Radiography Program Clinical Procedures

All students will be offered the opportunity to participate in clinical mammography rotations/Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) procedures. The program will make every effort to place a male student in a clinical mammography rotation/HSG procedure if requested; however, the program is not able to override clinical setting policies that restrict clinical experiences in mammography/HSG procedures to female students. Male students are advised that placement in a mammography rotation/HSG procedure is not guaranteed and is subject to the availability of a clinical setting that allows males to participate in mammographic imaging/HSG procedures. The program will not deny female students the opportunity to participate in mammography rotations/HSG procedures if clinical settings are not available to provide the same opportunity to male students.

Students will use the initialed right- and left-lead markers to identify the radiographic procedures they perform correctly. You must notify the program faculty within 24 hours if either marker is lost or destroyed, so an extra set of markers may be ordered at the current market price at your expense. A point will be deducted per day for every day you are without personal markers. You are reminded that another technologist's markers should never be used in place of your own. An intentional misuse of markers may result in the student receiving an F in the course.

Clinical Tardiness--As a result of feedback from various Radiography department managers and supervisors, we have developed an attendance policy to correlate with expectations of a radiographer in the workplace.

1. Habitual tardiness to clinical assignments will not be tolerated. All time missed due to tardiness will be documented on the daily clinical worksheet and will affect the number of points given for the day. A responsible student will arrive at the clinic in plenty of time to ensure they are in their assigned areas, ready to begin at the assigned time. Long travel time, traffic, or missing the shuttle will not be considered adequate reasons for tardiness.
2. A tardy is defined as arriving late (any minutes), leaving early (any minutes), being late coming back from a meal/break (any minutes), or being away from assigned clinical duties without permission. Ten (10) points will be deducted from the Daily Worksheet portion of the clinical grade for each tardy up to half a day. Students who arrive half a day or more late, or leave half a day or more early, will have 15 points deducted. Exception: See Inclement Weather Policy.
   Examples:
   • Student Sally decided to visit the hospital gift shop during her lunch break. She lost track of time and was signed back in 10 minutes late……Tardy.
   • Student Ken turned off his alarm clock by mistake and as a result was 1 hour late to clinic……. Tardy (In addition, a 5-point deduction if Ken did not call 1 hour before clinical start time).

   • Student Stewart was in his first semester. He wanted to catch the first showing of the newest superhero movie coming out, so he left the clinic at 10:30 a.m.…… Absent.

     1^st Semester Clinic 7 hours/day……………. half a day = 3.5 hrs.
     2^nd - 5^th Semesters Clinic 8 hours/day.............half a day = 4 hrs.

3. Daily Worksheet Infraction - may be given without warning at the discretion of the onsite Clinical Instructor. Possible Daily Worksheet Infractions include, but are not limited to:

The clinical affiliates have an onboarding or orientation process for students. The clinical orientation is unique to each facility and must be completed in a certain timeframe before the student rotates to that site. The onboarding process can include completing documentation, watching videos, taking quizzes, and/or additional background and drug screening. Failure to complete the onboarding process by the given deadline will result in unexcused absences.

Loss of Clinical Placement

At any time after acceptance into an allied health program, if clinical privileges are denied or revoked for any reason, you must withdraw from the radiography program and will not be allowed to apply to any other programs within the allied health division.

All students must comply with the MRI Safety Protocol handed down by the A-B Tech Radiography Program. The MRI information will be provided at the beginning of the program.

The following MRI guidelines must be adhered to, without exception, for your protection. The following tasks are required:

1. Watch and sign the acknowledged receipt of the MRI Safety Training Video posted to Moodle.
2. Watch the Mission Rad Safety MRI Safety PowerPoint.
3. Complete the MRI Safety Screening Form.
4. If there are any changes to your form, you are required to update the information with your clinical coordinator.

Before observing an MRI rotation:

• You must provide a signed MRI Safety Procedure acknowledgment form regarding the video, your completed A-B tech MRI Safety Screening form, as well as any verification documents provided by the site to the Clinical Instructor.
• The student meets with the MRI technologist for a safety briefing BEFORE they are allowed to begin the rotation.
• Complete all mandated safety requirements for the given clinical site.
• Only after the Clinical Instructor has obtained safety verification from the MRI technologist will you be allowed to begin an MRI rotation.

The personal appearance and demeanor of the Radiography students at A-B Tech reflect both the College and Program standards and are indicative of the students' interest and pride in the profession. There is no place for fashion trends in radiography, especially with the conservative area from which our patient population will come. The appearance of the radiographer is the first impression of your skills that your patients will have. Use it to your advantage.

Each student is expected to follow these general guidelines:

1. You will purchase a program-approved uniform. Specific details about the colors and styles available for purchase will be provided at orientation.
2. Uniforms must be clean, properly fitted, and have the appearance of being pressed. If not, you will not be allowed to stay at the clinic.
3. Shoes must always be clean and polished. Low-top, athletic shoe-type, all-black, all-leather (even tongue) uniform shoes are allowed. They must not display stripes or prominent brand-name labels. Clogs, open-toed, or sandal-type shoes without a back are not allowed for safety reasons.
4. A liked-colored, embroidered, warm-up scrub jacket may be worn with the uniform when necessary.
5. A plain white or black undershirt may be worn if needed. No emblems or prints, no thermal.
6. Surgery or scrub-style uniforms will be worn only during the performance of the surgery assignment. If you are assigned an or rotation, you should arrive at the clinic site in plenty of time to dress out and be ready to go at the beginning of the shift. All hospital-owned surgery scrubs must be returned at the end of the day, prior to leaving.
7. Black mid-calf length socks or black hose must be worn with the uniform. Sports socks or footies will not be permitted for reasons of practicality and professional appearance.
8. Grooming
   • Hair will be neat, clean, and dry always, and will be in a natural color. Long hair must be kept tied back and out of the face.
   • Mustaches and/or beards must be kept neatly trimmed.
   • Scarves and other hair ornaments are unacceptable, except for discreet clasps or barrettes that match with hair color.
   • Make-up should be discreet and well applied.
   • Perfumes, scented (perfumed) lotions, scented (perfumed) powders, or aftershaves are not allowed.
   • Hair coloring and styling should be of a conservative nature.
   • You must exhibit proper hygiene and be free of body odor.
   • Rings should be limited to one per hand and must be worn on the ring finger.
   • No necklaces, bracelets, or medallions (other than Medic-Alert) are allowed for reasons of personal safety.
   • One pair of small, stud-type earrings that do not extend below the earlobe may be worn. If worn, earrings must be worn in the earlobe only (gauges must be solid-centered and flesh tone). No other visible type of body piercing, including tongue piercing, is acceptable.
   • All visible tattoos must be concealed while performing clinical rotations.
   • Fingernails must be kept short, clean, and neat for reasons of proper hand washing and patient safety. Fingernails must not extend beyond the tip of the finger. Colored nail polish is not acceptable. Acrylic or Gel nails are not allowed due to the possibility of transmission of bacterial and fungal infection.
   • Gum chewing is not allowed during clinical rotations; however, mints may be acceptable.
9. Identification
   • You are Not allowed at the clinic without an A-B Tech student ID badge. Attendance and point deduction will apply.
   • You are required to always wear a Mission or VAMC ID badge during your clinical rotation at these sites.
   • You should keep the ID badge free from obstruction by the placement of markers, stickers, etc.
   • Your name should always be visible.
   • You must have tops and lab coats embroidered with the A-B Tech Radiography Program emblem.
   • You may wear a plain undershirt, either white or black. No thermal
10. You are required to always wear your assigned radiation dosimeter while at clinical.

The program faculty will have a "zero" tolerance for dress code infractions. Any student reporting to the clinical affiliate in improper uniform or attire will be sent home by the program faculty or clinical instructor. This will be documented in accordance with published attendance/tardy policies and procedures. The clinical instructors and program faculty have the final authority for decisions made concerning questionable attire. Dress code infractions will be documented and will be reflected in the participation portion of the final clinical grade. Repeated infractions of the same policy are an example of insubordination and may result in counseling in accordance with program procedures.

Throughout the two years in the Radiography Program at A-B Tech, the student will participate in the clinical education portion of the curriculum to:

1. Acquire competency and proficiency in a wide variety of diagnostic radiographic procedures through application of classroom theory and laboratory skills to the actual practice of technical skills in a clinical setting.
2. Develop and practice professional work habits and appropriate interpersonal relationships with patients and other members of the health care team.

The main purpose of the clinical education course in any Radiography Program is to develop a transfer of knowledge from theory learned in the classroom to the actual performance of skills in the clinical setting, with the goal of the student obtaining a level of job-entry competency by the time of graduation.

This transfer of knowledge is accomplished by a series of clinical assignments in all aspects of diagnostic radiographic procedures, along with the correlation of classroom and laboratory experiences.

To measure the student's ability to perform at satisfactory levels of competency, a method of competency evaluation has been established to meet the needs of this program. In brief, the student will be evaluated by clinical staff and A-B Tech instructors in their performance of specific radiographic procedures as well as in their performance during the complete clinical rotation. As stated before, the goal is to graduate competent radiographers who can perform at a level expected by prospective employers.

The student must realize that the production of a finished radiograph and the clinical staff observation of the student during the performance of the specific radiographic procedure are by no means the only aspects of clinical education that must be evaluated. In addition, the following affective skills play an important role in the overall performance of a student in clinical education courses: organization skills, initiative, cooperation, self-confidence, composure, enthusiasm, and overall attitude.

These characteristics are evaluated with a Clinical Attitude and Ability Evaluation Form that will be completed at the end of each room rotation.

• During the first two semesters, you will engage in laboratory sessions during the Radiographic Procedures courses that will allow for the opportunity to demonstrate correct radiographic procedures using simulation on classmates and actual radiography of phantoms (under the direct supervision of a college instructor). After demonstrating competency in the laboratory setting, you will then be permitted to perform the radiographic exam for competency at the clinical affiliates. This does not mean that you cannot assist the technologist in the performance of radiographic procedures not covered in the classroom or lab. In fact, you will be expected to actively participate in every exam completed in your assigned area.
• These policies will be discussed in depth at the beginning of each procedure course.
• Time spent in the first phase of clinical experience will consist of a transition from an observational or passive role to an active participatory one of assisting the radiographer in radiographic examinations. Your rate of progress will depend on the ability you possess to understand and perform the various assigned tasks.
• After gaining experience in various procedures, you will gradually move into a performance state in which you will be performing the procedures under the direct and indirect supervision of a radiographer.
• The satisfactory performance of an exam for competency is only the beginning of gaining true proficiency. You will also be responsible for maintaining competency for each exam at each clinical affiliate. Details of the required numbers and types of competency and proficiency exams will be found in the course syllabus.

During the third through the fifth semesters of clinical education, the student may perform elective rotations through imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, IR, radiation therapy, etc, after the completion of the required number of patient competency exams for the semester is met.

Each semester, the student will be enrolled in clinical education courses during which they will be graded on the completion of clinical competencies, proficiencies, evaluations, and clinical daily worksheets. Grading information on each specific clinical course will be provided in the clinical syllabus for the course. All paperwork (labs, comps, proficiencies, repeat sheet, DWS, etc) must be completed in blue or black ink. No paperwork completed in pencil will be accepted.

The student is responsible for the following policies. Any intentional disregard will result in a written referral to the program director. The 2^nd infraction will result in referral to the Vice-President for Student Services. The program adheres to the 2021 JRCERT Standards, Objective 4.4, which states “The student to clinical staff ratio must be 1:1…”

Direct Supervision

Until a student achieves and documents competency in any given procedure, all clinical assignments shall be carried out under the direct supervision of qualified radiographers. A qualified radiographer is defined as an individual certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, or a suitable equivalent. The parameters of direct supervision are:

1. A qualified radiographer reviews the request for examination in relation to the student's achievement.
2. A qualified radiographer evaluates the condition of the patient in relation to the student's knowledge.
3. A qualified radiographer is present during the conduct of the examination.
4. A qualified radiographer reviews and approves the radiographs.

Indirect Supervision

After demonstrating competency, students may perform procedures with indirect supervision. Indirect supervision is defined as supervision provided by a qualified radiographer immediately available to assist the student, regardless of the level of student achievement. This is further defined as the presence of a qualified radiographer adjacent to the room or location where a radiographic procedure is being performed. This availability applies to all areas where ionizing radiation equipment is in use.

Indirect supervision does not apply during surgical and all mobile procedures, regardless of the level of competency. These procedures must be performed under Direct Supervision.

It is the responsibility of the supervising technologist to approve all student films, supervise a repeat exam, and dismiss a patient after completing an examination. The student may perform these duties only after being instructed to do so by their supervising technologist.

In support of professional responsibility for the provision of quality patient care and radiation protection, unsatisfactory radiographs shall be repeated only under the direct supervision of a qualified radiographer, regardless of the student's level of competency.

Each student is responsible for abiding by the above supervision and repeat radiograph policies. In a situation where the student feels he or she is placed in a situation that is in direct violation of these policies, the student should report it to the clinical instructor.

AI‑enabled or recording‑capable wearable devices are prohibited in all clinical and confidential areas, including patient care spaces, regardless of whether recording or AI functions are actively enabled.

These devices present an unacceptable risk of inadvertent capture, transmission, or storage of PHI, confidential business information, or images and audio of patients, visitors, or workforce members.

Policy Alignment

This guidance is consistent with existing hospital/clinical site policies governing photography, recording, device use, and information security, including:

• Photography, Video Recording, and Video Monitoring Policy
  Prohibits personal devices from capturing images, audio, or video of patients and restricts image capture to hospital‑approved, secure systems with appropriate consent.
• Code of Computer Ethics and Acceptable Use Policy
  Prohibits unapproved hardware or software and the storage or transmission of confidential data, including PHI, on personally owned devices.

Expectations for Students

• AI‑enabled or recording‑capable wearable devices may not be worn in clinical or confidential areas as of today.
• Standard prescription glasses without AI or recording capability are permitted.
• Noncompliance may result in immediate removal from the clinical setting and may jeopardize the student’s clinical placement.