Good Shepherd Health Care System is joining hospitals across the country this week to celebrate National Radiologic Technology Week.
The week commemorates the discovery of the X-ray by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on Nov. 8, 1895. That discovery was a game changer in the medical field and a year later, X-rays were being used in hospitals to diagnose injuries that were not visible to the human eye. Prior to X-rays, physicians had to rely on sight and feel to determine the extent of an internal injury.
Much has changed in 129 years and technological advancements have come a long way during that time. Today, Good Shepherd’s Diagnostic Imaging Department offers services ranging from CT (computerized tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), ultrasound, echosonography, nuclear medicine, mammography, bone densitometry, fluoroscopy and, of course, X-rays.
“Diagnostic imaging is an integral tool for our providers as they work to determine patient’s current health status and plan how to treat their ailments,” said Robert Rose, RT, director of Good Shepherd’s Diagnostic Imaging Department. “These imaging tests, produced by registered technologists, give valuable information that wouldn’t be known without this ‘window’ into what is going on.
“Technologists go through years of training around physics, anatomy, biology, and disease processes in order to attune the medical devices, producing quality images that are ultimately ‘read’ by a radiologist – the doctor who interprets the images.”
Diagnostic imaging has been available at Good Shepherd for as long as it’s been at its current location on 11th Street. The department was remodeled in 2019 with new flooring, paint and wall covering. The waiting area was also remodeled at that time.
Not long ago, the hospital invested in what Rose called “the best MRI technology available to hospitals’ with the installation of Canon Orion MRI system.
“This MRI machine is one you may find in a major metropolitan area or university-based medical center, but not anywhere within three hours of here,” Rose said at the time. “From a quality standpoint, there is no reason for our community to travel out of the area for MRI needs.”
The department has 43 employees including support staff. Rose said the department will celebrate the ewek with “special days and treats are planned for the staff, showing them appreciation for working behind the camera.”
For more information on the Diagnostic Imaging Department, visit the Good Shepherd website.
