Technical review and considerations for a cerebrospinal fluid leakage study.

Within the past decade, published diagnostic algorithms for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage have included beta-2-transferrin analysis, rigid nasal endoscopy, high-resolution CT, CT cisternography, CT fluorescein lumbar puncture, and MRI but have not included the nuclear medicine CSF leakage study. However, some physicians still use this study today. This case report reviews the procedure and data calculations for the study. The presented case demonstrates how patient ingenuity in maintaining a compromised pledget for counting after sneezing contributed to the final diagnostic outcome. The patient was a 58-y-old man who presented with persistent nasal drainage and headaches, with no history of previous head trauma or surgery. The patient was referred to the nuclear medicine department for a CSF leakage study, which had positive findings and led to a final diagnosis of a large dural and skull defect posteriorly over the ethmoid sinuses.

Using personality type to improve clinical education effectiveness.

Many nuclear medicine technologists become clinical educators by chance, with little introduction to teaching methodologies and student learning styles. This means that most technologists teach students in the clinic by modeling the way in which they were taught in nuclear medicine school, a method that may not be effective for every student encountered. The purpose of this article is to examine how personality type can be used to improve clinical education effectiveness.

Web-based prerequisite finder. An aid for prospective students in a college of allied health.

Through a college-wide focus of efforts, the admissions process for five allied health departments was streamlined. The web-based prerequisite finder is one tool in this cross-disciplinary model that has resulted in a more effective and efficient application and admissions process for the college.

Factors in recruitment and employment of allied health students: preliminary findings.

The efforts of a group of participants in the Coalition for Allied Health Leadership program to assess how and why allied health students became interested in their professions and students' plans for future employment are described. Results of a survey administered to 29 physical therapist assistant (PTA) and 54 communication disorders (CD) students revealed that most of the students first learned about their professions through personal experience. Almost half of the PTA students decided to pursue their career after working in another career, and most of the CD students made the decision during high school or in college. The most important factors in students' decisions to enter the professions were a desire to help others and the nature of the work. CD students preferred private practice, whereas the most desired employment setting for PTA students was an outpatient clinical facility. For both groups, the three most important factors influencing where they wish to live and work were job availability, access to medical care, and proximity to family and loved ones. Although half of the CD students hailed from small towns and rural areas, less than one third intended to work in these areas. Implications of survey findings are discussed.