My Shadowing Experience

Introduction
During my half day shadowing of Memorial hospitals radiologist, Dr. Armah, I was able to observe several studies. These studies included several CT scans, and three PET/CT 18F-FDG scans. During my shadowing experience I was able to obtain a better understanding of how the radiologist reads images, what makes for good diagnostic images, and what role I play in the quality of the images. The shadowing experience was one of great importance as it proved to be very informative. Such information included technology impacts, various pathologies, and personal reflection on my role.
Advancements in Radiology
In order to really understand where medical imaging is currently at one must have a basic understanding of where it came from. Twenty years ago radiologist would read and dictate the images on film. They were able to accomplish this by holding the film up to light boxes. This method provided no way for the radiologist to interact or manipulate the images

One of the ways I am going to implement into my routine is stopping and asking what could cause these images to have a reduced quality and in what ways will I be able to prevent that from happening. The thoughts already run through my head quickly, however, I want to really focus on the individuals and base my opinion off of their actions as to what could go wrong. For example, if I had a patient who suffered from memory loss I might want to remind them several times throughout the procedure to try and remain as still as possible. Additionally, I want to continue to focus on ensuring I am taking all steps possible to obtain a good quality image by doing routine things such as explaining the procedure well to the patient, ensuring any material objects are not causing artifacts, and practicing safe handling of the radioactive pharmaceuticals to eliminate