AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I'm contaminated, oh my goodness how did this happen!?!?! I was only dealing with non-active waste why is my right hand so radioactive!?!?Me, 2019. Spoiler alert- if a patient having a stress/rest myocardial perfusion scan and then comes over to ask you a question whilst you're monitoring yourself on a hand and foot monitor, … Continue reading Classic trainee panic in Nuc Med
Tag: radiation
Radiotherapy Patient Pathway
Having spent 3 months in the radiotherapy physics department, I finally got the opportunity today to spend some time with the radiographers, scanning, planning and treating patients. This blog post will hopefully illustrate my understanding of the pathway that patients go through for their radiotherapy treatment as well as some reflections I have had over … Continue reading Radiotherapy Patient Pathway
What even is an x-ray?
I've always been taught the electromagnetic spectrum goes (in song form)... Radiowaves, Microwaves, Infrared... Radiation, Visible light, Ultraviolet, X-rays, Gamma rays. The assumption being that the higher the note sung (the later in the song), the higher the energy, the shorter the wavelength u.s.w. Therefore why are we calling my LINAC friends x-ray units?! Their … Continue reading What even is an x-ray?
Patients come first!
Today we're scheduled to spend a whole day on radiotherapy machine quality assurance (QA), performing the monthly checks on a particular machine to ensure that we are operating within the approved procedures with which we're allowed to carry out radiotherapy. These checks include mechanical checks of the couch positioning and isocentres (laser, mechanical, radiation), dosimetric … Continue reading Patients come first!
Cheeky London skyline view
It's a tough life testing dental x-rays on the 25th floor! Who needs the Shard's viewing platform? 😉
First doubts
It's taken 5 months but today I've experienced my first doubts about my suitability for the role of a medical physicist in the NHS. As medical physics experts, the team run various training courses. I've sat in on one for non-medical referrers of medical imaging (e.g. for podiatrists who refer patients for x-rays) and one … Continue reading First doubts
X-MR Testing
It turns out the most important weapon in a radiation safety physicist's arsenal is.... Micropore tape! Many metres used in the 8 hours of testing of this biplane interventional system. It was a very cool piece of kit with arms that move both independently and together with an astonishing number of joysticks and buttons. Hopefully … Continue reading X-MR Testing
"You're obviously not a scientist" 