Radiology (X-Ray)

A priority role for the Medical Radiation Technologists is in taking radiographs (digital pictures) for the hospital's Emergency Department. Such emergency x-rays can be taken any time of the day or night.

The Radiology area is staffed daily 7:30 a.m. until 12:00 a.m., with an on-call system for late-night hours. Once the digital image is processed, one of the hospital's radiologists (doctors who specialize in reading and interpreting the images) reports his findings to the attending physician. The images can also be viewed on monitors by the ordering physician anywhere in the hospital or in their private offices.

General procedures done by the department include: radiography of the skull, chest, spine, abdomen and extremities; gastrointestinal studies of the stomach and colon, and urological studies of kidneys, ureters and the bladder.

Special procedures include: therapeutic injections on joints; biopsies for lab analysis; placement of specialized tubes to facilitate ongoing therapy and treatment; mammography (imaging of breast tissue for breast pathology) and infertility investigation.

Mobile radiography units can also be used in the surgery suite, the emergency room, the nursery and in the intensive care unit.

In the past decade, new technology “digital radiography” allows dramatically lower doses of radiation to achieve the same picture clarity.

In June of 2001, the Hospital acquired a state-of-the-art CAT scan machine and Picture Archiving and Communications System.