I want to be a Sonographer because …

When I was doing Nursing Clinical placement I observed sonographers performing scans on patients in the ward and most patients are willing to have the scan because Ultrasound scan is Non-invasive examination. During the procedure, patients experience no pain and find it easy to cooperate. To me sonographers seemed so professional.

From a medical perspective, ultrasound provides a window into the body to visualize the organs, vessels and other internal structures. It offers valuable information to assist other healthcare professionals for other clinical professions to make diagnoses. I believe that the career in medical ultrasound is a career in medical ultrasound would give me a sense of achievement.

This section documents my ongoing development as a student sonographer.

Summary

In the first few weeks, I observed my supervisor performing abdominal, pelvic and dating scans , during this time I was introduced how to prepare patients for different scans, and the importance of infection control before and after scanning each patient.

Reflection 

Through these observation I realised that being a qualified sonographer requires not only strong technical skills but also the excellent interpersonal and communication skills. This is especially important when working with patients who have language barriers or hearing impairments, where alternative communication methods such as body language become essential. I also observed how sonographers explain procedures to patients, it helps me to understand that effective communication builds trust and promotes patients cooperation (Gidman,2013).

Goal

Being able to prepare patients for different examinations and explain procedures to patients. 

 

Gidman, J. (2013). Patients’ perspectives of communication in healthcare: A literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(3), 545–555. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06087.x

Start to scan independently... 

Summary:

Performing my first partially independent abdominal scan under supervision.

Reflection:

My first abdominal patient was skinny, she is not gassy and I was able to identify the Inferior vena cava, Aorta, portal vein, Common Bile ducts accurately. However, after the scan I felt shoulder discomfort, which makes me realize the importance of ergonomics to prevent work related injuries (Pereira et al.,2018).

Goal:

Being aware of ergonomic and perform ergonomic scanning techniques before scanning. 

 

Pereira, D., Carnide, F., & Muehlbauer, T. (2018). Ergonomics and musculoskeletal pain among sonographers: A systematic review. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 24(1), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2016.1262542

Confidence & professional growth:

I have been concentrate on abdominal and renal scan for several weeks now, this period strengthened my empathy and ability to communicate with patients. As Wheat et al.( 2022) state that diagnostic imaging including providing emotional reassurance as well.

 

Wheat, V., Taylor, C., & Warren-Forward, H. (2022). The role of empathy and communication in ultrasound practice. Radiography, 28(2), 513–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radi.2021.11.015

Goals for development:

I realized that I focused too much on image optimization limited my ability to identify pathology findings, I plan to improve my ability to recognize pathology by slowing down my scans, paying more attention to each structures.  My goal is to perform abdominal scans with minimal supervision in three months. To achieve this goal I will review anatomy and ask feedback from my supervisor and also practice on each other with other sonography student to improve technical skills and interpersonal skills.