X-Ray Diaries: A Day in the Life of A Bone Expert

James Sherpa: Coming up on BroncoTales. 

Kristie Hanson: That was a little weird, just walking out with the guy’s finger, putting it on the X-ray plate. But I’m like, he’s still in the room. Yeah, so that was definitely probably one of the most interesting things.

Anastasia Tracy: In this episode, curiosity meets clarity, and the mysteries of radiologic technology are unraveled. We sat down with Kristie Hanson, a seasoned radiologic technologist, to address all of the questions you’ve ever had but were hesitant to ask. From demystifying imaging procedures to ensuring patient safety and discussing the latest technological advancements, we explore the world of radiology through the lens of an expert. 

Gain insights into the daily life of a radiologic technologist, understand the precautions taken to minimize radiation exposure, and learn about the various imaging procedures that play a crucial role in healthcare. Whether you are considering a career in radiologic technology or simply seeking a better understanding of this vital field, this podcast promises an engaging and informative journey into the heart of radiologic technology. 

I’m your podcast host today, Anastasia Tracy. I am a radiologic technologist, but I’ll be playing as though I am not an informed rad tech. So that we can hear from an expert who’s worked in the field for a longer period of time than I have. So, Kristie Hanson, could you please start by providing us a brief overview of your experience and background as a rad tech? 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah, absolutely. So I have been a rad tech for approximately 20 years. I did take school pre-reqs and some general education. Then the program is a two-year process with interviews to get in. My background, I’ve been a rad tech in the hospital for 12 years. I was a supervisor for nine, and I’m still working in the field now as a rad tech. So yeah. 

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah, awesome. Let’s give a 30-second overview of what it is to be a rad tech, like day to day. What does the role look like for you as a rad tech? 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah, so day to day, we do a lot more than I think people realize we do. We do what’s called fluoroscopy procedures. There’s a wide variety of procedures. Maybe get into that a little later. We do outpatient X-rays and surgery. We run the machines over there and OR, and we run the emergency room. And then we go do portables on the floor to the patients that are in their rooms, collect history, and assist the radiologist, the physicians, and the PAs. 

Anastasia Tracy: Awesome. It sounds like there are tons of different ways that you can spend your day. I mean, are you popping up to the ER on circumstances, too? 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah, and so what I love about a day in the life of X-ray is, every day is different. And so one day you might run up to the ER and do a couple. One day, you might be in the OR for a little bit. So every day is totally different. Sometimes we do get assigned to certain positions in a day, but every day of the week is always different. So that’s one thing I love. And we’re always moving around and working with other departments throughout the hospital. So I really love that.

Anastasia Tracy: I love that too. The diversity really does bring some fun and excitement into your day, just being able to interact with different patients from different healthcare circumstances, be that the ER, be that the OR, be that the ICU, you name it. X-ray texts are there, it sounds like. 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah, for sure. 

Anastasia Tracy: I think one of the biggest misconceptions we should squash is. Is a rad tech a nurse?

Kristie Hanson: No, a rad tech is not a nurse. So a little different. We are doing X-ray procedures. So sometimes a patient might come spend 15 minutes to an hour if I’m doing a procedure on them. Otherwise, if I’m doing an X-ray, five, 10 minutes, and then they’re going back up to their room. We just interface with them when they’re down there with us, and then they go back up to their room with a nurse. So we are the imaging part. We are not doing any of the IVs or giving medications. But we do assist the nurses when needed in other departments. 

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah, totally. I think there’s a lot of interdisciplinary action that occurs not just within medical imaging, but when you bring in some of the other things that even at Boise State, we offer. So respiratory care, nursing, social work, and public health all of those things do play their role. It’s just, which part of the puzzle are we playing? 

And it sounds like rad tech is just a piece of that puzzle. In the same realm, relative to patient care, do you think that rad techs are doing a lot of the same things that nurses do? Like, are they coming up? And I mean, you said they weren’t doing IVs, but what other ways are nurses a little bit different?

Kristie Hanson: So, like a nurse is going to be taking care of the patient all day long up in the room with them. Whereas when we’re doing X-rays, we’re coming up to them in the room, or they are coming down to radiology. We’re doing their procedures, you know, sending them back up. If their IV is going off, we might push the button to pause it, and then we have to call the nurse to come over. So, I would say that the biggest part is they’re just they’re caretaking the patient all day long.

And then we are just a part of that care during the day with whatever imaging they have ordered. We just work with them to get the imaging done. 

Anastasia Tracy: Awesome. Thank you for that clarification. This might be a managerial-level question, but what do you think about the salary relative to rad techs and nurses? Are they pretty similar? 

Kristie Hanson: Um, actually, I think…people have a misconception on what a rad tech can make, and it’s actually a really good salary. And then we get benefits along with that, with paid vacation. So, just some really good benefits. And in the 20 years I’ve been a rad tech, I have always had a job. So, it has been like a great career in that way of it’s a pretty secure job. And right now it’s like there are tons of job openings. So that’s, that’s great to know.

Anastasia Tracy: Absolutely. This is a little bit of a different realm relative to nursing, but I’ve heard of travel nursing a lot. Are there travel opportunities within the realm of medical imaging?

Kristie Hanson: Yes, there is. They have locally been using some travelers post-COVID. But yeah, you can travel in radiology and even in some of our specialty modalities, which we will get into a little bit later.

Anastasia Tracy: Perfect. Let’s jump to educational requirements. I know we’ve kind of been focusing on how we differ from nurses. Is there a different pathway that we become a radiologic technologist based on the educational requirements? 

Kristie Hanson: Educational requirements, as far as I know, are pretty similar. We have to get prerequisites and some general education, two years’ worth. And then we do a two-year degree. Then we get our bachelor’s. So, I feel like the exact same schooling as a nurse, like the timeframe in which you come out with. And then there’s also opportunities to move on to get like your master’s and whatnot.

Anastasia Tracy: Totally. 

Kristie Hanson: And other opportunities.

Anastasia Tracy: Is the coursework pretty challenging for rad techs? 

Kristie Hanson: You’re talking about like, during the program? 

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah. 

Kristie Hanson: Um, yeah, it can be. But if you just put yourself to it. When I was going to school, I didn’t really work the first year because I just wanted to focus on that. And the one thing about radiology is we do go into some different subjects that are something you’ve never learned before. So, that’s really interesting. And it’s just awesome to be really focused on your classes and your grades. Then, going into the, you know, maybe the end of the first year and the second year, you can even start kind of working as a rad tech. They’ll hire you, getting really good hands on out in the clinical site. So I really loved that about radiology. 

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah. It sounds like a really great field because you’re getting a job really before you graduate. Um, my understanding of rad tech is that we are anatomy experts, and we also have to do some physics. Of course, those are two challenging subjects. And like you mentioned, we are not just born with that information native, right? We have to really buckle down and focus on that. And it sounded like you took a similar approach to me when I went through the program, and that the first year was really head in the books. And then the second year, I was able to kind of lighten my load, pick up some shifts, and start working in the field. So it’s a really great opportunity.

Um, I’m going to jump to how the field is changing. How is technology involved in the field of radiologic sciences? 

Kristie Hanson: Oh boy, it is changing so much. When I first started being a rad tech 20 years ago, we still did film for radiographs. And we are completely digital now. So, that has changed so much, just a lot of advanced technology. And then also, we’re pretty much paperless for the most part. We’re doing our notes, charging contrast, and all that on the computers. 

And then the other awesome thing is it gets right over to the radiologists. They can see images, read them, and get those to the doctors to get the results in a timely manner for all those patients coming in, needing to get those right away.

Anastasia Tracy: Totally. So always changing, that contributes again to that diversity in our day for sure. It’s a very technologically advanced field. You used a term that I do want to just jump into, radiologists. What is a radiologist versus a rad tech? 

Kristie Hanson: A radiologist is actually the physician and the MD who does the procedures and radiology, and they read all the exams. They are actually a physician. So yeah, people sometimes get those terms crisscross. But a rad tech has a bachelor’s in science. We assist them in doing the radiographs, but they are actually the physician that is reading the exams and giving the results to other physicians. They do procedures in all the different departments. 

Anastasia Tracy: Perfect. I think while we’re squashing misconceptions and misuse of terms, let’s talk about radiation safety. Obviously, we’re in a field where we’re being exposed to radiation. So what do you do to prevent, you know, glowing in the dark?

Kristie Hanson: Yeah. So that is a huge part of our education. And I think that’s something also people don’t realize. Like it’s a pretty big section of our education. We are taught how to distance, time, and shield ourselves. We also wear radiation dose badges. We’re allowed more radiation than the general public. There is a lot to radiation safety, and we are trained in that. So that’s what we’re experts in. We can make sure that we’re keeping ourselves safe, and the general public, when they’re coming in for their images. That’s what we do to help our patients. 

Anastasia Tracy: Perfect. I mean, I know when I’ve gotten an X-ray in the past, they’ve used shielding. But it sounds like shielding requirements have changed a little bit in recent years, too. So, are we still using lead shields as rad techs, or are we only doing that for patients these days? Or what’s the scoop with shielding? 

Kristie Hanson: Um, so we are using some shielding for rad techs when we’re under live X-ray because we are in the field all day, every day. But like general X-rays and whatnot, we’re really not shielding anymore. Their studies are saying, we just don’t really need to. The amount of radiation is so low that we don’t really need to shield. There might be a few procedures that we might have to like abdomen or whatever. Other than that, we’re not really required to do that anymore. So that’s kind of been a change when you’re in the hospital to change that mindset that it’s safe to not shield on everything.

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah. And I think that that’s exactly what I wanted to hit the nail on the head for there. That we have this conception that radiation is super dangerous, and we’re all going to die of cancer and blah, blah, blah, when it comes to exposure to radiation.  

It really sounds like tech has contributed to our ability to lower the radiation dose that we, as rad techs, are exposed to every day. But also our patients who are exposed to it when they come in for these specific procedures. 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah. 

Anastasia Tracy: Um, what does it look like for you, relative to education, after you’ve graduated? Do you sit for the boards exam? Do you have to maintain continuing education credits? Tell me a little bit about that. 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah. So after you get done with radiology school, you sit for your boards. Once you have taken your boards, you just continue working. Usually, before you take your boards, they’ll have you work as like student tech. So there are different classifications, then the pay will change, and then you’ll get your credentials. Then, after that, we are required to have 24 continuing education credits every two years that we have to keep up on. 

Anastasia Tracy: Perfect. Which agency are we accrediting through? Like, how do we prove our competency? 

Kristie Hanson: So ARRT and then ASRT are where we can get our continuing education through. 

Anastasia Tracy: Perfect. Is the board’s exam difficult? 

Kristie Hanson: I feel like once you’ve gone through the schooling, you are very, very prepared. I didn’t feel like it was terrible. You know, you just have to go through school, know all your stuff. And, they just have a little bit of everything from what you learned in two years. I mean, four years, I guess. You are so prepared that you, you will know everything on your boards. And I’m pretty sure the pass rate is very, very high. 

Anastasia Tracy: I think it’s like a 70 right now, but I would need to double-check. But yeah, you’re right. That’s three-quarters of people who sit forward at that point, right? 

Kristie Hanson: Yeah.

Anastasia Tracy: It sounds like with the two-year timeframe that we’re in school, there’s also a lot of clinical hours. So we’re in the hospitals and doing a lot of hands-on work. I’m sure that contributes to your ability to be successful on these boards. Cause it’s not just the application of your knowledge of radiation physics and your knowledge of the anatomy that we are the experts in. 

It’s also applying what you’ve been practicing every day in the career field. I’m going to just jump to you as a rad tech and your career as a rad tech. What is the most fulfilling part of being a rad tech? What drew you into the field and kept you working in the field for this many years?  

Kristie Hanson: I think, just, I love helping people. You know, people are sick, and they have a lot of different things. We play such a huge role in being there to comfort them and diagnose what’s going on. And I just love the patient care interaction, and it’s just so rewarding at the end of the day. That’s what I absolutely love about my job. And I love just the variety of my job and the people that I work with, the radiologist and all my other coworkers. Like it has just been the best field ever, and after 20 years, I still absolutely love it.

Anastasia Tracy: It’s amazing. I think that those are the type of people you want working on your healthcare team. And then to also hear that you have such strong collaborative efforts with your teammates, like they become your family at that point. So it’s really important that you’re maintaining those relationships positively. 

Kristie Hanson: Absolutely. 

Anastasia Tracy: This is going to be a curveball question for you, but what’s the weirdest thing you’ve encountered in your day? What’s been the coolest kind of trauma case or maybe surgical case that you got to be a part of? 

Kristie Hanson: Actually. So, I had to go to the emergency room. This was when I was still in Montana, but there was this guy who came in. He actually like got his finger caught in an auger. So, it got completely, yeah, cut off. So, when I went into the room, I had to take his finger with me outside of the room and take an X-ray with the portable X-ray. And so that was a little weird, like the part disconnected, and the guys were kind of joking. They’re like, “Hey, don’t lose that”. 

Cause I think when it goes in, it flew out. And so, it took them a while to find it. And they bring it to the hospital because they have to see if they’re able to reattach it, due to if there are a lot of vessels or whatever has suffered. But that was a little weird, just walking out with the guy’s finger, putting it on the X-ray plate, but I’m like, he’s still in the room. Yeah. 

So, that was definitely probably one of the most interesting things. It’s like, “Hey, I’m going to borrow that real quick. I’ll be right back”. So that was a little weird. Like, yeah, I’m just going to take your finger and get a little X-ray. It was a disconnected part. You have it with you, and the person’s not with you. 

Anastasia Tracy: Oh, wow. 

Kristie Hanson: Um, so that was, that was very interesting for sure. That was just one of the many, but that one really, really sticks out to me. I think that that story also highlights that people get into rad tech, and they think that they’re not dealing with blood, guts, gore, and those sorts of things. Well there’s proof that, you know, you probably will.

Anastasia Tracy: Oh yeah, for sure. Wow. Well, I think we got a lot of great information from you relative to the career of a rad tech. What opportunities are there for advancement in the field? 

Kristie Hanson: Oh my gosh. So for advancement, there are so many different branches you can go into, which I totally love. So first of all, if you’re in radiology, you can go into management. You could be a sales rep for equipment people, and then you can also go into ultrasound DMS. You can also go into MRI, or you can go into the cath lab. Um, you can go into interventional radiology and CAT scan. Did I miss any Anastasia? 

Anastasia Tracy: I think you hit all of those that we offer, at least at Boise State. I know some opportunities are not offered at Boise State, such as nuclear medicine. 

Kristie Hanson: Oh yeah, I forgot nuclear medicine, but yeah. 

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah. We’ve not got–shameless plug for Boise State medical imaging opportunities. Of course, we have our rad tech program. Once you’ve completed the rad tech program, you become eligible for our CT program or our interventional radiology program.

If you don’t want to go through our rad tech program but still want to work in the field of medical imaging. We offer our diagnostic medical sonography program, which allows you to sit for abdominal and OBGYN (obstetric and gynecologic) examinations. You can also take the primary pathway of the MRI route, which is magnetic resonance imaging. It’s a specialty for, you know, muscular skeletal purposes. Then, we also have our interventional cardiology route for people who don’t necessarily want to go through radiology first, but they want to work in the field of medical imaging as well. So we do have tons of opportunities at Boise State.

These are all bachelor’s degree programs. So, you know, shameless plug there. Please reach out to your program advisors. You can always reach out to me and Anastasia Tracy, relative to ultrasound. You can reach out to Kristie Hanson, and she can connect you with anybody in these departments. So, are there any final words that you want to offer us, Kristie? 

Kristie Hanson: Um, not that I can think of, but this was great. 

Anastasia Tracy: Yeah. Super fun. Thank you for coming and joining us. And, we’ll be sure to link our programs’ website in the podcast descriptions so that you can find us to connect with more information about the field of radiology. 

James Sherpa: Thank you for listening to BroncoTales with the College of Health Sciences. Join us next time as we discuss how Boise State’s School of Population and Public Health students and faculty are using upstream prevention models to better assess youth mental health needs across the state. 

Kaydin Griffin: When we do our yearly surveys, it’s really interesting to see the differences in the data of each school community. We survey on a wide array of things, such as school safety, having a trusted adult, substance use, community factors, and more individual factors as well. It’s really interesting to see how different each community is from each other.