The main purpose of a field trip is to expose students to the practical aspect of patient-centered and team-based care of any medical specialty. Cognitive learning is also possible when students are exposed to different types of environments out of class, in this case, a hospital environment. To ensure that students get the most out of such trips, organizers must ensure novelty of the trip setting (DeWitt, Jennifer & Storksdieck, 2008). Before arriving at the facility, I expected that in addition to the mentioned skills, I would also gain more non-interpretive skills, like professionalism or other skills like how to order an imaging study. I got to understand many of these while visiting the medical facility. I arrived at the venue early to give myself an allowance for any inconveniences that may arise, like heavy traffic. Besides, I wanted to take advantage of any opportunity that I would get to interact with the stuff. This, in particular, would enable me to get insight into work-related variables that significantly affect medical personnel, for example, work burnout (Chetlen et al., 2019).
Once in the facility, I was shown around by a second-year medical student. She was keen on showing us around, allowing us to interact with most of the features in the facility, including equipment in the x-ray room, the CT room, the MRI center, and the ER. We got the chance to talk to several technicians, most significantly the CT and MRI tech who were selfless with their information about their experiences in the practice. However, we could not have the full CT room experience since there were patients present, and the practitioners were focused on them. This was despite the fact that it was a relatively quiet day in the facility, and things were being carried at a steady and calm pace. It would be very beneficial if we would have experienced more in the CT room, like watching a contrast-enhanced body CT scan or observing some other similarly interesting scan being performed, like the administration of intravenous contrast. Similarly, while in the MRI suite, it would be better if we would have the chance of following a patient through the whole arthrogram process. One of the most memorable experiences during the trip was when our guide performed an x-ray imaging on a patient. This was a positive experience since increased my understanding of some of the processes that I would be involved with sometime in the future. Besides, this was a form of interactive learning, one that was vivid and hence, easy to understand (Konda et al., 2017)
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Through our interactions with the technicians in the institution, it was clear that the need for effective communication could not be overemphasized. This is indispensable in building a rapport between a patient and the doctor or nurse. Further, it is likely to ensure patients' satisfaction. Radiography often involves disseminating information to the patient regarding the procedures and even the diagnostic information. Some of this communication is across cultural divides. This, however, does not mean that the instructions or responses to the patients should be of inferior quality as this would undermine their welfare. Additionally, the practitioners also have to tackle language barriers or use alternative forms of communication while attending to the emotional needs of the patient. The radiographs and the outcome of the examinations also have to be timely and well communicated to other practitioners to ensure effective diagnostics.
Diagnostic radiographers come into contact with multiple patients in a single day. With each of these patients, the radiographer is expected to form a relationship with them to foster trust and ensure that the results are the most accurate representation of the condition within the patient. Additionally, most of the conditions necessitating the scan might be sensitive, and the patient might need extra care and comfort due to the stress associated with the results. The main challenge facing this is the fact that each interaction might be a few minutes in length. Patient-centered care is not difficult in radiology since most functions they perform are under physician instruction, and they have minimal contact with the patient. Radiologists, nonetheless, contribute to the patients' satisfaction by also ensuring that the patients' needs and preferences are taken into account during their brief meeting.
I enjoyed several aspects of being a radiology technician. Radiologists act like detectives of the human anatomy, observing patterns and information which they would later use to draw conclusions about the state of the patient. I also liked the leadership role that a radiologist has in the therapy of their patient, seeing how most of the other physicians relied on the information provided by the radiologist to decide on the course of treatment. Similarly, radiology is also used as an indicator of the way forward when a dilemma is present.
Radiology technology is a health profession that is often underappreciated by the public, who are limited to doctors and nurses as far as their knowledge of medical practitioners is concerned. Field trips to medical centers activate learned principles, and this helps a student like myself to understand some of the non-interpretive skills necessary in practice, especially different forms of communication, related to this allied health profession. The practical information that is availed during these field trips would be valuable to anyone contemplating a career in the nuclear radiology field.
References
Chetlen, A. L., Chan, T. L., Ballard, D. H., Frigini, L. A., Hildebrand, A., Kim, S., ... & Ganeshan, D. (2019). Addressing burnout in radiologists. Academic radiology , 26 (4), 526-533.
DeWitt, J., & Storksdieck, M. (2008). A short review of school field trips: Key findings from the past and implications for the future. Visitor studies , 11 (2), 181-197.
Konda, V. R., Prakash, G. B., Subash, K. R., & Rao, K. U. (2017). Second year medical students' feedback on teaching-learning methodologies and evaluation methods in pharmacology: A questionnaire based study. Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol , 6 , 1311-6.
