Mar 29, 2024  
2023-2024 General Catalog 
    
2023-2024 General Catalog
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HSC 278 - Limited Practice Radiography


Last Date of Approval: Spring 2021

4 Credits
Total Lecture Hours: 45
Total Lab Hours: 30
Total Clinical Hours: 0
Total Work-Based Experience Hours: 0

Course Description:
This is a one semester course; emphasis is placed on providing the knowledge and skills necessary to provide maximum protection from ionizing radiation for the patient and personnel. Included in the course is basic physics as applied to x-ray machines and technology, image processing, patient positioning, preparation for radiographs of the chest and extremities, image evaluation, factors that affect the image, and radiation biology and protection. This course will help students gain basic radiology which will be significant when making important life decisions.

Prerequisites/Corequisites: None

Mode(s) of Instruction: traditional/face-to-face

Credit for Prior Learning: There are no Credit for Prior Learning opportunities for this course.

Course Fees: None

Common Course Assessment(s): None

Student Learning Outcomes and Objectives:
Student Learning Outcomes:

  1. Recognize the legal and ethical responsibilities of the limited radiographer
  2. Apply basic physics principles to explain the function of x-ray machines and technical factors for creating diagnostic radiographs.
  3. Learn digital methods of image creation: Computed Radiography and Digital Radiography
  4. Simulate correct patient preparation and positioning, projections, central ray location, and exposure factors to provide diagnostic quality radiographs
  5. Demonstrate an ability to evaluate radiographs
  6. Practice radiation protection for patients and personnel, recognize biological effects, maximum permissible dosage levels, shielding, and monitoring
  7. Demonstrate competency in safely and correctly performing limited diagnostic radiographic exams studied in this course.
  8. Identify key anatomy when evaluating radiographs
  9. Determine correct patient preparation and positioning, projections, film size, central ray location, exposure factors to provide best visibility for radiographs ordered within safety guidelines

Course Objectives:

Unit 1:Introduction to Limited Radiography and Ethics, Legal Considerations and Professionalism

  • Learn the role of the LXMO.
  • History and discovery of x-rays.
  • Explain the purpose of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, and the Joint review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
  • Learn the legal requirements for the practice of radiography
  • Describe the work environment of the LXMO
  • Examine the general duties of a LXMO
  • Learn appropriate terms for x-ray and ancillary equipment.
  • Explain primary, remnant, and scatter radiation.
  • Describe the features and functions of an x-ray room, control booth, transformer cabinet, detent, collimator and its purpose.
  • Learn about radiation safety for the patient and personnel
  • Apply legal considerations, professional behavior, confidentiality, patient rights, misconduct, and responsible behavior of the LXMO.
  • Examine professional communication verbal and nonverbal skills

 

Unit Two: Radiologic Procedures: Anatomy, Positioning and Terminology 

  • Demonstrate Anatomic Position
  • Define the planes of the body and the four body habitus
  • Use correct terminology for radiographic positions, projections, anatomic locations, orientations, and relationships
  • Given a position/projection select, mark, and place Image Receptor correctly
  • Demonstrate correct body and part positioning for routine projections of the:
    • Chest
    • Upper extremity to include the:
      • Thumb
      • 2nd through 5th Digit
      • Hand
      • Wrist
      • Forearm
      • Elbow
      • Humerus
    • Lower extremity to include the:
      • Toe
      • Foot
      • Calcaneus
      • Ankle
      • Lower Leg
      • Knee
      • Femur
  • Routine procedure guidelines
  • Learn anatomy on the Chest radiograph
  • Describe and demonstrate the routine PA and Lateral Chest Radiograph
  • Learn anatomy for Upper Extremity radiographs
  • Describe and demonstrate routine radiographic positions for Upper Extremity x-ray procedures
  • Learn anatomy for Lower Extremity radiographs
  • Describe and demonstrate routine radiographic positions for Lower Extremity x-ray procedures

Unit Three: Radiographic Physics

Basic Physics for Radiography

  • Define Matter and the three basic forms of matter
  • Describe the atom, atomic particles, and atomic structure
  • Define six forms of energy with a focus on electromagnetic energy.
  • Demonstrate the features of electromagnetic energy including, sine wave characteristics
  • Discuss x-ray characteristics and contrast them with visible light
  • Explain an electric circuit, its properties and the units that measure each property.
  • Discuss alternating current and the process of electromagnetic induction
  • Explain step-up and step-down transformers

X-ray Production

  • Describe the components, composition, and function of the basic parts of the x-ray tube
  • Learn the anode and cathode portions of the x-ray tube and their roles in creating the x-ray beam.
  • Explain Bremsstrahlung and characteristic radiation
  • Define thermionic emission, line focus principal, anode heel effect, and the important characteristics of the “effective focal spot.”
  • Describe kilovolt (kV) and milliampere (mA), the effect each has on the x-ray beam.
  • Discuss inherent and added x-ray beam filtration

X-ray Circuit and Tube Heat Management

  • Explain the x-ray circuit, label the principal parts and describe how they function
  • Discuss rectification and the types of rectification
  • Learn the features of voltage waveform for the following types of current: unrectified, half-wave rectified, full-wave rectified, three-phase rectified, and high frequency
  • Describe the components of the automatic exposure control (AEC) system and anatomically programmed exposure system
  • Discuss the five causes of x-ray tube failure and tube heat management that prolongs tube life

Unit Four: Principals of Exposure and Image Quality/Radiobiology and radiation Safety

Principal of Exposure and Image Quality

  • Discuss the prime factors of exposure
  • Describe how the four prime factors of exposure impact radiographic quality
  • Explain the prime factors that control radiographic density, contrast, distortion, and spatial resolution
  • Describe high, low, and optimal contrast.
  • Discuss radiographic distortion, spatial resolution, and geometric factors.
  • Explain motion blur and how to minimize or avoid it on radiographs.

Radiobiology and Radiation Protection

  • Discuss the units used to measure radiation exposure, absorbed dose, and equivalent dose.
  • Describe the potential effects of radiation injury to cells
  • Explain and compare radiation risks according to type.
  • Discuss the risks of exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation
  • Explain the ALARA(As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principal of radiation protection and its significance
  • Describe methods used for radiation protection
  • Explain potential risks of radiation exposure during pregnancy and methods used reduce these risk

Unit Five: Digital Imaging

  • Define terminology specific to digital imaging
  • Discuss the digital methods for acquiring medical images - Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR)
  • Describe processing and postprocessing of the digital image
  • Explain the functions of the digital processing system
  • Discuss the Picture archival and communication system (PACS)
  • Identify artifacts in digital imaging
  • Describe technical considerations for digital imaging

Unit Six: Scatter Radiation and Its Control/Formulating X-ray Techniques

Scatter Radiation and Its Control

  • Describe three kinds of x-ray interaction with matter that produce scatter radiation
  • Identify the factors that affect the quantity of scatter radiation fog on a radiograph
  • Describe four methods used to reduce the amount of scatter radiation fog on radiographs
  • Define grid: ratio, frequency, and radius
  • Discuss grid cutoff and the four common causes of grid cutoff
  • Explain the criteria for determining when grid use is appropriate

 Formulating X-ray Techniques

  • Discuss fixed and variable x-ray technique charts
  • Explain how to accurately measure a body part with an x-ray caliper
  • Discuss optimum kVpDetermine how to calculate technique changes for radiographic density and contrast manipulation
  • Calculate technique change when the SID is moved.
  • Discuss the function and appropriate use of compensating filters

Unit Seven: Evaluation

  • Image critique/evaluation is a critical analysis of all aspects of a radiograph after it has been taken but before it is sent on to the Radiologist. This process is essential to determine if the radiograph has diagnostic quality or if a repeat x-ray must be taken. Image evaluation is a crucial skill for every radiographer.
  • Describe the optimum conditions for viewing and evaluating radiographs
  • Discuss the correct orientation of images on the display monitor
  • Explain the systematic review for critiquing radiographs for; diagnostic, technical, and esthetic quality.
  • Identify artifacts and technical errors on radiographs, the reason they occurred, and how to rectify them
  • Describe the appropriate criteria for determining if a radiograph should be repeated



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