Opinion

X-ray technology is a calling

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

I had a little car accident last week.

The good news is, I think I'll be OK in the near future (I got hit from behind, so I still have some head, neck and back issues and likely will for a period of time), and my son, who was in the car with me, appears to have escaped unscathed.

Anyway, the accident bought me trip to the hospital, where I ended up spending several hours.

I met a lot of medical professionals that evening, and as they came in and out, checking to see if I was OK, taking my vitals, starting IVs, administering pain medication and taking me to have x-rays and MRIs, I got to thinking about how the medical field really is a calling.

The two nurses I remember the most vivdly were Deanna and Cathy. They were both phenomemal.

They checked on me enough that I felt taken care of, but they didn't hover. They called me by name.

The ER was busy that night, but they made a point to keep me apprised of what was going on while the doctor was waiting for my test results to come back.

I have to admit, though, my favorite person that night was probably a young x-ray technician by the name of Zachary.

I ended up going to the radiology department three times (once for a plain old MRI, once for x-rays and once for an MRI with contrast), and he took me and every time.

Zachary was professional, but when I talked to him he actually talked back to me.

He answered my questions.

He admitted he was fairly new, and when he needed help or wasn't sure about how to go about something, he told me so and he went to get someone with more experience to assist him.

You have to appreciate that when you're dealing with needles and radiation.

When I'm nervous, which I obviously was that night, I like to talk.

Zachary kept talking to me through all the tests. I asked him where he'd gone to school. We talked about how he decided on a career in radiology.

He asked me about my job and my family. He stayed away from talking about the accident, which I appreciated because I was still freaked out about it and not quite ready to go into details.

So Zachary, if you're reading this, I for one think you went into the right line of work. When you're dealing with people who are sick or injured and scared, you need to know exactly how to talk to them to make them feel better.

I just wanted you to know you did that for me, and I wanted to thank you for it.

Jamie Barrand is the editor of the Banner Graphic. Her email address is jbarrand@bannergraphic.com.