Clinicals 12/16/11

Scanned a fetal demise this week =( One of the downsides of scanning OB. The parents took it very badly as expected. Very sad experience but its important to maintain composure.

Clinicals 12/9/11

OB rotation is awesome!!! The perinatologist is very willing to teach and answer any questions that I have. Very cool!!! =)

Clinicals 12/2/11

OB is awesome!!! Im developing my own protocol when scanning. I learned that to some doctors cord insert is pertinent information and to others they care more about spine, heart etc. Very cool experience! =)

Clinicals 11/25/11

Getting excited for my OB rotation which is much needed so I can zone in on learning the appearances of different chromosomal abnormalities seen on Ultrasound! =)

Clinicals 11/18/11

Clinicals are amazing!!! The sonographers that i work with have over 125 years experience combined!!! Very cool and knowledgable =)

Clinicals 11/11/11

I find that scanning the left arm when doing an UEV study is a little more tricky than the right because to have to scan the patient backwards. It is tricky but can be done. With more practice It should become more comfortable to me. Great experience though! =)

Clinicals 11/4/11

Clinicals were awesome this week as always! I scanned an infant spine for sacral dimple which I learned is pretty common. I evaluated the dimple to see if there was a tract that led from the spinal canal to the skin surface. The exam was negative but it was great scanning experience for myself! =)

Clinicals10/28/11

IR is amazing!!!! I love doing interventional procedures and assiting the doctor when doing paras thoras liver biopsies renal biopsies and soft tissue biopsies. =)

Clinicals 10/21/11

Thyroid biopsies are awesome!!! I like working hand in hand with the Doctor and anticipating their next move. Awesome!!! =)

Clinicals 10/14/11

Clinicals=AWESOME!!!!!!! =)

Clinicals 10/7/11

Clinicals are educationally awesome!!! =)

Clinicals 9/30/11

More vascular studies!! I can see why there are strictly vascular labs around the valley. Vascular is a tedious exam if there is intricate pathology present especially in arterial studies. FUN!!!! =)

Clinicals 9/23/11

VEINS, VEINS, VEINS!!! Nothing but venous studies.... Great experience though!! =)

Clinicals 9/16/11

I called for a patient from the ER for a pelvic ultrasound pt was pregnant and had vag bleeding. I place my transducer down and all i see is a cluster of cysts in the uterus where a normal IUP should have been. This pt had a molar pregnancy. Very interesting pathology to see. =)

Clinicals 9/9/11

I was scanning along evaluating renals of a 2 week old infant for hydronephrosis and as im attemping to measure the rt kidney i cant seem to find where the inferior pole ends. Turns out this infant has horse shoe kidneys. Very amazing pathology to see especially in an infant because there is very little tissue to penetrate which is optimal for scanning purposes. =) p.s no hydro

Clinicals 9/2/11

Clinicals are amazing here at MIHS!!! =)

Clinicals 8/26/11

I seen a severe case of intrahepatic biliary dilation. This patient also had ascites and collaterals. very interesting case. Ive learned alot during my clinical experience! =)

Clinicals 8/19/11

Another fabulous productive week of clinicals!!! =)

Clinicals 8/12/11

Clinicals were awesome!!! =)

Clinicals 8/5/11

Clinicals are great!!! I understand why the sonographers say that testicles are like the thyroid of the neck. Scanning them is very similar and easy if theres not much pathology. Hydroceles make the testicles appear as a little ball in a sea of water. =)

Clinicals 7/29/11

Scanning OB patients is awesome!!! I love seeing the babies do all their cute little things but most importantly evaluating for anomalies to ensure that the fetus is healthy. My favorite part is telling the parents the gender and seeing the joy on their faces. Truly amazing!!! =)

Clinicals 7/22/11

Neonatal head ultrasounds can be very tricky when searching for a subependymal hemorrhage. They are very subtle and easily missed until the progress. Very difficult but amazing stuff!!! =)

Clinicals 7/15/11

Clinicals are great!!!!!! I realized how searching for ovaries can sometimes be a  tedious process and sometimes due to pt age your just not able to find them. Always know your limits but always do the best for the patient. Scan away!!! =)

Clinicals 7/8/11

I was in the OR this week assisting the Doctor with TRUS cases. Its amazing that the detail obtained of the prostate from an emdo vag probe! I can understand why Dr's choose to use Ultrasound its definitely the best modality to use for this procedure. =)

Clinicals 7/1/11

Clinicals are going very smoothly, I love my site!! =)

Clinicals 6/24/11

Scanning infant hips are very tedious if the infant is a kicker! =) Ive learned alot about how stressing the hip helps to evaluate hip laxity. Its common for doctors to order this exam on infants born breech.

Clinicals 6/17/11

I have been in IR all week doing multiple paracentesis and thorascentesis and various other IR procedures.... Our IR Dr ROCKS!!! =)

Clinicals 6/10/11

Clinicals were awesome!! I am learning so very much from every single Sonographer that I work with. Im seeing some amaizing pathology! =)

Clinicals 6/3/11

Meningocele found in utero.

Clinicals 5/27/11

Myelomeningocele found on an infant in utero and then scanned post birth.

Clinicals 5/20/11

Contracted, stone filled gallbladder with shadowing from the stones.

Clinicals 5/13/11

Choledochallithiasis was found

Clinicals 5/6/11

In clinicals I have been encountering infant spines. We scan these for reasons such as a sacral dimple. When scanning a sacral dimple we are looking for a communicating sinus tract that may lead to the outer surface of the skin. This is a negative thing because if there is an opening it can lead to infection of the spinal canal. We also evaluate the spinal cord to ensure that it is not tethered. This is also a negative thing if seen. We also document where the conus medularis terminates because it is important information for the radiologist to know and to link with associated pathologies. Another great week and an end to our spring semester! =)

Clinicals 4/29/11

Sorry about the monotony of these posts but clinicals are going well and I enjoy scanning anything and everything that I can get my hands on! I have been scanning neonatal heads lately i feel like i have established a scanning protocol but i still feel like i need to identify anatomy better and associating pathologies. I have learned that with babies of any age swiftness is key!

Clinicals 4/22/11

Clinicals were great! Lots of scanning being done! The more I get my hands on the better off I'll be....

Clinicals 4/15/11

I love interrogating while scanning. I feel like its a hunt to find the cause of the patients pain to better aid in the diagnosis. When i find pathology it is very important to discuss the finding with the radiologist right away to ensure that they don't want further imaging done or that they dont want to scan real time. We have an amazing team here at MIHS and i enjoy working with everyone! =)

Clinicals 4/8/11

Scanning is seemingly getting easier with my increasing confidence that I am developing with the help of all the techs! I am looking forward to summer because we are spending more time in clinicals! I find it astounding how much knowledge of pathology sonographers are responsible to know and identify. This modality is for more operator dependent than any other modality and this is exactly why i feel that its for me! Sometimes I do struggle with obtaining good quality images because of patient body habitus but i need to realize that breaking my arm is not going to make the image quality any better. Sometimes other modalities might be better for evaluating certain pathologies and it is up to the ordering physician to determine that. Overall great week though! =)

Poor image quality due to pt body habitus.

Clinicals 4/1/11

Another fabulous week of clinicals! Starting to get into some IR stuff such as paracentesis, thoracentesis, liver bx, thyroid bx and other fascinating intricate things! I love the people that I am working with! Its a very positive experience for me and I'm appreciating the encouragement and kindness that they show me day to day! =) We are constantly doing paracentesis' most ETOH related but some not. Once the liver reaches the stage of cirrhosis, its truly amazing how much ascites is created. I  believe the greatest amount that I have drained thus far was 10 liters! Talk about going from 9 months pregnant to skin and bones. It is amazing relief for the patient which most important.

 

Clinicals 3/25/11

I have been fortunately been getting my hands on vascular studies such as venous duplex of the legs. I am currently working on getting a scanning sequence down as well as getting comfortable with doing these studies and identifying pathology. I found that i like to stand while doing these studies due to better leverage and easier compressibility of the vein. I find it challenging to stay on the vessel while leaning over to augment. I am hoping with time and repetition of these studies that it will become easier to augment and that the exam will be done more efficiently exam and time wise.

Clinicals 3/18/11- SPRING BREAK!!! =)

Clinicals 3/11/11

Clinicals have consistently been exciting yet challenging all at the same time. I am enjoying learning what protocols suit me and my patients best and I am enjoying learning and identifying new pathologies every day! I am grateful to be at a site that encourages my scanning abilities as well as takes the time to teach me new things to better myself. Thank you!!!

3/4/2011 Clinicals

I love clinicals!!! I feel that i do need to work on my ergonomics though. I need to see if scanning while standing is best for me or in a relaxed sitting potion. Ergonomics are very important especially since i plan on scanning for many more years to come. This week I scanned a female pelvis that contained a 15cm fibroid attached to the fundus of the uterus with a tremendous amount of vascularity. Unfortunately i was not able to get those images but i am working on it =)

2/25/2011 Clinicals

Clinicals are still going great! I was able to really get my hands on the transducer this week scanning everything and anything that I could get my hands on. I am really getting my hands on female pelvis exams as well as endo vag. I find the orientation to be a tad bit confusing with endo vag but with more experience it should become easier. I have also been learning a great deal of new things from our traveling Tech. Things are copacetic at County! =)

2/18/2011 Clinicals

Clinicals are going awesome! I got to work with a traveling tech that will be with us for three weeks. He let me scan pretty much on my own and also let me get my hands on some vascular stuff like bilateral venous duplex's. It was great scanning with someone new so that I can again learn a different sonographers techniques especially someone that has worked all across the U.S. It was truly a privilege.

2/11/11 Clinicals

I scanned a variety of exams this week. It was another great week here at the Copa! =) I would like to expose myself to more vascular and OB exams and get a feel for what these entail before we take the classes. Excited to be where I'm at!!! =)

2/4/11 Clinicals

Another awesome week at clinicals! Not much more to say..... I love the variety of exams that we get and all the different pathologies that we encounter! =)

1/28/11 Clinicals

Clinicals seem to be getting better and better each day as i become more confident in my scanning abilities. I feel more and more comfortable identifying pathology and writing up exams that i have done! I love how fast the time goes by when we are busy and that at the end of the day I am not eager to leave at quitting time! =)

1/21/11 Clinicals

Clinicals are still going great! I am very fortunate to be at this site with all the awesome sonographers teaching me their skills! I am very excited and eager to learn this craft and to become my own sonographer. I feel that i have an amazing support system here to help me with that! =)

1/14/11 Clinicals

Clinicals are awesome! I feel like I am learning soooo much from different techs which in turn are molding me into my own person/sonographer! =)

1/07/2011 Clinicals

This week went really well. I am becoming more comfortable scanning with limited assistance from a tech. It is becoming much easier to visualize pathology with the help of the techs and i am glad i have such knowledgeable people around to help! This week I came across an ectopic pregnancy, cholelithiasis, adenomyomatosis of the GB, severe hydronephrosis and hydroureter unilaterally in an infant and also several fatty infiltrated, cirrhotic livers. I was also involved in scanning and marking an area for a paracentesis for the Doctor. It was a very busy week but i enjoyed  every bit of it! =)

xoxo

Sam

12/21/2010 Clinicals

Last week of clinicals were awesome! Not only did i get to observe many cases, i also scanned many as well. I was able to scan complete and limited abdomens, renals and trans abdominal/vaginal exams. I was also helping to set up for IR procedures such as paracentesis', thoracentesis', chest tube placements and also a cholecystostomy tube drainage placement. It has been an amazing experience so far!! =)

xoxo

Sam

12/14/2010 First Day of Clinicals! =)

Clinicals were awesome!!! I really loved that I was able to do my clinical rotation at the hospital that i work at becuse I already know the hospital and and computer system. Scanning has been awesome! I have observed and scanned with many different techs. I'm really lucky because with all the techs that are in the department their experience adds up to over 125 years!!! So far so good and I hope to continue to gain as much knowledge as I can from each tech. =)


xoxo
Sam