As a
student of the radiologic sciences, it has been pounded into my head that
protection of the patient and technologist are of utmost importance. A good
portion of the general public is aware of the dangers that radiation poses to your
health especially when exposed to a large quantity of it at once. There has
been a push to educate the public on these dangers because of disasters such as
Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima, and of course the bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki. Movies are made portraying the horrors of acute radiation poisoning
and its effects. The symbol for radiation and radioactivity is practically
universal, and most people can tell you what it means even if it is in another
language. Generally speaking, this is a good thing. People certainly need to be
aware of the effects that radiation can have. However, the doses used in
medical imaging are much smaller than those experienced by disaster and bombing
victims; they are also much smaller than those portrayed in most movies. If a
patient is educated on radiation, this can make them overly worried about the
effects of one common x-ray procedure. It is the technologist’s job to help
them understand that while they are being exposed, the benefit of minimal
radiation exposure outweighs the risks and will hopefully benefit their health
in the long run.
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| Your smile is penetrating! |
In contrast, there can be a complacency
about radiation exposure among clinical staff that work with radiation. Medical
imaging doses of radiation cannot be heard, seen, smelled, tasted, or felt. Medical
imaging staff are around machines that have the ability to produce radiation
all day long. Even though they all have been trained on the risks of exposure
and how to avoid needless radiation exposure, the fact that they are around it
all day long and feel no effects can nurture a mindset that they do not need to
use time, distance or shielding to protect themselves. Most radiation
protection gear contains lead, which is heavy and cumbersome to wear, and let’s
face it - you look like a complete nerd in your radiation garb. We should all
be smart enough to know that looking like a total geek should not play a role
in protecting ourselves. If INL melted down tomorrow no one would be worried
about how they look; they would be worried about potential radiation exposure.
But the truth is, when you go the same place every day, preform a range of
similar of duties every day, see and interact with people that do the same
thing every day, you begin to worry less about something you cannot hear, see,
smell taste, or feel, and worry more about fulfilling your job requirements and
getting along with your co-workers. How you look and how you are perceived by
others is part of this. Being self-conscious about your appearance can be a
real motivator, and being the only one in the operating room wearing a huge and
heavy set of unflattering lead glasses can certainly bring on taunting remarks
from those who do not. Granted, some people in the operating room were never
trained in radiation protection, but some were and even they could be teasing
you. That can be even more of a motivator, especially if that person went to an
institution of higher learning for 12 years, carries the title M.D., and is
referred to as “Doctor.”
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| Jana, Jessi, Jenifer, & JD...That's a lot of Pb wearing J's! |
I am
worried about complacency; not a complacency in patient protection, but in my
own protection. As someone who generally looks at my job and responsibilities
with the attitude of “doing what I have to do to get done what I have to get
done,” I realize that I am at real risk of skipping what appear to be needless steps
to make my day go smoothly and increase my productivity. And call me vein, but
I would prefer to look good while I am doing it. I do not want to forget how
important radiation protection is. So what can be done? Firstly, I have to
decide for myself that I do not care what other people think. If I get teased
for wearing lead glasses in the operating room, so be it. My eyes are messed up
enough as it is, I don't need to add cataracts to my nearsightedness, astigmatism, and worry of possible retinal detachment I already have. I can become active in my workplace's Radiation Safety Committee. I can influence my peers by leading by example, and
understanding that I have done nothing wrong in protecting myself. As long as I
am not impinging on my ability to do my job, I can be paranoid in my lead
wearing choices and maybe get a little exercise to boot. And finally, I can get
creative. In my attempts to buy simple radiation protection items, I have
discovered a severe lack of fashionable radiation protection gear. I have found
that almost anything can be spruced up a bit with a little bit of effort. As
long as it meets state, federal, and workplace regulations there is no one
telling me I can't wear a pair lead glasses that are actually flattering on my
face. Maybe one day I'll have the money to help others be adorable in lead
glasses, but for now I will have to settle for the options available. Below are
a few sites I have found that allow for customization in radiation wear.
Glasses are still difficult, but my eye doctor was able to put lead lenses in
regular frames.
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| LLAP and pass the ARRT! |
In
closing, remember the importance of radiation protection to you, the
technologist. There is a reason it’s the second thing you learned about in
school after radiologic science. I choose to remember, and will attempt to look
good while doing it. And even if I look nerdy, I'm already a rainbow loving,
Star Trek obsessed radiologic technology student who loves Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. At this point, there is little I can do to increase my nerd
quotient.
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