The Radiography Instructor

We just finished Week One of the fall semester. I teach Radiographic Procedures to first semester Radiography students and after introductions, a few team building activities, and discussing course details, we’ve begun learning the necessary new terminology for a career in Radiography. New words such as AP, PA, Lateral, oblique, and decubitus were introduced and I sent the students home with some practice activities (included below) to help reinforce what they learned in class.

Many of my students are already stressed out and overwhelmed. I’ve received several emails with questions about how to navigate content in the textbook, what they should focus on with regards to note-taking, and how to allocate their precious time.

Here is my advice for all new Radiography students: First, let me begin by saying that your feelings of “being behind” are normal.  The next few months will be very stressful and overwhelming, and I would encourage you to give yourself some grace.  Take breaks, go for walks, and find a little time to relax in between studying so your body and mind can rest.

Regarding note-taking and studying… Once you have the first round of quizzes and exams, you’ll get a better feel for the content, what to expect in terms of questions, and the “main points” you should pull from the text and lectures.  Unfortunately, the first round of quizzes and exams aren’t for a few weeks, so until then I would suggest a few tips for Radiographic Procedures:

• If you’re feeling overwhelmed with note-taking because you don’t know how much detail to include in your notes, read the chapters and watch the recorded lectures but don’t write anything down.  Focus your energies on retention and comprehension.  Reread or rewatch confusing concepts.
• If you must take notes, only write down “big” ideas like the definitions of the key terms I handed out.  Don’t try to write down every detail – it’s too much and most of that likely won’t be on the exams.  
• Rather than taking notes on every detail, complete the workbook and handouts I provide (included below).  The workbook and my handouts are a great guide to understanding the “big” ideas and concepts you should know. 
• Positioning Rules to Live By
• Positioning Practice 1 and Key
• Positioning Practice 2 and Key

After a few weeks you’ll get into a groove and discover what works best for you in terms of reading/lectures/note-taking.  Don’t worry, I promise it will get easier. Good luck!