recruit all things Imaging for Aureus Medical, and typically if I’m talking to people who are not in the industry, a blank look comes across their face. Then I explain what kinds of people and the positions and then usually the light comes on….”Oh yeah, I had one of those” or ” my father had that done,” etc, etc. Seeing that we are celebrating National Radiologic Technologist Week, I figured I’d go over all of these positions, to get an idea of truly how important the entire Radiology Department is to all of us.
Diagnostic X-ray– The start of it all is the ability to see inside the body without being invasive. X-ray has been incredibly effective in the fight against diseases like TB and pneumonia as well as helping with recovery from broken bones. Before X-ray, if you had a broken bone, correcting it was done by feel. If you have ever seen the scene from Dances with Wolves where he gets his foot set by the doctor….well I think we can all agree that wasn’t pretty and with X-ray it has greatly reduced the guessing game to an outright science.
CT– Computed Tomography. I have to admit, I still don’t quite understand how it works, but the beauty of it is that I really don’t need to. What I can tell you is that the information we receive from those “slices” have been instrumental in the detection and treatment of pulmonary embolisms, aneurisms, and lung cancer. Lung cancer is the 2nd most deadly disease that exists, and CT is incredibly helpful in the detection and treatment of it.
MRI– Another wonderful invention, I can’t even imagine how they came up with this one, but they did. Somehow a powerful magnet is able to produce amazingly detailed pictures of the anatomy. It identifies dangerous symptoms and consequences like tumors, strokes, and finds the blood vessels that have reduced the flow of blood that cause strokes.
Cath/IR Lab– Many of you are familiar with the Cardiac Cath Lab as it is often the place that sees the effects of the world’s most deadly disease, heart disease. The idea is fairly simple, but I can tell you the procedures are not. This is invasive radiology, as the name suggests. This is where, when the problem is identified, they go in and fix it. I hate to dumb it down, but the Cath/IR Lab are the plumbers of the Rad Tech world. Helping roto-root the pipes, fix leaks, and get back into good health. Without the Cath Lab and the Rad Techs that work in it, many of our family members would not have survived heart attacks or would have had heart attacks without the preventative care they received in the Cath Lab.
Rad Therapy and Dosimetry– When most people think of Radiologic Technologists, Rad Therapy and Dosimetry don’t first come to mind. But I promise you that anybody that has had cancer and been treated for it are very thankful for the care that these highly educated and trained people gave them. Simply put, once cancer is detected, Rad Therapists and Dosimetrists are the front line that wage war on cancer.
Mammography– We just finished Breast Cancer Awareness month, so we probably are all very familiar with the effects of breast cancer. While all Rad Techs are very passionate about their field, Mammographers seem to project the most passion and to have the most personal attachment to their patients. As the saying goes, everybody knows somebody who has been affected by breast cancer.
Ultrasound– Ultrasound is another tool to get a live picture of what is going on inside the body without being invasive. When most people think of ultrasound, they think pregnancy. And it’s true, ultrasound is most known for the work in pregnancy, like identifying gender. I think there is this thought that it is cosmetic or simply for fun since we all get that ultrasound print out of our niece or nephew, but the reality is that ultrasound is used in nearly every department in Radiology. While the science itself is diagnostic, it’s used for guidance purposes for invasive procedures. While fluoro in X-ray can provide a live picture, you are radiating the patient during that procedure. For that reason, ultrasound is perhaps the least invasive. Now I know I will get a lot of flack for putting ultrasound in here, since it’s not radiology based; however, ultrasound is always within Radiology and for that reason I’m including it.
So there you go, a quick rundown of all aspects of the Radiology department. Nurses get a lot of press and they deserve every word. I think Radiology Techs (and Sonographers) deserve an equal amount of praise for all the work they do and all the lives they touch. Join me in celebrating National Radiologic Technologist Week November 3rd thru November 9th. In case you are wondering, X-ray was discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on Nov 8th, 1895….that’s why we are going to party like it’s 1895. Maybe we will even do an Annabelle Serpentine Dance (google it, it will make sense).
Andy Hanneman is an Account Manager in the Diagnostic Imaging division of Aureus Medical Group. Quite a bit has happened in the past year for Andy, as he got engaged, married and built a new home. On his down time, he enjoys mis-using powertools (according to his wife), never-ending trips to Menards or Lowes, and learning how to use his newest acquisition…a snow blower. When he is not working on his house, Andy enjoys spending time at the gym, movie theatre, or simply watching TV on the couch with his beautiful wife!
800.456.5857 ext. 6054 / ahanneman@aureusmedical.com / Twitter