How Budget Issues Affect Technologists.

Departmental budgets create active issues that positively or negatively affect the technologist's everyday practice. This literature review was conducted to determine if technologists' quality of care and radiation safety were at risk and if examination productivity was affected. Midwestern State University's library database was searched for the most recent literature concerning these issues using CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, and MEDLINE databases. The literature used for this review found that a department with a minimalist budget negatively affected technologists' occupational attitude and job satisfaction because of budget cuts and lack of communication between management and employees; this adversely affected the quality of care given. Radiation protection practices were noncompliant in some facilities with a poor budget because educational programs could not be funded and adequate shielding resources were not provided, which increased the risk of unnecessary radiation exposure to personnel and patients. In contrast, a department with generous funds that had continuing education programs available showed compliance with radiation protection. Furthermore, departments with a strong budget that included purchasing a picture archiving computer system created a more simplistic workflow, increased patient throughput, and increased examination productivity. It was found that budgets should be correctly distributed in order to create optimal occupational success for a department because working under a minimalist budget ultimately affects many aspects of technologists' day-to-day practice. Because of the age of the most current articles, a need to conduct research focusing on recent changes affecting budgetary concerns has been shown.

U.S. Technologists' radiation exposure perceptions and practices.

BACKGROUND: Despite early recognition of the potential hazards of ionizing radiation and research documenting these hazards over the past 115 years, problems persist regarding the safety of medical procedures that use ionizing radiation for imaging. OBJECTIVE: This investigation sought to evaluate current attitudes and radiation protection practices among radiologic technologists following recent reports of the dramatic increase in radiation dose in the United States. METHOD: A survey was sent to a stratified random sample of 2000 radiologic technologists in the U.S. whose names were obtained from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. RESULTS: Radiographers are aware of the increase in exposure to the U.S. population from medical sources and some of their self-reported observations and practices are contributing to this increase. CONCLUSION: Radiologic technologists are aware of exposure increases and may be contributing to the increase in patient dose in the U.S., largely because there is a lack of in-service education. Commonly recognized and accepted methods of radiation protection practices are being applied to reduce dose to U.S. patients, but not routinely so. These skills require periodic updates and reminders.

Radiation Exposure Dose Trends and Radiation Dose Reduction Strategies in Medical Imaging.

Since the discovery of x-rays, many investigations of radiation effects on humans have taken place. From the discovery of severe x-ray dermatitis near the end of 1896, the multiple radiation burns endured by Thomas Edison's assistant, Clarence Dally, to the establishment of early radiation regulation in 1929, radiation exposure has been a continuing concern. Studies from the 1940s to the 1960s looked at effects such as leukemia and other cancers that appeared to be caused by exposure to radiation; outcomes of these studies resulted in increased regulation, establishment of dose tolerances and the development of the National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP). Since the 1960s, similar studies have continued resulting in stricter dose limits. However, a recent resurgence of radiation exposure injuries led to this literature review that revealed a gap in the literature concerning the radiation practices and continued education of today's radiologic technologists. Through this review, recommendations for dose reduction strategies are included.

Mentoring for the next generation of new managers.

Mentoring programs can be key to the continued success of an organization. With anticipated increasing turnover of employees and senior management getting closer to retirement, it has never been more important to train and mentor the next generation of new managers. This article identifies personality traits that may contribute to a successful mentor/mentee relationship and discusses new schemes and approaches designed to mentor new managers.Old and new ideas can be melded together through generational mentoring. This article highlights issues regarding both the advantages and disadvantages to mentoring.

Landmarks for lateral scapula and scapular Y positioning.

BACKGROUND: Currently used positioning landmarks for the lateral scapula and Y projections often yield inconsistent results and lead to repeats. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether new positioning landmarks can help radiographers position the lateral scapula and Y projections more accurately. METHODS: Following laboratory experimentation on dry bone specimens, a small pilot study was conducted in the clinical setting to test the new landmarks. RESULTS: Laboratory and clinical testing of the use of the acromial tip and superior angle of the scapula suggest that these landmarks are easier to use and improve accuracy of positioning.

Stressors That Negatively Affect the Health of Radiology Professionals.

Stress is one of the leading causes of mental and physical health problems in our society. This subject is nothing new to radiology professionals because of the constant exposure to various stressors. These stressors include staffing shortages, physical injuries, hospital violence, and diverse types of fatigue. Stressors are unique and personal to each individual, but they can also be applied to all radiology professionals and can correlate with health deficiencies. This paper examines research available on stress, and what stressors continuously affect the health of working professionals. To eliminate the negative effects of stressors, it is imperative for all health care providers to evaluate the bounds and risks to devise the most appropriate solution.

Viability of hospital-based radiography programs.

OBJECTIVE: To identify and address risks threatening hospital-based radiography programs and to report conditions that contribute to their survival. METHOD: Program directors of the 201 hospital-sponsored radiography programs accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology were surveyed via questionnaire. Program demographic data are reported for comparison. RESULTS: More than 90% of the survey respondents believe their programs will remain viable over the next 5 years, indicating a possible plateau in program closures. A majority of the program directors cite financial concerns as a risk factor. The study results suggest a need for additional inquiry covering inter-related groups.

Identifying elements of job satisfaction to improve retention rates in healthcare.

According to the American Hospital Association, by the year 2010, the United States will need 1,000,000 qualified nurses to care for patients, an additional 75,000 licensed radiologic technologists, and several other ancillary medical staff employees. A number of health professionals question why there is such a significant shortage--especially considering that many facilities; are implementing cost initiatives and insurance companies are decreasing the length of patient hospital stays. One specific factor may not be fully appreciated: Although the length of stay is decreasing,the acuity level of the patient is increasing. The number and types of available opportunities also contribute to the staffing shortage. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are now working diligently to address the crisis and answer that one very important question: How can they keep employees satisfied and willing commit long-term to the organization? This review focuses on identifying those key variables of job satisfaction that will lead to long-term retention of healthcare workers, including money, work environment, performance feedback, advancement opportunities, group cohesion, and relationships with management. It also discusses the effects of demographic characteristics such as age and gender on job satisfaction.