Radiology: Straight to the bone

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephanie Sauberan
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  "It's what's on the inside that counts."

For many people these words are nothing more than a common idiom, but for the staff of the 5th Medical Group's Radiology clinic, it rings true more often than not.

As the only two staff members currently assigned to Radiology at Minot Air Force Base, Staff Sgt. Carla Hisghman and Amber Tisi, 5th Medical Support Squadron radiology technologists, assist anywhere from 250 to 500 patients a month.

Technologists are in charge of taking radiographs of patients and developing the films for review, said Hisghman. Technologists have a variety of diagnostic tools at their disposal to include ultrasound, x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging.

"There are a lot of different specialties in radiology" said Hisghman. "We have plain films that provide anything from a chest x-ray where you're looking at the lungs, heart and ribs to any bones throughout the body. X-rays are the superimposed images of bones and organs in the body, so they show everything that is within the scanned area."

Ultrasound and MRI services are provided by civilians within the medical group, explained Tisi. The scans are routed to the medical staff through the Radiology office.

While undergoing x-rays, patients are required to wear protective aprons over certain parts of the body to protect their internal organs. Technologists, however, cannot perform their duties in similar aprons but take protective measures to ensure their personal safety.

In addition to standing behind protective barriers consisting of walls and windows containing lead particles, technologists also wear a device on their blouse called a Thermo Luminescent Documenter which houses a crystal that detects radiation levels that can build up over time.

"Anytime the crystal is exposed (to radiation) it deteriorates," said Hisghman. "They can measure how much radiation we have been exposed to based on how much the crystal has deteriorated."

Patients are infrequently exposed to very low doses of radiation when they visit their doctor's office or dentist which limits the risks of complications.

However, technologists and those who work around equipment emitting low-level radiation take every precaution possible to ensure harmful effects do not build up over time, said Hisghman.

"If you're using all of the safety precautions that you've been taught as a technologist you shouldn't get exposed," said Hisghman.

The precautions include wearing TLD's, shielding, keeping a proper distance and only having people in the x-ray room who absolutely need to be.

It is important to think about the possible long-term effects of exposure and take every precaution you can to avoid future complications even if it seems like you're being overly cautious, said Hisghman.

One of the hardest parts of the job are the instances where children are injured, said Hisghman. She has worked on various child abuse studies while she was stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, taking multiple x-rays to search for old fractures and signs of abuse.

While working in trauma at Lackland, the position helped her prepare for the types of injuries she encountered while deployed as an x-ray technician in Balad, Iraq, Hisghman added. Despite six years of treating patients at Lackland for a variety of injuries, what happens during a deployment requires a different mindset.

"Even though I had worked in trauma treating gunshot wounds and car accidents, I felt that I might be more mentally prepared than someone who is new to the career field, but nothing can really prepare someone for what will occur doing a deployment," said Hisghman. "Seeing combat is a lot different than being here at home."

During her most recent deployment overseas, Hisghman recounted the "Fallen Angel" ceremony that was performed in their trauma center when a patient died. During the ceremony, an American flag was draped the body before being transported away from the center.

"The Honor Guard came in and played Taps and saluted as the body as it was carried out," recalled Hisghman, tears welling in her eyes from the memory.

The ceremony was during Hisghman's first week deployed, she said. Sadly, it would not be her last during the deployment.

Although the deployment tested Hisghman, she learned a lot about not only her craft but also about herself as a person and a professional, she said.

"You really have to be a people person and have that nurturing, caring personality trait to be able to be in this job," said Hisghman. "The overall point of our job is to help the patient and that is what I love about it."