University of cumbria radiology Videos

The unfortunate part of being a student is finding yourselves in tough positions like this.  If you say anything at all, you could create an unwelcoming environment at your clinical site.  However, you know what the tech is doing is wrong, so your instructors are doing something right.  Think of it as an example of what NOT to do.  I would have a conversation with your clinical coordinator about what you're witnessing.  It could be that they have had reports of this in the past... even if not, it's a good learning opportunity for you and your classmates to open up some discussion on the topic.   People often believe they are producing high quality images when opening the collimation and cropping, but the beam physics remain the same - the scatter radiation produced with the open field will reduce image contrast even with digital imaging.  You are degrading image quality and EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING PATIENT DOSE by opening your collimation to 14x17 for a spot view of the L-spine.  Basic exposure principles are taught even on film/screen systems to improve image contrast by collimating (see this post //topicsinradiography.com/2012/03/effects-of-collimation-on-radiographic-density-and-contrast.html).  Post-processing features are intended to improve the images you initially produce, not compensate for lazy work.  Garbage in, garbage out!

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