X-ray tech excels with kind care Published July 2, 2014 By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Greeting the patient with a smile, Senior Airman Casey Burch leads him back into the examination room. After seeing his eyes widen at the sight of large, gray machines, she provides him an overview of what will happen during the X-ray so he doesn't feel overwhelmed. She instructs him to change into scrubs and to remove all metal from the area she will be x-raying and leaves to give him privacy. When the patient is ready, Burch lines up the "wall bucky," or wall-mounted X-ray system, and carefully positions the patient for a chest X-ray. When the patient is ready, she takes the X-ray and takes it back to the quality control station to see if everything is good, before sending it to the radiologist. When she sees that the images are clear, she releases the patient and cleans up the room. Burch, 375th Medical Support Squadron radiology technologist, is one of 20 technicians who cover all radiology modalities: Diagnostic Imaging/Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mammography, and Ultrasound. She said she enjoys taking care of patients and ensuring they get what they need when they visit the Scott Clinic's radiology department. "I love patient care and going above and beyond for my patients," she said. "I really try to make my patients feel like I care about them, because I do. I want to make sure their exam is as comfortable for them as possible, especially when they are getting an uncomfortable procedure done that they are nervous about." Burch said one of her favorite patients was a man who came in with a broken ankle. She worked hard to make sure he had a pleasurable experience, despite the fact that he was in pain. "He was so funny and friendly, and he was so much fun to work with," Burch said. "He came back a second time and wanted me to shoot his X-rays again because we had such a good time. He had a broken bone and it was probably painful for him, but it was fun. No one really wants to be here, but the patients who keep coming back have their favorite techs and they know exactly what to expect and are usually grateful for what we do here." While Burch primarily works in the X-ray department, she also serves as an assistant for mammography biopsies and does CT scans. "CT scans is a little bit of a specialty here," the 23 year old said. "It's a lot different from X-rays. The big difference is IVs and starting the contrast. That is a huge skill that people might not think that X-ray techs need to have, but we have to be pretty good at. If a patient requires a CT, the technician has to administer an IV with the contrast fluid before entering." Contrast is something that highlights certain sections of your body; it goes through your veins and makes them appear white, making it easier to see certain things in the body. Patients who have a history of a tumor, cancer or surgery may be given contrast. Contrast may also be given when the techs are looking for an infection, inflammation, cancer, or if they are investigating a finding on a scan done without the contrast. Burch said, "We take what's called a scout film, which shows a quick overview of what the patient is going to look like in CT. Then, we'll start the contrast and warn them about any contrast reactions that can happen in CT. I scan the patient with the contrast, take it out and make sure everything looks good. Our techs are expected to have some basic knowledge of big issues. We're not doctors, but we are expected to be able to tell major issues like a collapsed lung." "CT scans give me a break from the normal X-ray; you have to have a wider view of anatomy. Without that knowledge, you would never know those pictures were what they were. It gives me a new challenge and lets me see different things." Recently, Burch has been tasked with being a Picture Archiving and Communication System administrator. She makes sure that when the exams are finished that they are appropriately sent to the radiologist, dictated, and pass into the archiving system. She corrects examination mistakes, maintains exam transmittal, serves as the administrator over the tele-radiology program, where the radiologists read the exams from Patrick Air Force Base, and serves as a liaison between the radiologists at the base and outside contractors. Master Sgt. Chevon Kemper, 375th MDSS Diagnostics Imaging flight chief, said Burch is a pleasure to work with, and she thinks very highly of her work ethic and capabilities. "Burch has become my go-to Senior Airman in a very short period of time," Burch's supervisor said. "I know that any project I give her will be done correctly. What sets her apart is that she strives to get it right the first time. Therefore, she is not afraid to ask questions and seek clarification if she is unsure of the expectation. Although, her new position as the PACS administrator has somewhat taken her out of full-time patient care, she has been able to transfer her excellent patient-centric customer service to the internal customer. She is very professional when dealing with physicians and IT personnel within the facility." The diagnostic imaging career field allows Burch and her fellow technicians the opportunity to broaden their skills and work in a variety of areas. Burch said, "My favorite part of the job is the broad spectrum we get to participate in. In the civilian side, if you are an X-ray tech, you are an X-ray tech; you don't get to do CT's. You don't get to have this opportunity. For us, if you go in as a 4R, or Diagnostic Imaging, you can really just do a lot of things within this career field. We have the opportunity to do CT's, MRIs, ultrasounds, and mammography. We have these opportunities that most people don't have. They are all separate jobs and require different skillsets. That's really cool and useful." Burch has the opportunity to be registered in different modalities. She said her goal is obtain her X-ray registry, which is a nationally certified test. "You have to meet some basic educational requirements, and then you can put in an application to take the test. It's really difficult and strenuous. In order to be a serious X-ray tech in the military, that's almost a requirement. My long term goal is to finish my degree in International Studies. This job is very accommodating for education."