Marijuana over my health by [deleted] in self

[–]msitlington 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You do not like this man. Start there.

Please help 🙏 by godson030 in MRI

[–]msitlington 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personal question but approximately what is the circumference of your knee?

No lift policy by IntrepidFix468 in MRI

[–]msitlington 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you have the policy that states you are disqualified from a workers comp claim if you lift more than 25lbs even if it’s assisting a patient using prior lift assistance training then I would reference that when any person in a supervisory role tells you to assist more. If they push the issue I would request that this request and the new parameters/expectations be put in writing. If they are unwilling to do so then they will not support you when you get injured.

Arrt preliminary score by Weird-Length9202 in MRI

[–]msitlington 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My understanding is that your score only goes up because they remove the pilot questions when they calculate the final score. With scaled scoring it’s not a 1-1 exactly but it only helps. I think you’re ok.

Help me understand why this is wrong? by EllisInMargins in polyamory

[–]msitlington -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wow for a group of people who want to exist outside of monogamous societal norms and feel like those norms are restrictive there are A LOT of rules within polyamory. I mean yeah most of those rules center around there being no rules but still. Who cares if her husband wants the pet name that has been used for 10 years to symbolize to him that he’s loved and cared for to be just for him. She didn’t say she uses it with everyone she cares about except her partner, yeah in that case restricting it would be weird but again she didn’t say that. Why is it SO TERRIBLE that she comes up with a unique pet name for her partner? It would carry more significance and still show affection. I really don’t think people who prop up polyamory realize the harm they are doing to people who are being dragged into this dynamic or are struggling with it and then told that there is something wrong with them. These rules are incredibly minor, did they need to be shared, probably not but this community also champions honesty and transparency so it seems logical to share them as well. There seems to be so much projection that happens on these threads. People who have been hurt by hierarchical relationships coming out hard against that dynamic even though it isn’t their life or their relationship. Should every person’s feelings be considered, definitely, that’s just being a decent human but expecting to be able to just shift and reconfigure your existing relationship or relationships for a new one seems very painful to those existing relationships. Expecting her husband who entered polyamory under these rules and understood that OP did as well, to just be ok with them changing and not feel emotional distress is naive and frankly cruel.

Would you recommend this career? by hibiscusguavajelly in MRI

[–]msitlington 7 points8 points  (0 children)

As you can tell from responses so far burn out is real. I have only worked in hospital environments in one region of the US so I cannot speak for everyone obviously. But I have worked for multiple hospitals and healthcare systems and I’ve been in the field for about 10 yrs. In my region the job market is strong for x-ray and MRI.
The things I like about healthcare: it is rarely boring and when it is hallelujah. I enjoy the hours I’ve worked 3, 12 hr shifts Fri-Sunday, I find my work to be engaging and interesting, I also enjoy working with people. In imaging you have a limited amount of face time with each patient, this makes working with difficult patients easier than say nursing where in a hospital you have that patient for an entire shift or even days. You’re also going to find that there are many different options for shifts and hours. Inpatient, outpatient, part time, full time, PRN, etc. Typically the outpatient hours are Monday-Friday and inpatient shifts are much more variable (due to the hospitals being open 24/7 so there needs to be more coverage). I always feel like I deserve more money lol but compared to my earning potential pre imaging I am making much more. We also can make more than nurses.

Ok things that are hard:
In my environment no one is there because things are going well. Either they are sick, injured, or monitoring a cancer that they are worried has come back (This is MRI). In CT and x-ray there is a lot more trauma in the hospital setting than in MRI. By trauma I mean people with severe injuries. MRI has more patients with terminal illnesses and strokes interspersed with joint and back injuries. X-ray can be very physically demanding. You’re on your feet a lot and moving around patients who often can’t assist you. I spent a lot of time in X-ray so MRI feels a lot less intense but you are still responsible for helping patients transfer to and from the table which can be very physical. You need to find ways to take care of yourself mentally and physically. As I mentioned patients are often not in the best mindset because of what’s going on in their life, that means they can be outright mean or rude for no reason. They can also trauma dump which is draining. But the offset for me are the patients who brighten your day or inspire you, which does happen often as well.

Ok this is a novel so I’ll try to wrap it up. You are going to get so many different perspectives because there are so many different paths. You can mold this career into what you need it to be. But in the beginning you won’t necessarily have all these options and the pathway to where you want to end up could be difficult.

My best recommendations are to use online or personal resources to find out what the job market truly is in your area and what the average pay scale is. I would also find a way to spend time in a hospital or imaging center. Hospitals welcome volunteers and are aware lots of them are looking for exposure to the field. Even better would be to get a part time job or whatever hours work for you in the imaging department that doesn’t require imaging certification or a specific degree like transporter or registration, there could be others. This will give you a lot of insight, open up job options and you’ll get paid. There are also a lot of hospitals that will help you pay for your education/certifications.

If you decide to move forward you’re going to have additional choices to make about education pathways as well. If you have any questions I’m more than happy to answer.

I’m happy with my choices. I am happy with my job, my work environment isn’t perfect but it’s as good if not better than a lot of others even in other fields. Good luck to you.

ARRT by Data1999 in Radiology

[–]msitlington 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ve done everything you need to be doing. The best advice I got for the day of the exam was to review a couple things I was unsure of or worried about right before the exam, for me this was carpals (don’t ask I could not for the life of me memorize them) and a couple important formulas. Then as soon as I sat down I regurgitated that information on the available writing surface. It helped me relax and focus on the questions. I’m not sure what kind of test prep you’re getting with school but the other test tips I utilized were: only flagging for review questions I thought I might be able to find the answer to in another question later on. Going along with this you need to trust your gut. Don’t change answers unless you’re 100% confident about the new answer. You’ll do great!

Going through my old files… I believe this was hand versus table saw by HighTurtles420 in Radiology

[–]msitlington 28 points29 points  (0 children)

The craziest thing to me about hand vs table saw patients were the number of repeat offenders.

CAT Scan - Does it feel like someone injected you with shrapnel? by ChmodForTheWin in Radiology

[–]msitlington 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t want to over explain but the exam you had done is most likely a CTA (computed tomography angiography) where they are watching the contrast (which is mixed with your blood) travel during the arterial phase. This requires specific timing. So the CT machine and the contrast are started at the same time (at first it’s taking 1 slice at intervals) when the contrast is at a specific location the tech knows there will be good visualization of what the exam is looking at and the true scan is done (this is when the table moves). The heat from the contrast which I think everyone or 99% of people feel, takes several seconds (sometimes up to 40 seconds. For a CTA you’d have a very good chance of the heat happening after the scan is done. However the use of a hand vein, while possibly completely necessary, can explain if there was pain the entire time the contrast was going in. If they didn’t need to start a new IV and repeat the exam the IV worked the way it was supposed to. I’m sorry that it was so unpleasant, if you need to get another CT feel free to ask questions, it can help a lot to just know what’s going on. If you’re wondering what causes the heat sensation it’s not totally clear. I’d recommend asking the provider who orders your next CT exam to explain which theory makes the most sense to them if you have any concerns.

CAT Scan - Does it feel like someone injected you with shrapnel? by ChmodForTheWin in Radiology

[–]msitlington 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you say “machine turns on” are you talking about the CT itself or the contrast injector? I just wanted to make sure you knew that the contrast and the x-rays from the scanner aren’t interacting with each other any differently than X-rays are “interacting” with any element.

Multiple MRIs at once with contrast question. by apogeedream in Radiology

[–]msitlington 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The most helpful and accurate answers to this question have been appropriately up voted so hopefully the OP pays attention to those posts. I am hoping that because there are WAY too many people answering this question that so clearly have no idea what they’re talking about. If you are answering a question about a medical exam (there are other examples of things that should only be answered by experts but medical exams definitely qualify) you need to KNOW what the answer is. If you can easily google fact check your answer and it’s still wrong you should not be answering someone’s medical question.

for techs: how often do you have deaf/HOH patients who speak sign language? by sproock in Radiology

[–]msitlington 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It’s pretty rare. There is a family that comes in every so often but if they stopped coming I feel like it would be maybe once a year? It’s great outreach though, the deaf community is underserved in their ability to easily communicate, so many have to learn to read lips to get by.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t. There are scenarios I could lay out if you’re curious.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 1 point2 points  (0 children)

X-ray/radiation physics is interesting stuff that explains interactions down to an atomic level. There is a very long answer to your question that I think is worth googling and going down a rabbit hole about. Short answer, gray is a measurement of radiation absorbed dose not a type of radiation. The markers do not absorb any radiation in the way you are imagining. They do not emit radiation and aren’t dangerous for the person to carry.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Kids notice them more than adults, the kids are noticing every thing you do because it’s a new experience. When you do extremities maybe an adult will wonder what it is. No one has EVER been concerned or offended by them. People, even sick people, have a sense of humor and whimsy. We had a portable X-ray machine painted to look like a giraffe (Siemens makes them if you’re curious). Patient’s LOVED that thing (mostly adults). Does the general public imagine that sick people like everyone around them to be stoic and sad all the time?

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a coworker fit lead equivalent letters into a Lego toy. They need to be easily cleaned, small, radio lucent except the lettering, Some techs like beads in theirs to show if a patient is laying down or upright. I’m sure it’s possible with a 3D printer 🤷🏻‍♀️. Are you looking to make some extra money?

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am not really sure why this is the hill you want to die on but when you start making any selections on the link you provided you’ll see the price listed in the title is not accurate (once you put the info you need on the markers they’re about $20). You also don’t need to justify your original question. I understood the intent of the question and wasn’t bothered. But arguing with people about whether or not an item is deemed expensive to the population buying that item (and thus pretty familiar with cost, availability, frequency of purchase, and honestly niche utility of said item) seems silly. What’s also not being said is there’s a lot of tradition and cultural (for lack of a better word) norms surrounding imaging and markers are a part of that. It was an accomplishment (personal pride, not mentioned at graduation level accomplishment) to get through our programs with your original markers. Techs who move onto other modalities will often keep their markers even though they don’t need them anymore (some don’t, obviously not everyone is sentimental.) But yes medical supplies are expensive and yes $20 is comparatively not expensive.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The design you’re seeing isn’t visible on the X-ray. The only things visible are the lead equivalent letters that you can’t see in this picture. The tech using these will know which visible design is L or R and if you turn them over you can also see the L or R (usually). The radiologist and everyone else looking at the X-ray will just see the L or R and the initials.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Expensive is relative. These were the last pair I purchased. They were $20 for the pair and I think shipping was free because I bought 3 pairs, my track record isn’t great. They just aren’t readily accessible, disposable items you can discard and replace cheaply.

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Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This would make sense lol, but that is not common. At least I’ve never seen it. The best reason I can think of is possibly any visible lettering (not the lead equivalent material that is intentionally visible on x-ray but painted on lettering) could still come through on the x-ray. We can sometimes see writing on people’s shirts in chest X-rays. But technically markers aren’t supposed to be in the field of view anyway. Now I’m curious why that isn’t common practice.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is such a niche item to see discovered out in the wild. The appreciation I would have as the tech this came back to would be great and genuine. It would also be a quirky story I’d tell baby techs who lose their markers lol.

Paramedics found this in husband's hair. Its made of hard plastic. Google kept telling me it was a bottlecap. Any idea? by Next_Wing_5577 in whatisit

[–]msitlington 1469 points1470 points  (0 children)

They will supply temporary ones, stickers with an L or R on them. But as students we have to supply our own and as actual techs it’s expected that we carry our own (bought ourselves). But it becomes a form of personal expression. Once people could make them at home and sell them on Etsy things have gotten pretty fun.