Congress Wants to Know: Who Exposed You?

On September 30, 2010 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a historic medical radiation protection bill into law, paving the way for the first state law in the U.S. aimed at protecting patients from excessive radiation exposure received during medical procedures. Public scrutiny is higher than it ever has been. Hearings in Washington DC before the U.S. Congress were convened multiple times in the past three years.  Radiologic Technologists are on the hot seat about training, experience, professionalism, ethics and more.
You will begin your lesson by investigating the definitions and driving forces behind “professionalism”. What makes us a professional and how do our patients view us? You will continue to learn the differences between ethical decisions and medical legal ramifications. A quick review of the issues in radiation safety and incorporating the case studies that demonstrate that we have allowed a callous attitude to develop about the application of radiation to patients will complete the day.