Job Shadow
Job Shadow
By: Hilary DohertyTalmage Shill ~ RadiologistKevin Pearce ~
X-Ray TechnicianI shadowed Dr. Shill at Intermountain Medical
Center on 5400 South and State Street.This is the new hospital that
they built in Murray.
I also shadowed Kevin Perce, an X-ray Technician, at Utah
Orthopedic Specialists.I actually went there when I broke my wrist,
and its located at 5323 S. Woodrow St. #200.What Dr. Shill does
On a typical day, Dr. Shill reads studies, performs biopsies and
reads CT scans and chest X-rays. What Kevin does:On a typical day,
Kevin is busy taking X-rays all day, taking care of patients making
sure they are safe and sometimes even taking out stitches.It
includes a lot of walking and upper body moving the x-ray
machine.
What type of training or education is required for SLCC:First
you must apply and get into the radiology program with good
grades.
Then you pass all the radiology course with a B+ or better
For radiology technicians, you must pass the ARRT exam, which is
the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
To become a RPT ~ Radiology Practical TechnicianKevin, who is a
RPT took a 66 hour course at Davis Applied Technology College,
where is now also teaches.
Responsibilities of the jobCT scansX-raysDiagnostic examsPatient
CareGetting and reading diagnostic filmsTransport patients
safelyProvide quality x-rays
What part of the job is:Most satisfyingMost ChallengingKathy,
the radiology technician said:Making a differenceDr. Shill
said:Finding something unexpected and making a discoveryKevin, the
RPT said:People coming back and recognizing you, he enjoys working
with the patients and says it is a lot of fun. Kathy said:Difficult
patients that dont appreciate that you are trying to help themDr.
Shill said:Complex cases Lack of informationMiscommunicationKevin
said:Doing the same thing every day ~ no varietyWhat opportunities
for advancement are there?What entry jobs are best for learning as
much as possible?Train into different areas. What type of training
does the company offer for persons entering the field?On the job
training for certain areas, such as X-Ray to CT scans.Mostly you
learn how to do it in school.Dr. Shill said:In a hospital because
you will learn more in different areas than you would in a clinic.
Radiology Technician is the entry job but some places have
Radiology Technicians Assistants.Kevin said:In an orthopedic clinic
because you cover the whole body.From your perspective, what are
the problems you see working in this field?Changes in
healthcare.
Nobody knows whats going to happen with their jobs
Malpractice
Metal management
Too many patients where you cant take the time for the patients
to be comfortable and you cant get the exact picture you want. If
you could do things over again, would you choose the same field you
are in? Why?Kathy, the Radiology Technician said:No, she would have
liked to become a physician's assistant and continuing working on
her degreesDr. Shill, the Radiologist said:Yes, because there is
high job satisfaction.Kevin, the RPT said:Yes, he loves his job,
pay is good and a good field to be in.Are good teamwork skills
required for the job?
More like good personal skills with dealing with patients. You
need to have compassion for them, because they are scared to be
there and are looking at surgery.
This is a women getting her broken ankle x-rayed.
My feelings about my experiencesI learned a lot with Kevin, he
made me feel welcome and actually taught me how to do some things,
like how far away the x-ray machine should be per person, what kind
of x-ray were needed per person and he let me take some of the
x-rays, which was awesome!
Doing 2 job shadows really helped me decide which part of my
field that I want to go into, which is X-Ray Technician, or RPT,
Radiology Practical Technician.Kevin gave me some really good
advise about the field. Thank you card for Dr. ShillThank you card
for Kevin
